2 comments about Hometown Architect: The Complete Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park And River Forest, Illinois.

1. This is a very good book on the best years of Wright's work. It's a shame some of the houses were lost, but it's refreshing to know that so many have survived and are treated like the treasures they are. The text is highly informative and the images are crisp and well presented. I appreciated the guide at the back of the book, that informs the reader how to locate these buildings. Wrights work is so unique and elegant, yes he was a narcissistic, control freak, with a serious God complex, but his buildings are 100 percent his creation, he would exept nothing else. He made the clients use his designed furniture and his fixtures, but in the end, he was always on the mark, though many of the beautiful chairs look very uncomfortable, at any rate..good book, highly recommended.



2. Although he died in 1959, almost fifty years ago, Frank Lloyd Wright is probably still the most famous architect in America. Fifty years before his death, say from 1890 to 1910 he was living in a Chicago suburb and was designing a series of houses that are usually called his 'Prairie Style.'
   
   This style was the first of his breakaway styles from the traditional European and East Coast styles to develop something that fit into his vision of the prairie. To be sure, sometimes other influences came into play, such as a short Japanese period.
   
   While Prairie Style houses were built all across the country, the Chicago suburbs of Oak Park and River Forest are home to the largest concentration of prairie houses. This book describes 27 of his homes in this area. Most of them are available for tours. And in looking at these houses, it is hard to believe that they are a hundred years old.
   
   The book is beautifully printed and cloth bound and supplied in a slip case. Another recommended book on a Wright Prairie House is Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House which describes the house, but also the effort that it took to restore the house ot its original form.

3 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Palmer House.

1. In this wonderful book the authors detail various aspects of the bringing into being of this perfect example of Frank Lloyd Wright's organic architecture. Starting with background information on the town of Ann Arbor,
   Michigan we are introduced to the clients, neighborhood and specific site on which their dream house would be erected. The process of selecting and securing Wright as their architect is explored in depth. We then learn of the give and take between client and architect during the design stage. The search for a suitable contractor and the attention to detail required of him in the building of this unconventional house are presented.
   The Palmer's experiences of living for over 50 years in this masterpiece of residential architecture are explored and bring the building to life for the reader. The book is well illustrated with color photos, some b&w construction photos and plans that are large enough to study. In addition, a wonderful word picture tour of the house and surrounding landscape is presented. The technically minded may perhaps wish for more information on the construction aspects, but most things seem to have proceeded so well as to go unremarked.
   This book is more than anything a tribute to the remarkable clients whose faith in Wright's vision, as well as their own personal artistic vision in creating the surrounding landscape, caused one of his most unknown gems to be built.
   Highly recommended!



2. A good small book about one of FLW's Usonian house with some interesting information about the building and it owners.



3. This is a beautifully illustrated book on the Palmer House in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the most interesting and most beautifully constructed and finished of Mr. Wright's houses. The landscaping and gardens provided a proper framework for the architecture, and the personalities of Mary and Billy Palmer are evident throughout. Your collection of books on Wright's work is not complete without this volume.

5 comments about 50 Favorite Rooms By Frank Lloyd Wright.

1. This book touches me in many ways. First, it brings memories of childhood, with the illusions of art full in my mind. I have always loved art and buildings and when in Sr. High School, I had the opportunity to visit one of Mr. Wright's creations, I was in awe at the sight of it. It was in Falling Water, PA. When you have the opportunity to walk into one of these homes, not houses; it is like you feel the presence of the man who designed it, not just a building. Looking at the pages in this book is as close to walking in one of the luxurious rooms as a person can get without actually physically being there. Frank Lloyd Wright truly is an Eternal Artist. His book is lively and full of feeling, as well as detailed artwork that comes from the love of designing itself. I could go on for a long time about his works, but I will leave a little to the imagination now. If you haven't already seen or looked at one of his creations, I suggest that you at least buy one of the many wonderful books about them. You will be delightfully pleased for years to come.



2. Most of the 5,000 plus wonderful rooms designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are not open to the public. This book gives you a chance to go where you often cannot go in any other way to see 50 of the best.

   Unlike most architects, Mr. Wright designed in such a way that "the rooms inside would dictate the architecture outside." Even inside, he designed all elements of the room, including floor and wall coverings, art glass in many cases, lighting fixtures, furniture, and where everything should be located. He also specified that those who used the rooms should be limited to bringing in only certain types of objects, and for certain locations. For example, ornamental china was allowed on one ledge of the dining room in Robie House.

   I have had the chance to visit many Wright homes and buildings, yet this book greatly expanded my understanding of his work.

   Mr. Wright was primarily a home architect, and "the living room was the heart of the home" for him. He would use built-in benches to encourage reading, fireplaces for conversation, windows with designs to inspire contemplation, tables for informal dining and card playing, and views of nature for living more organically.

   Clearly, it would be hard to outdo a Wright living room, and most of the best examples of his work in this book are living rooms. I thought the best ones were in the home and studio in Oak Park, Dana-Thomas House, Robie House, May House, Little House, Fallingwater, Taliesin West, Wingspread, Cedar Rock, R.L. Wright House, and Rayward House.

   I liked his dining rooms best in the home and studio in Oak Park, Dana-Thomas House, Robie House, May House, and Boynton House.

   For nooks and crannies, I liked the Oak Park studio library, and the Storer House Terrace.

   Of the public spaces, my favorites were the Unity Temple Sanctuary, Coonley Playhouse, the Guggenheim Museum atrium, and the Marin County Center skylit atrium under the barrel vault.

   If you ever have a chance to see any of these, be sure you take advantage of it! Robie House is now being rebuilt in Hyde Park, Illinois, but is open for tours. Final restoration is expected to be done in 2007. The Oak Park home and studio are open every day. Taliesin West is open most days. Fallingwater has an extensive schedule of being open. Unity Temple, the Guggenheim, and Marin County Center are usually open.

   After you examine these wonderful living spaces, think about how your life would be improved in such more natural surroundings. How can you make where you live closer to his ideal?

   Look for the most natural way to be with others!




3. The first thing that struck me about this book is how well put-together it is. In "50 Favorite Rooms by Frank Lloyd Wright," Diane Maddex (listed in the credits as "Project Director") has crafted a book that is clean, simple and elegant in its presentation of the architect's trademark design of personal living spaces.

   If you've visited more than a few of Frank Lloyd Wright's creations, chances are they won't all be represented here. He completed hundreds of homes and buildings, which means that this book could have been entitled "250 Favorite Rooms ..." and it still would have been too thin. What you do find are superb photos which are amazingly successful in capturing the perspective and harmony of lines, space, furniture, ornamentation and even lighting. My favorite views are inside the homes, but the public spaces are interesting also. You don't have to be an architect to appreciate the mastery in Mr. Wright's designs.

   The chapters are grouped by room type (e.g., living rooms, dining rooms), with each of the pictures taking up AT LEAST one full page, and supported by 20-30 lines of text describing key design aspects of the room. The photos are of the highest quality in terms of exposure, lighting and balance. In some cases, the vantage point allows for a look beyond the windows to the surrounding landscape or greenery. A nice touch, indeed. In short, if you're looking for the definitive image of a room, you'll find a bunch of them right here.

   If Mr. Wright had designed a book, I think this is what he'd have come up with. I give this my highest recommendation.




4. This book is great either if you are wanting infornmation on Frank Lloyd Wright, his personal life or the works of art he created. It gives examples of his personal choices and styles. Each page includes a full page color picture of one of the rooms he designed.
   It also is a good book if you are just looking for examples of interior design or aritechture. It has unique pieces and will give you great ideas!



5. A very natural companion book to 50 Favorite Houses by FLW by the same author. I think I prefer this one. It's not often I see photos of the interior of the Marin County Civic Center though there's just one. Despite there being 22 different photographers or souces for photos, they're all credited for 1998, the year the book was printed. This could explain why almost every interior shot appears to have, as much as possible, the same camera angle, that is, to include the ceiling and floors. It gives a feeling of first walking into a room. For some reason I like this book a little better than the 50 Favorite Houses one. Not sure why, maybe it's the rich natural wood colors of his interiors while all the homes in the other book are not as dramatic in color and bright detail as these rooms are. Both are worth having if you can get them at less than full price, which, thankfully, is one of the great strengths of this site. The author does a nice job with her medium sized column of information that is on the facing page of each entry. I'm always a happy FLW big color photo book owner when the book has every single photo (except one of FLW) take up the entire page and maybe half of them also covering a third of the facing page. That's what I want in such books, big color photos of his work taking up as much of the page as possible. Worth it owning this lovely book. chrisbct@hotmail.com

1 comments about Quilts in the tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright.

1. This comprehensive book of quilt patterns using the stained glass window designs of Frank Lloyd Wright is a treasure. As a quilter and stained glass craftswoman, this book is a dream come true. The extensive explanations which accompany each design are easy to understand; the step-by-step illustrations make these complicated designs feasible for anyone. These deceptively simple-looking geometric designs make beautiful quilts (I've seen them in quilt shows), wallhangings, windowcoverings or they could be used to try your hand at stained glass. Jackie Robinson really did her homework, and her resulting book is one I use often.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece.

1. Dieses Buch, wie sein Thema, wird wie ein Ziegelsteinouthouse aufgebaut. Unassailable Forschung. Gute Arbeit, Don.



2. This book is an excellent study, in marvelous detail
   and analysis, of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces
   of architecture. Too often the words "artist" and
   "genius" only dimly suggest the true nature of the
   person or work being discussed; but this book with
   its keen and accurate delineations about Robie,
   the client and his desires, Wright, the architect/
   artist/genius and his desires, and the work of art
   itself -- the Robie House -- help one to fully
   understand the harmonious combination of elements
   which can come together in producing a masterpiece.
   The author of this work is Donald Hoffmann, and
   he has himself produced a work of magnificence
   in this full presentation of the design and execution
   of a "dream house." Hoffmann gives full and interesting
   accounts of Robie and of Wright as their two psyches
   come together to promote an "idealized" artwork which
   pleases both client and architect.
   The book also has wonderful footnotes filled
   with insightful comments and quotes. Here is
   an example of one:

   Louis H. Sullivan at the end of his life wrote
   quite beautifully that Wright was gifted with
   "an apprehension of the material,so delicate as
   to border on the mystic, and yet remain coordinate
   with those facts we call real life." (p. 31)

   The text itself is filled with suggestive and
   provocative commentary:

   Wright's ideal was the comprehensive and unified
   work of art, the *Gesamtkunstwerk. German culture
   fascinated him. He spoke of Bach and Beethoven
   as the two greatest architects, and he confessed
   his love for the old Germany of Goethe, Schiller,
   even Nietzsche. (p. 14)

   Wright stood almost alone in his intuition of
   the prairie. * * * Everything about the site
   suggested a long, low, stream-lined, ship-like
   house: the prairie, the nearby lake, the new
   sense of speed, * * * and the shape of the lot ,
   three times as long as it was wide. (p. 17)

   Radical and masculine, the Robie house would be
   built in a part of Chicago characteristically
   stern and urbane. (p. 13)
   -------------
   The book is filled with "160 carefully selected
   illustrations" --which include architectural
   drawings and many photos, both of the house,
   of Robie and his family, of Wright, and of some
   of Wright's other previous houses leading up to
   the Robie House. Hoffmann also did excellent
   research by gaining access to complete
   taped transcripts by Robie, and interviews with
   Robie's son, and others.

   There is something very compelling and involving
   to my sense perceptions about Wright's long, sleek,
   tiered approach to architecture, as well as the
   various designs of lamps and chairs and lights
   which he included in the house. But on seeing the
   photos of the dining room...and the rigid but
   beautiful "Gothic" like chairs, as well as the
   photos of the "stuff" that the Robie family
   cluttered the Spartan rooms with in their
   attempts to "customize" it to their living
   desires...the house seems incredibly beautiful,
   but not incredibly utilitarian: idealized, abstract,
   geometric beauty and organic harmony with the
   beauty and structure of Nature, but not necessarily
   "organic" in its relation to people and "common
   creature" comforts.

3 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses (Wright at a Glance Series).

1. This is a beautiful short introduction to the late and often smaller houses built by Wright after 1935, appropriately published in a purse-size book (part of a series). While less well known than his Prairie houses, these Usonians are the houses that YOU and I could afford! (Well...the smallest gem, Goetsch--built for $7,137.23--just sold for c.$225,000.) You will see here the beginning of many cliches of "modern houses:" single storys, open plans, lots of glass, dinettes, carports, etc. Only, these look beautiful! Why? Some idea of the awesome power of integrated design, inside and out, even at a tiny scale, is given in the small pictures of rich color. No "interior decoration" for Wright! Carla Lind is an extraordinarily evocative writer on Wright, and distills deep aesthetic insights into a brief focused text. If you like the magic you see here, then be sure to get Sargeant's book (Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses) to understand how these are designed and built (or seek Susan J. Bandes, Affordable Dreams. Kresge Art Museum Bulletin 6. Michigan State University. 1991). Enjoy.



2. This is a tiny hard cover book. "At a glance" is an over statement. More like a drive-by book. The pictures can be found elsewhere (larger and more complete) and the historical info is nil (and also found elsewhere.) Had I know this I would have not wasted my $10.00 on this.



3. This is a nice 'little' gift to give to a Wright fan, but it is not comprehensive enough to tell you what the whole Usonian thing was all about.
   It would have gotten more stars if the price was a couple of dollars less.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fireplaces (Wright at a Glance).

1. "Frank Lloyd Wright's Fireplaces," by Carla Lind, explores one particular facet of the work of this great architect. This book is part of a series of "mini-books" devoted to Wright. But despite the book's small scale (5.25 by 5.25 inches, 57 pages), Lind has packed in a wealth of words and images.

   The book contains Lind's insightful text, as well as a wealth of illuminating sidebar quotes from Wright and others. There are many detailed, full-color photographs of stunning fireplaces. There is even a delightful historic black-and-white photo of Wright himself playing the piano near one of his fireplaces.

   Houses represented in the book include the Hollyhock house, the Hanna house, Fallingwater, and many others. Each fireplace is a beautiful work of art which seems like an organic, integral part of the home. This book will surely delight fans of Wright, and of home design in general.




2. It is 4" X4" or so and about 1/8 inch thick so I was surprised at how small it is.
   
   The content was ok.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History, Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. Of all the books on Fallingwater, this is the best when you want to know about how the house came into being. I have 2 copies of the book, one that accompanies me on all my travelling, and one to keep in my library. I have at least read it 8 to 10 times, and already look forward to the next time. The black and white photography is quite good, although the book would even be better with some color takes. Hoffman did a great job researching on the subject, and reading the book, it occurs that this was no easy task to get everything in order, chronoligically.



2. This book is one of the best I have seen for describing in detail the challenges of creating one of America's architectural landmarks. Anyone who reads this book will be reminded of Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.

   Fallingwater came as a commission after one of the longest dry spells of Frank Lloyd Wright's career. Despite having no work to do, no money, and few prospects, Mr. Wright dawdled with the project while trying to sell his client, Edgar Kaufmann, as many other projects as possible. Contemporary accounts suggest that Wright only began sketching something on paper when Mr. Kaufmann was about to arrive at Taliesin in Wisconsin, where Wright did his work.

   Mr. Kaufman was not an easy client. He was the head of a major department store, and was used to getting his own way. Client and architect often clashed, with bent feelings on both sides. Independent "experts" got involved who also added to the controversy, mistakes, and misunderstandings. Mr. Kaufmann deserves credit, though, for sticking with Wright as the costs soared way above the original budget for this most unique house.

   Interestingly, the two were brought together by Mr. Kaufmann's son who had come to study with Wright in Taliesin. The book contains a brief introduction by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. who ultimately gave the home to a local nature conservancy.

   Even without the challenges of the human relationships, Fallingwater was a most ambitious commission. In a remote part of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, Fallingwater is sited on top of a waterfall. The potential for the water to undermine the house is enormous. Mr. Wright also wanted to keep as many of the original rocks and trees as possible. The site survey was often wrong, and the designs had to be adjusted to reflect the reality. The design also provided other unusual problems, and the first cantilever was built incorrectly due to changes made under Mr. Kaufmann's direction.

   The book contains a wealth of maps, letters, summaries of interviews with those who worked on the project, drawings, plans, and photographs of the work in progress in black and white. This detail brings the challenges to life in a very real way.

   The fascinating part of this book to me is that Fallingwater's final effects are the opposite of its creation. The home seems to float above the water, like a mirage. It seems to exude tranquility and peace. Yet, its every stage of movement toward becoming a reality was like a Sumo wrestling match with enormous heavyweight egos and ideas colliding at high speed and with little regard for the impact on the other fellow.

   As much as I love Fallingwater, I love understanding more about how it was created even more. Anyone who wants to leave a mark of greatness behind should read this book.

   After you finish thinking through the implications of Mr. Wright's vision and ways of implementing it, I suggest that you think about your own personal life and work. Where are you lacking in vision? Where are you lacking in the processes to implement worthwhile visions?

   Turn your dreams into beautiful realities . . . for everyone!




3. This is an historical books about this house but all the pictures are in B & W. And it's so sad for such a masterpiece of frank Lloyd Wright.



4. EXCELLENT HISTORY OF THE BUILDING OF FALLINGWATER. MANY INSIGHTS INTO THE CHARACTER OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT.



5. 
   Forget everything you know about building a house--a dream house--and read this book. If you are a Wright fan, then you will relish every page and delight in knowing about how various aspects of the most famous house in the world came to be built.
   
   No doubt you will enjoy knowing that the final work was indeed a collaborative effort between Mr. Wright (who had strong opinions about everything) and Mr. Kaufman who was if anything, one of those ideal clients in the vein of Darwin Martin before him and Hib Johnson soon thereafter. Some of the most celebrated details of the building were Edgar Sr.'s input (i.e. no gold leaf paint on the parapets, routing out the stone and letting the glass simply meld into it). These things help make the house what it is.
   
   The story--it must be true, it has been told by so many and so often--of the house's design springing from the master's hand as Mr. K. was on his short drive to Taliesin, is worth savoring.
   
   The role of the Taliesin apprentice on site as clerk of the works is important to note--Mr. Wright would use this concept again and again for the remainder of his life, to assure that what was built was what he had in mind. In many cases the apprentice became almost adopted-family to the clients and their association became lifelong.
   
   Mr. Hoffmann is to be congratulated again and again for giving us this marvelous record of the building of Fallingwater.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House: The Birth And Rebirth of an American Treasure.

1. To argue that Frank Lloyd Wright's house designs were anything less than spectacular is to look at the lines of the design rather than to the details of the construction. This delightful little book describes the Rosenbaum House in Florence Alabama.
   
   Basically the house was one of the early Usonian homes that interested Wright a great deal in the years just before and after World War II. These were homes designed with spectacular design features but were small homes intended for the average family.
   
   The Rosenbaum house was 1,540 square feet. It is a spectacular design, as you would expect. But built at what was then pushing the state of the art, the construction details were not quite up to the design aspects. The dead flat roof wasn't strong enough to remain flat, as it sagged it created catch basins that held water that the roofing material was not designed to keep out. Termites had their way with some of the wood. The heating system had never worked properly, and on and on. The building was condemned with the building inspector recommending that it be torn down.
   
   The City of Florence bought the house, originally constructed with a target price of $7,500 and an actual construction cost of $14,000 for $75,000 and then spent $540,00 rebuilding it. The result is as spectacular as it was in 1940. It is a work of art.



2. This slight book is filled with outrageous factual errors and author's self-promotion. Sergeant's Usonian Houses and Pfeiffer's Select Houses are authoritative sources on the Rosenbaum House; or the National Trust's Usonia.



3. Being intimately familiar with this house-family and location-it is with great pleasure that I rate this book 5 stars. As most people familiar with FLW houses realize, the problems with construction can sometimes be many-yet can be overshadowed by the problems encountered over the years with malfunctions and upkeep of the original design. These problems can be nagging enough to become monumental! This book pulls no plugs about these situations.This is pleasantly refreshing.
   A great read for students of FLW houses or architecture in general--a must visit to the actual house for anyone anywhere--especially in the
   South!



4. very helpful for anyone building a model of the house (like i did) or to anyone interested in an early frank lloyd write masterpiece.



5. I offer warm praise for this informative book, which is now offered to students of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. Frank Lloyd Wright's 2nd, and most beautifully preserved, Usonian House must have startled the quiet Florence, AL neighborhood in 1940 when it appeared as a finely crafted Alien on its 2-acre corner lot. Supremely private from all public views, the exterior view reveals the design's fluid openness and elegant use of red Tidewater cypress wood, red brick, concrete, and glass. The young Rosenbaum family produced several children. So Mrs. Rosenbaum requested that Mr. Wright design an expansion of the original home, to incorporate their wish for a 4th bedroom (with its own bath), additional storage, an enlarged kitchen and laundry facility, and a playroom with extra integrated dining space. The finished product screams modernity, sleekness, horizontal flow, and intimacy, as the surrounding land plot appears to melt outward and flow from the intensity of the design of the dwelling. An enclosed Japanese Garden rounds out the entire concept of a spiritual and private enclave offering a quieting style and peace. Following a multi-million dollar historical renovation, completed in 2002, the house is now open to the public by appointment, and operated by the City of Florence as the finest small FLW home in the world. Based on traditional wooden Japanese houses--built around a Tatami Mat grid--all elements of the design derive from the repeated rectangle-grid floor forms that Mr. Wright determined for the grounding of the placement of doorways, halls, windows, book shelving, and elegant built-in storage cabinets. The house features one of the 1st cantilevered carport structures ever built in the world, the daring early use of flat metal roofs, original use of glass clerestory windows up to the roof line, extensive documentary photographs of the design features, and correspondence to and from Mr. Wright's atelier as ideas for the original structure and its expansion just nine years later emerged. The result is a supremely edited whole that will induce fascination and delight.
   
   [I have introduced several groups of interior design students to the home and grounds. All groups have loved it! I also offer great praise for the remarkably well-informed docents at the property, who serve as the most delightful and elegant tour guides. These people absolutely love this home. They are well-versed regarding the history of the home, and are great admirers of the work of Mr. Wright. The docents also have the added learning, year after year, of speaking with an admiring Public from everywhere! Wright fans from all over North America and Europe travel regularly to visit and revisit the home. Wright scholars have rightly praised the renovation, which was overseen by the book's primary author, Barbara Broach. To speak with Ms. Broach is to have Lunch with the Voice of Experience with regard to historical renovation! Her love for the place is palpable.]
   
   This book should be welcomed by Wright fans, and students of interior design, architecture, and real estate development. But better yet, schedule a trip to the home itself. And meet the docents. Contact with this house has completely transformed the images of what the students felt was even possible in a finely crafted home environment. What you will learn from the book is how all of this Art in architectural expression came to be. And the immense work required to rejuvenate the inherent Beauty of it all. Complete with scaled floor plans and beautiful photographs. Warmly recommended.

5 comments about Wright Style: Re-Creating the Spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright.

1. The book has many photographs an does a credible job of detailing each of them. I found that the book well organized. . I would highly recommend this as an intro to Wright's work. The author tries to touch on as many subjects a possible, as result there are times when it was somewhat lacking in depth. That being said there is a great reference of things Wright in the back of the book that is worth the price of admission alone.



2. This is a wonderful book: gorgeous color pictures with an informative and most insightful text. Far beyond a coffee table collection, this is a real contribution to understanding Wright, and American housing. Lind discusses the design ideas of a number of Wright's most famous or typical extant buildings. You get a good idea of the exhilarating play of light and space in his houses, and the real significance of such modern cliches as ranch-style, strip and corner windows, patio doors, and built-ins. Besides real insight into Wright's aesthetic, the book is notable for its unique coverage of 12 houses by Wright disciples, and appendices on interior arts and sources of reproductions. (Wright would be appalled, since he saw furnishings as uniquely integral and scaled to particular houses!) A "dangerous" book, it singlehandedly reawakened my interest in Wright's architecture. It may draw you, too, into learning more of Wright, and influencing your choice of home.



3. This book takes a look at what makes Frank Lloyd Wright's designs still so popular today. The book itself is so gorgeous, focusing not just on the houses but also on the furnishings, which can be breathtaking! The photos were excellent and conveyed the feeling of really being there.

   I read three books about this architect this weekend, and this one was the most complete of them all. It gave me a peek into so many of his uniquely designed buildings and the furnishings and decorative arts that he created for them.

   Something I had never seen before: at the end of the book there is a catalog of items that can be purchased from different vendors. These are FLW reproductions, items inspired by FLW, and those "in the style of FLW". These items range from furniture to rugs to lamps to fabrics and decorative items.

   On my "tour" of over 40 houses (designed by both Wright and his followers), I saw that all of the designs were simple ones, with natural colors and finishes, the buildings seeming to spring out of the earth. I saw the open flowing floor plans that are sheltered by overhanging, gently sloping roofs. Many of the places I "visited" had built-in furniture and fixtures.

   It was interesting to view all of the things that Wright designed for his homes....besides the items mentioned above, he also designed the windows (art glass), light fixtures, skylights, wall murals, and even the landscaping!

   Wright changed American architecture forever, resulting in open floor plans, multi-purpose rooms, naturally-lit spaces--- and showed us a different way of living.




4. All of the other customer reviews were extremely positive, and I would like to concur in their respective judgments.

   Wright's life was filled with controversy, and his work is subject to complex interpretation. Other authors, in my opinion at least, devote way too much book space to these matters; Lind, on the other hand, has done a masterful job in organizing the key elements of Wright's style (furnishings, usonians, etc>) and gathering stunning, modern photographs that illustrate each.

   If you buy one book on Wright, this should be the one. Better than anything else I've seen, it will demonstrate why the man's work lives on -- 45 years after his death.




5. The book landed on my doorstep 2 weeks after I ordered. The photos are well made and the whole atmosphere breathes the true wright stories.
   Too bad that the webshops listed have very little to offer which was the only disappointment.
   The level of detail and attention for seperate elements gives inspiration on how I want to decorate my house and how the harmony was created.