The balance of posterity and practicality in architecture throughout history, and its cultural relevance - from the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt to the Sydney Opera House, starkly contrasted with common cottage dwellings - are skillfully examined in this Very Short Introduction. While the reader is introduced to particular historical periods, and to particular styles such as 'baroque' and 'modern', Andrew Ballantyne goes beyond this to explore the economic, political, and aesthetic significance of buildings, looking at how architecture acquires meaning through tradition and how it contributes to our sense of who we are.