The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Simon Vance

The Architecture of Happiness is a dazzling journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.

One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet, a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. Alain de Botton starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and argues that it is architecture's task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.

“De Botton has a marvelous knack for coming at weighty subjects from entertainingly eccentric angles.”—Seattle Times

Alain de Botton was born in 1969; he was educated at Cambridge and lives in London. He is the author of How Proust Can Change Your Life; The Art of Travel; Status Anxiety; The Architecture of Happiness; The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work; and A Week at the Airport. He writes regular articles for several English newspapers, and travels extensively to lecture on his works.

Simon Vance, a former BBC Radio presenter and newsreader, is a full-time actor who has appeared on both stage and television. He has recorded over four hundred audiobooks and has earned over twenty Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, including one for his narration of Theft by Peter Carey. A twelve-time Audie finalist, Simon has won three Audie Awards, including one for Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and the 2008 Booklist Voice of Choice Award. He has also been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.