Sedad Eldem has practiced, taught, researched and written about architecture for over fifty years. His search for contemporary expression is an important one which until now has largely remained unknown outside his own country. This, the fourth monograph in the series "Architects in the Third World", brings to the forefront the work of Turkey's most influential contemporary architect. This book was discussed at conception with my colleague Suha Özkan who supported its publication enthusiastically. Much is owed to him, for he developed the structure of the book, suggested its authors - and was eventually persuaded to write one of the essays in it. Once the two other authors, Sibel Bozdoğan and Engin Yenal, had been selected, they plunged into research and gathered materials with extraordinary zeal and enthusiasm. Their study of existing documents, verbal interviews, developing of ideas, has produced a book which will remain the basic reference on Eldem's work. Interestingly the authors of this book are all Turkish, and yet approach the architect's work from different viewpoints. Engin Yenal spent many hours recording Eldem's life and ideas - in itself valuable scholarly material - in discussions that add substantially to the body of material on contemporary Turkish architecture. Yenal, a friend of Eldem's was also authorized access to the architect's personal papers, drawings and archives which have never before been available to scholars. The importance of Yenal's contribution cannot be over- emphasized. Sibel Bozdoğan, an able historian, traces Eldem's arehiteeture through seleeted examples grouped together to illustrate major development and directions throughout his career.

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