Gideon's books have a telos and belief in the myth of the Zeitgeist. He does a lot of cherry picking. Look at Watkin's Morality and Architecture. Look beyond Watkin's preference for classical architecture and understand the role morality plays in any aesthetic.

Real quick and off the top of my head: Tournikiotis' "Historiography of Modern Architecture" has a section on SP&A... also Frampton has written an article on him in an ancient volume of AD.

But in a broader sense, Banham's Theory and Design in the First Machine Age was a retort to both Giedion and Pevsner.

The AD article is called Giedion in America: Reflections in a Mirror. I believe that Detlef Mertins has written some articles on Giedion as well. Perhaps Kwinter's Architectures of Time may provide a good counterpoint to Giedion as well?

What, no Cliffs Notes?

damn, it has been YEARS since i have read him.

i suppose anything since would offer insight in response. I sorta like from bauhaus to our house to put me in my archi-shoes now and again....and it is just plain funny on top.

Thanks for the help. Sorry but what does the AD stand for? Haven't been able to find the article Giedion in America: Reflections in a Mirror yet

In a way, a lot of 60's writing, early post-modern writing like Rowe and Banham is an attempt to debunk Gideon - in a broader sense.