Style does not originate in a vacuum. New Styles are devised to meet new demands, responding to the needs and aspirations of patrons, to shifts in fashion, to leaps in technology, to the availability of materials, and even to political factors. The development of style is unpredictable, but not arbitrary; it builds on what has been done before, investing it with vitality by adding something new. There is no such thing as a totally new design, and it is book` s purpose to draw attention to the vast repertoire of exemplars handed down to us from the past.