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Also by Alain De Botton:

A Week At The Airport, October 2010
Paperback
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, June 2009
Hardcover
The Architecture of Happiness, October 2006
Hardcover
How Proust Can Change Your Life, May 1998
Trade Size (reprint)

THE ARCHITECTURE OF HAPPINESS
By: Alain De Botton

Pantheon
October 2006
On Sale: October 12, 2006
288 pages
ISBN: 0375424431
EAN: 9780375424434
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction

One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings and streets that surround us.

And yet a concern for architecture and design is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and it argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.

Whereas many architects are wary of openly discussing the word beauty, this book has at its center the large and naïve question: What is a beautiful building? It is a tour through the philosophy and psychology of architecture that aims to change the way we think about our homes, our streets and ourselves.

Media Buzz

All Things Considered - January 31, 2007
Studio 360 - October 28, 2006
Talk of the Nation - October 11, 2006