Combination
I have chosen the concept of combination for the book architectura hydraulica by Caspar Walter and Lucas Voch. The book is divided into two parts. One is a text and the other consists of various drawings of water systems. The text part is divided into small sections that relate to the drawings.
Each small section of the text describes the drawing in detail and explains the described objects and mechanisms in the drawing. It is interesting that the sketches are not right next to the text and even though this can be a bit disturbing, it is not a problem to follow Caspar Walter’s descriptions. The small texts are very detailed and well matched to the described details in the drawings. The drawings repeatedly include references to the text and are accompanied by letters whose meaning is described in the text. These cross-references allow for a description that seems very complex at first glance, but is made understandable with a closer look at the illustrations. Usually, the individual letters are first explained and defined, and then related to each other. Thus, the correct technical terminology is taught while learning the functions of the individual parts. Also information about sizes and lengths are given in the text and reproduced in the drawing in scale.
The drawings themselves are also related to each other. The individual parts that are described are combined and connected in further drawings. In this way it is possible to create a structure which is easy to understand and which goes a long way. The authors Walter and Voch start with explaining the rather simple water systems. This includes different types of water wheels which are explained first. These become more and more complicated and are then connected to entire buildings. Through this structure and the explanation of each individual component, complex systems become quite simple to understand.
I find it very interesting how much the drawings match the texts and vice versa. It shows the expertise of the authors and their vast knowledge of the field. The drawing style of Lucas Voch is exactly matched to the description style of Caspar Walter. Both draw or describe only what is necessary and only what is important. They do without unnecessary additions and keep the text as well as the drawings very simple and clear. It is often the case that illustration and text differ a little, but in this case they complement each other perfectly and make the water systems very understandable.
Keywords: cross-reference, simplification, connection