The language of post modern architecture by jencks charles publication date 1977 topics architecture modern 20th century communication in architectural design publisher new york rizzoli collection inlibrary printdisabled oliverwendellholmeslibrary phillipsacademy americana. This is a seminal work on post modern architecture if you read literature on post modernist architecture or post modernism in general you will see this authors name pop up the text is highly readable and engaging it is aptly illustrated with a eclectic set of images which supports the authors writing well. A classic account which when written in 1977 was the first to define post modernism in architecture an event which led to subsequent adoption of the term in many other fields it is the story of the failure of modern architecture to communicate with its users and the attempt of post modernists to overcome this failure with a richer more widely shared language post modern classicism. Architectural critic and historian charles jencks is the author of among many other titles le corbusier and the tragic view of architecture doubleday 50m copies sold to date the language of post modern architecture and the architecture of the jumping universe