This book is a history of J. M. Richards' career as editor of The Architectural Review and as an architectural critic and writer from 1933-73. The book explores Richards' ideas about anonymity, modernism and public participation in architecture.
No more giants traces the development of the architectural profession throughout the life and career of the influential critic James Maude Richards. It tells a story of changing relationships between the profession and the public, the emergence of new ideas about public participation and the shifting role of the media in architecture.
As the longest serving editor of The Architectural Review (1935-71), Richards was active throughout the ascent and descent of modern architecture in British culture. He took the view that architects should be anonymous experts guiding a community to create better, modern buildings, rather than individual 'giants' expressing their individuality. Rather than looking at buildings, this book traces the definition and fortunes of modernism through what was written, broadcast and exhibited and the audiences that Richards and his friends sought to address.
Richards was part of a wide network of artists and architects who shaped culture during the mid-twentieth century. His life and his consistent argument that architects must allow the public to participate in architecture offer a fresh perspective on the history of modernism in Britain.
