This article examines how architectural books have been used in an attempt to materialize specific forms of knowledge. We will focus on two different years, 1851 and 1925, both acting as cross sections that allow us to interpret buildings and books through the same narrative. To do so, we will examine the texture of both the page and the text, particularly the use of typographic design to structure an argument; the use of pages to associate text and images; the sequence of pages as a rhythmic and spatial approach to the architectural content of books; and how size can highlight architectural arguments. We will then be able to demonstrate how architectural knowledge has been shaped so that its materiality extends outside buildings.