'The study of architecture opens up the enjoyment of buildings with an appreciation of their purpose, meaning and charm.' These words, from the tenth edition of Banister Fletcher's "A History of Architecture" in 1938, aptly summarise what Banister Fletcher has become for generations of students and architects---an easy-to-use reference book with all the world's major architecture described, explained and, in many cases, fully illustrated. In this twentieth and centenary edition, chapters have been recast and expanded and a third of the text is new. This unique book places buildings in their social, cultural and historical settings to describe the main patterns of architectural development, from Prehistoric to the International Style.