In this book, Geoffrey Baker extends the survey of Le Corbusier's architecture in his acclaimed Le Corbusier: An analysis of form to chart the way in which Le Corbusier developed his creative approach. Baker concentrates on the way a designer's mind works. He extends the analytical skills used to explain Le Corbusier's architecture into a detailed analysis of those vital early sketchbooks that form the core of Le Corbusier's education.

For the first time in a single volume, Baker provides comprehensive documentation of sketches in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Italy and on the journey to the East, including extensive English translations of Le Corbusier's notes. This assemblage of some of Le Corbusier's finest sketches is closely related to the way he designed his first homes, providing a remarkably lucid and accessible record of the working research method of a master.