Prestinenza Puglisi Updates Architecture History with 2018 Edition

Architect and critic Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi has released an updated edition of his architecture history, "La storia dell'architettura 1905-2018," published by Luca Sossella Editore in June 2019. The 768-page volume adds an appendix covering 2008-2018, expanding on his earlier online version. The book claims to debunk myths and hierarchies in architectural historiography, giving visibility to marginalized Italian architects such as Walter Di Salvo, Ugo and Amedeo Luccichenti, Venturino Ventura, and Armando Brasini. The work is organized into 188 subchapters, fragmenting canonical movements like High-Tech into multiple entries (e.g., "Prouvé: esercizi di High-Tech," "Dagli Archigram all'High-Tech," "Sviluppi dell'High-Tech," "Eco-Tech," "Renzo Piano: Soft-Tech") to challenge monolithic narratives. The writing is accessible and aimed at students, with a low price of €20 to ensure affordability. However, the review criticizes the book's poor editing, inconsistent naming (e.g., Richard Rogers' "Channel 4 Headquarters" vs. "sede di Channel Four"), and low-quality print with faded images on porous paper. The author questions whether the cost-cutting compromises the book's effectiveness as a scholarly tool.