Counter-Attack aginst Subtopia (1956, first edition)
Ian Nairn's sequel to Outrage, superbly illustrated
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
Undated [1956]. First edition. Hardback, illustrated front cover, stapled binding under boards. 31 × 25cm, iv + pp355–436.
Printed from The Architectural Review of December 1956, and was a sequel to Nairn's 1955 essay Outrage. Nairn coined the term subtopia to mean the merging of suburb and utopia to create a soul-destroying developments as he railed against the loss of the genius loci. This piece argues that a town should feel like a town, with clear boundaries and high density, and how he wanted people to look at their surroundings critically. He believed that once people became "sufficiently angry" about the ugliness of their environment, they would finally demand better design.
Illustrated by Gordon Cullen and Nairn's photographs, this book provides good vs. bad examples of everything from how to pave a square to how to integrate a power station into a landscape without ruining the horizon.
Condition
A good copy. There is some tanning and marking to the covers and the staples are starting to show a little rusting but the contents remain very good and the book is in strong readable condition.
Books are currently zero-rated for duty (as of May 2026), so the price shown is the price you pay.
Price
£30.00
