University of Otago Press, 2004. In tidy condition.Surrounding us in our everyday lives are public buildings we all relate to: post offices, state houses, schools, railway stations, courthouses, office buildings, police stations.

Part of our national character many of these buildings were designed by six men, who held the post of Colonial or Government Architect from the 1860s to 1960s. Their legacy is celebrated in Built for Us: The Work of Colonial and Government Architects, 1860s-1960s, by Lewis E. Martin. This book brings together all of their surviving public works, with drawings illustrating the distinctive style of design and particular brilliance of each.

The period takes the reader from colonialism to modernism. Buildings from all over the country are included. The author, a retired architect, depicts these buildings in fine drawings displaying their essential qualities. They appear as they were when first finished, but in a present-day context, so that we can appreciate the original design.