When he qualified as an architect in 1957, Cyril Bowman was lucky enough to get a temporary job in an Ireland that was experiencing mass emigration. It was not long before he, too, applied for a job abroad . . . with the British Colonial Office.

He and his wife then headed via Liverpool to Lagos, Nigeria. This was at a time when Africa was casting off its colonial past. Bowman oversaw the building of a general hospital, an eye clinic and some cottage hospitals. Yet this is not an architectural book, but more a personal history of the world during the 20th century. There are many signs of an architect's voice though, not least in the description of a fly "25mm long and 5mm in diameter" - only an architect would measure everyday objects in millimetres!

Bowman decided to write this journal when he retired and his first grandchild was born. As the author says: "Having lived through most of the 20th century, it occurred to me that in the normal course of events my grandchildren will see most of the 21st century. While we cannot know what the new century will hold for them, the future, in general, flows from the past through the present and this thought promoted me to set down for my grandchildren the story of my century."

Having started his career in Nigeria, the author then went on to advise on development projects around the world, and this book offers a guide to the various countries, their history, and political turmoil. There are also anecdotes from the author about his time in each place. Apart from pieces about Ireland in the 1950s and Africa in the 1960s, much of the book describes countries, such as the Philippines and Vietnam in the 1990s.

• Me and My Pencil An Itinerant Architect's Journal of the 20th Century by Cyril Bowman is priced €20 and is available at Easons