Further along the timescale, you have the new
World History of Architecture by Marian Moffett, Michael Fazio and Lawrence Woodhouse (Laurence King, £45 hardback)
. An excellent primer, this 600-page heavyweight, well-illustrated volume takes full account of non-Western traditions.
On the domestic side, go for
Brave New Houses by Michael Webb (Thames and Hudson, £25 hardback)
, which is a report from the frontline of architectural experimentation: the houses of Southern California. Look, and gasp. Some of these homes are truly astonishing, some modest, but all are excellent. 
How do landmark buildings get built? Consider The Saga of Sydney Opera House by Peter Murray (SponPress, £19.99 softback)
. It's a wonderfully detailed account of how the magnificently unbuildable doodle came to be, with all the traumas along the way including the shameful forced resignation of its architect, Jorn Utzon. Of course it became the best-known building in the world. Gripping stuff.
