The architect Arthur Ashpitel (1807–69) worked on a wide variety of projects, including churches, houses and schools, and wrote widely on architecture, literature and politics. He became a fellow of the Institute of British Architects in 1841 and the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1847. This 1867 work comprises his compilation and revision of notable tracts on architecture from the Encyclopædia Britannica. It includes entries by William Hosking (1800–61) on classical, Gothic and modern architecture, building and construction; Thomas Tredgold (1788–1829) on joinery and stonemasonry; Thomas Young (1773–1829) on carpentry; and John Robison (1739–1805) on roofs, arches and the strength of materials. Intended to be of practical use to architects, craftsmen and 'the building trade', Ashpitel's synthesis remains a valuable resource for scholars interested in nineteenth-century thought on architectural history, practice and technology.