The text is organized quite conventionally. Text margins left and right appear to be the same and margins above and below the text are greater than on the sides. So, in general the text is centered on the page. Most pages are text only, with some pages containing unnumbered/unreferenced hand drawn illustrations. These are generally not perspective views but flat illustrational drawings of church architecture (often the inner workings of a dome as this is discussed at length.) The drawings are usually no bigger than half a page and the level of detail is generally reduced to what is relevant. At the end of the book there is a collection of more detailed drawings which are referenced to the different chapters. Here there are between one and three drawings per page (one drawing even covers two pages.) These drawings are generally more detailed and often annotated.
A page is usually built up of 3-5 paragraphs with the first line of every new paragraph being offset to the right. Chapter and sub-chapter titles are centered to the page, in bold writing, and are written in a larger font. The first letter of the first sentence in every new chapter is three lines tall to emphasize the beginning of the new chapter and the first letter in the book is seven lines tall and is also decorated with finely drawn foliage.
As the title suggests and the layout reinforces, the use of this book is as a handbook to further ones understanding of different types of church architecture and to more easily recognize different building types.