Henri Stierlin was born in Alexandria in 1928. The 16-volume work Architecture Universelle, Editions de l'Office du Livre, was published between 1964 and 1972 under Stierlin's direction. He has also published Tanis - Tresor des Pharaons, Paris 1987, Les Pharaons batisseurs, Paris 1992, and L'Or des Pharaons, Paris 1993.

From the superb mausoleum of Mausolus in Halicarnassus, stop by the shrine to Apollo at Delphi with its famous oracle, or pass through the imposing Lion Gate in Mycenae. This "picture book journey" takes us through all the important architectural sites in ancient Greece. "Noble simplicity, quiet proportions" was how the distinguished archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann once described Greek culture, and the beauty of classical art certainly lies in its simplicity. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the architecture of perfect harmony and proportion, and a journey into the splendid art of the Mediterranean.