1 comments about David Adjaye: Houses.

1. The book is chock full of excellent photos, plans, sections, diagrams, sketches and thoughtful text. This is a top notch architecture book which is a perfect snap shot to David Adjaye's residential work and happily enough, millwork and furnishings also by the architect. With Adjaye's work primarily in/around London, a good portion of it is not totally ground up but intelligent re-workings and engagement with existing structures. I'm looking forward to the inevitable "Houses Vol.2".

5 comments about Cordwood Building: The State of the Art (Natural Building Series).

1. Mr. Roy has done so much research into this subject. His formulas alone are worth the price of the book. Aong with timberframing and his book on underground housing, I have finalized my plans for building my next home. Keep up the good work Mr. Roy!!!



2. This book doesn't tell you everything that you need to know about the subject but it gives you a whole lot of information and sets you on your way. The information is very good. If you are a beginner and have never tried this kind of thing then this is where you start.



3. This book is a great read. Enjoyable and yet it seems to give plenty of info on the different aspects of the cordwood building process. More than half way through I found out that there was a glossary in the back which helps explain some of the terminology. I would highly recommend this book for anyone thinking of building a cordwood home. This book will give you most of the know-how to build it and most importantly it will help you decide if you do want to build cordwood. It worked for me. My wife and I are presently saving up to build a cordwood home. I think it would be a good idea to watch the "Complete Cordwood DVD" before actually building.



4. I have only read a few chapters, but I feel the honest and open discussion of the Author will only enrich me and others as we follow in his footsteps. To build ones own home is always a dream. To be empowered with the knowledge to do so is a gift. Thank you! And If I ever follow my dream...you are always welcome for supper. (dinner, tea...we call it tea...although it is the evening meal...tea does sound funny)



5. I'm from Germany and cordwoord buildings are uncommon here. Horizontal log homes are booming but as expensive as ordinary home building not a choice for people without a lot of money.
   So cordwood may be a solution if we can get a permission with our restrictive rules and regulations here.
   
   The book provides the builder with every detail he must know, it's really great.
   For getting some practice we will start building a small shed with cordwood. ;-)

5 comments about The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book).

1. For someone who knew nothing about straw bale construction this book was not only informative, but also inspiring. The Straw Bale House contains a lot of good information about the specifics of straw bale construction. I found that because it covered information about straw bale construction from start to finish it couldn't go into as much detail about any one aspect as much as I would have liked. However, my feeling is that this book was designed to get you interested and then send you out to gather the more specific information for yourself. It has proven effective at inspiring me.



2. This is a must have. If you are totally new (as I was) then this book will give you a good solid understanding of the pros and cons of strawbale construction. It is obvious that the authors know what they are talking about.

   If you are vaguely interested in SB and haven't got this one you're really missing out.

   Thanks Steen Steen and Bainbridge for this wonderful contribution.




3. The Steens have written two books on this subject, this one from 1994, is the most informative as far as actual construction information goes. I would say that if you think you might want to actually build a straw home get this book and their second book,The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes(from 2000). After reading these books you'll need more information both about straw bale work and other construction and carpentry books, Amazon has a selection of those.



4. This book would seem to be an indispensible starting point for anyone looking into the straw bale home concept. If the thought of a poorly-insulated, energy-guzzling, expensive, bland, mass-produced, contractor-built home doesn't quite appeal to you, this book is essential, for it shows that inexpensive doesn't have to mean low quality nor unattractive. In fact, bales and other "natural", low-cost building materials can yield attractively individual results in part because they are easy and fun to work with, enfranchising the future owner to be his or her own designer and builder. The inspiring photos included in the book help make the case for the aesthetic advantages. Of course, the most important function is to show how to build the straw bale home. In this respect, the book succeeds admirably, giving diagrams to illustrate the major techniques being used and showing how simple straw bale building is. Incidentally, this would make an attractive book for your coffee table even if you are just mildly interested in the subject. One warning though: even including the index and other back-of-the-book sections, there are only 297 pages, not 336!



5. I must admit being fairly sceptical about straw bale construction until I read this book...

   The style is very assessible and the content is thorough, interesting and informative. Just about every angle is covered in depth without being overly technical.

   Includes useful covereage of many associated areas, such as rammed earth, adobe and passive solar issues.

   An inspirational read for whether you are a dreamer or seriously intent on buiding your own house!

5 comments about Stonework: Techniques and Projects.

1. this books is a good intro to the fundamentals of stone working. there are a lot of great pictures and illustrated diagrams. it's only drawback in my opinion is that it's all in black and white. If you don't already own it, mcraven's "stone primer" is a wonderful read and superior in production quality.



2. I really like the detail that this book has, as well as the fabulous pictures. The pictures not only of works in progress, but beautiful, finished works as well, often demonstrating the technique being presented. Thanks for a wonderful resource.



3. Chuck will keep you smiling as your read his books. They contain plenty of humorous stories while they display the stone arts. There are better guides but you should read as many as possible: you'll need it.
   
   Stone work is the hardest task you'll probably ever do in your life. If your project is big, it seems to never end and you'll doubt you'll ever finish. One rock can take 2 hours to lay whereas if all goes well, you can lay 5 in an hour. So, if you are interested in stone work, I'd advise to start small on the first few projects. This book is a good guide to helping you along the way.



4. If your looking for a book about stone masonry in general, this will give you a great primer for authentic stone masonry. He details some basic projects and gives you a great detailed how to. I was looking for something a little more advanced but I wished I had a resource like this when I was first starting out. Don't know if I agree with his technique for drystone retaining walls. He says start skinny and step back, I am a hard headed Irishman who believes that your wall should be just as wide at the base as it is tall. I will have to do some more research.
   
   Good read, very useful for beginners



5. Wonderful black & white pictures of stone walls, stone arches, stone bridges and sundry projects. The author makes much of ancient Scot stone work. There are a lot of nice pen drawings used for 'step by step' construction programs. There are many, many suggestions regarding stone choice and stone placement. These comments are the best feature of the book. Finally, there are a few pages on handling large stones with hydraulic booms, pick-up trucks and front-loaders. These suggestions are not going to be found in many books.
   
   There isn't much said about hand power-tool options, nor stone shaping. There are few 'construction tips'. For example, the details of mixing motar specific to your job are only broadly discussed and there are no aids for determining correct mortar wetness. There are no 'good' and 'bad' stone arrangements to illustrate stone arrangement tricks. If you are looking for a 'first project' guide, the Black & Decker 'Stonework & Masonry projects' book offers more assistance. If you've got a few walls completed and want to take the next step towards being a mason, this is your book.
   
   Table of Contents:
   Intro: Why stone?
   Part 1: Working with stone
   Chapter 1: Types of Stone
   Chapter 2: Sources of Stone
   Chapter 3: Handling Stone
   Chapter 4: Selecting Stone for a Project
   Chapter 5: Cutting and Shaping Stone
   Part 2: Stonework Projects
   Chapter 6: Basic and Inspired (curving) walls
   Chapter 7: Retaining walls
   Chapter 8: Entryways
   Chapter 9: Stone steps
   Chapter 10: Stone Projects for backyard and beyond (bbq, birdbath, sculpture, walkway, etc.)
   Chapter 11: Stone Bridges
   Chapter 12: Stone in Interior Spaces

2 comments about Fire Outdoors: Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Wood Fired Ovens & Cook Centers.

1. Lots of pictures, but none of which are very useful ... kind of "plane Jane" to be politically incorrect. I was hoping to see more creative designs.



2. If you are looking for inspiration before you start creating your backyard dream, this book is it! Lots of great photos that will give you ideas of what can work in your outdoor space. Fireplaces, wood-burning ovens,outdoor kitchens and much more.

5 comments about The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World.

1. This coffee table book should amaze book lovers and give a physical reaction to library lovers. The pictures--and the paper of the pages--are very high quality technically. The book includes a number of foldouts where the picture spans three page size spaces. And the libraries are amazing. I have looked at this book over and over, and for a long time took up valuable 'real estate' on my desk having this book open to one or other libraries. Some of the pictures are jaw-dropping and make one feel like they were setting their feet in the room right then...or traveling back in time one or two hundred years to hear chairs scraping or footfalls.
   
   The drawback to the book includes a) the libraries are all in the Western world (Russia is perhaps the only exception), which is perhaps not an issue except that the title is the Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. I have to imagine there are South American (all the beautiful wood in the continent can't have avoided going to bookshelves); Asian and other geographic libraries outside of Europe and the US; b) the libraries seem chosen for a mix of reasons, and one of which seems to be the statuary and art in the library itself. While the pictures are breathtaking, some library denizens might be interested in these factors playing less of a role; and c) the elegant text seems to meander into some 'interesting facts' about each library but most of the comments are historical or art-historical, without the interesting information about collection sizes, who uses the library today, what role does it play in the culture, etc.



2. I had read the book as part of a reading list assignment. Liked it so much, I decided to buy it as a gift for an old friend who is now enjoying it also.



3. The great libraries of history have endured such vicissitudes of fortune through the centuries - destruction by revolution, war and fire, dispersal through pilfering, confiscation, monastic decline, loss of patronage - & perhaps the unkindest cut of all, at one point the sale of its books by Oxford University to pay the librarian's wages. It is truly astonishing that so much has survived. This book is a celebration of 23 of these unique and beautiful cathedrals of knowledge in America and Europe.
   
   At a time when most of his subjects were illiterate, the Austrian Habsburg Charles VI created the Hofbibliothek in Vienna. He decreed that its doors be open to (almost) everyone; they could enter free of charge and as often as they wished, but there were a few exceptions: the library was off limits to "ignoramuses, servants, idlers, talkers and gawkers." Alas, the Hofbibliothek is no longer free and, like many libraries included in this book, it is now accessible only to a favoured few.
   
   Indeed, the closest most of us will ever get to the Hofbibliothek or the 22 other great libraries enshrined in its pages is through this book, and for this reason alone, it belongs in the book-lover's collection. There is a brief history of each library, but the real attraction is the spectacular colour photography, including several "gatefold" pages which open to provide wonderful panoramic views nearly 3 feet wide.
   
   Next to the awe-inspiring magnificence of Hofbibliothek, the white and gold Baroque splendour of the Benedictine Abbey Library of Admont in Austria rivals the gold and marble Rococco opulence of the Monastic Library of Wiblingen near Ulm Germany, although after secularisation the latter lost most of its vast book collection.
   
   Another Baroque wonder is The National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague, with its twisted wood columns and trompe-l'oeil frescoed ceiling which draws the eye upward "to confound the true already impressive scale of the hall". When I had the good fortune to visit nearly three decades ago, ironically, it was as a "gawker", on a bus tour of Eastern Bloc capitals. Whisked in and out, we were prohibited from taking photos; no postcards or souvenir booklets were available; memory faded. I am especially pleased to find this unique library included here.
   
   The Vatican Library might be mistaken for a grand reception hall; gold leaf papal insignia, and biblical-themed frescoes framed by ornate moldings cover its panelled walls and vaulted ceilings - and not a book in sight. All of its books are hidden behind securely locked doors. The Vatican Library is, however, open to authorized researchers and its catalogue of 1.6 million printed works is fully computerized.
   
   The somewhat austere National Palace Library in Mafra, Portugal was modeled after the Hofbibliothek in Vienna, but the money ran out before completion and the Franciscans who took it over in 1792, in keeping with their vow of poverty, declined to gild the woodwork, whitewashing it instead. This has faded to a peaceful but elegant cream, against which the coloured titles of the leather book bindings stand out.
   
   A relative new-comer at barely a century old is the John Ryland Library in Manchester, England, commissioned by the widow of a rich industrialist to commemorate her husband's memory. It was designed to resemble the interior of a Gothic cathedral complete with soaring arches, carved oak panelling and stained glass windows but also was equipped with electricity, air conditioning and millions of dollars worth of rare books.
   
   Less ostentatious, perhaps, but still beautiful and certainly more democratic are University Libraries at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin and truly public libraries in New York City and Washington, D.C.
   
   If your appetite has been whetted by "The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World" you may want to look for more in-depth treatments. For the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, just such a book exists, the lavishly illustrated "Treasures of the Library of Congress" by Charles Goodrum, Abrams, 1980, 318 pages. It contains views of the interiors and chapters on the building of the Library of Congress and its book collection, but the emphasis is on many other artefacts housed there - its vast collection of music scores, sound recordings, films, Orientalia, prints and historic photographs. "Treasures..." is long out of print, but used copies can be found.
   
   Addendum (December 30, 2007): The World's Most Beautiful Libraries was published in 2003. In 2004 the exquisite Rococo interior of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, another of the libraries featured in the book, was gutted by fire and many of its 100,000 books and manuscripts destroyed. A heroic fund-raising project ensued and the library was restored and reopened in October 2007. Three books documenting these events have been published in Germany (in German text). They are:"Die Bibliothek brennt: Ein Bericht aus Weimar" (about the fire); "Es nimmt der Augenblick, was Jahre: Vom Wiederaufbau der Buchersammlung der Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek" (discusses the losses, book restoration & reacquisition) and "Die Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek: Nach dem Brand in neuem Glanz" (describing the building restoration.) This third volume may be appreciated even by the non-German reader because of its plentiful and beautiful illustrations.



4. This is a marvelous book to whoever loves books.
   
   It presents many important historic libraries in the world; each library is presented in informative and sober texts and with accompanying photos. These photos try to capture the overall look of the library (even if this is rather difficult) and several interesting details, sometimes including secondary rooms. The texts focus on the history of the library in question, but also give some information about contents.
   
   There is only a minor quibble, and it cannot be taken too seriously: the authors had to chose and that led them to ignore many marvelous libraries. If there is one I particularly lack, it would be the Real Biblioteca da Universidade de Coimbra (Royal Library of Coimbra University, one of the oldest European Universities). It has been stated to be 'the most beautiful library in the world', and I cannot but agree.
   
   But this is probably a question of personal taste. As it is, the book is wonderful and useful.



5. Great pictures and text depict some of the most beautiful libraries in the world! Gives me encouragement and inspiration for my humble library at home!

2 comments about Design Hotels Yearbook 2008.

1. I ordered a new book, but the book I got looks a used one.
   Even though it is acturally a "new" book, the book is technically too worn out and even some part of a page is torn.
   
   I was almost close to return the book.



2. It is probably the best publishing of trends in hotel design today. It is a must on table of every hotel designer, architect and developer.

5 comments about Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction.

1. Mr Roy writes in a very understandable way. His books are both informative and entertaining. My plans for using timber framing in my next house have been finalized after reading this great book. Keep up the good work Mr. Roy.



2. This is a great reference for how to put the joints together. Not as good of a reference for structural design but if you are not an engineer you should probably consult one anyway so that isn't really a minus. Easy to follow.



3. This book provides information needed by DYI buillders who need the why's as well as the how's. It focuses on durability and practicality rather than elegance and tradition.



4. While this book does cover the general building process, I feel it does not go into enough detail. While talking about timbers and larger pieces of wood, the charts in the end are all for regular 2x wood. There are so many references to other works where info can be found, that the whole read felt like one large advertisement (many for the author's other publications). Needs more detailed sketches, diagrams, and important detail pictures, and less useless pictures taken from too far away to be useful.



5. The book is very informative and helpful. Rob Roy's writing style makes it easy to follow. Not having any experience in building,(being female, that happens) I could still understand all of it, but a little background (even building a doghouse!) might have helped in truly getting the most out of the material.

No comments about HVAC Equations, Data, and Rules of Thumb, 2nd Ed..

5 comments about The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough (American Institute Architects).

1. This is an absurd, but very American, architecture book. Usually with this genre the glossy pictures make up for the text -- that is NOT the case here. The pictures are very average. The text is okay ... a gospel of architectural $implicity substituted for actual ... well ... simplicity.
   
   Here's the thing: simplicity in this book is interpreted as minimalist furnishings. Well and good. But it is easy to relish the zen luxe of a room when one has the most wonderful architecture to surround that perfect, single $10K furnishing. It is easy to be "simple".... own few possessions and buy few furnishings when you can afford a house designed with built in window seats, dining nooks, stainless appliances and murphy beds.
   
   What is really needed is a guide to designing with simplicity and sustainability in mind. That would be .... you buy some nasty tract home for $300K in Redmond Washington and want to decorate / design sustainably, simply, tastefully and, above all, peacefully.
   
   Probably the most amusing thing about Sarah Nettleton's book is the secret glimpses into the homeowner's stuff: forests of books, cotton fields of clothes, acres of wood cabinetry, and pits of stone and concrete tile and countertops.
   
   My hard earned ducats bought this book. Don't use yours.



2. This book is wonderful. I immediately had ideas about ways to simplify my home without costing a dime. This book was worth every penny.



3. I adore this book. I am a professional organizer and it really speaks to me and my clients about downsizing and the privilege it is to have a home that is uncluttered and 'just enough'. Thank you for a wonderful book.



4. Great book to help you get focused on the necessities of your house. It makes you think what is necessary and what really is not. Do you really need two ovens...etc. After reading or more realistically paging through several other books I found myself jotting down notes made from this book that really hit home. Our lives are fast paced and complicated enough, so it was wonderful to hear the great thoughts of Sarah Nettleton. I recommend this book along with The Farmhouse by Jean Rehkamp Larson and the New Old House by Russell Versaci. Great Job Sarah Nettleton!



5. Wonderful case studies about 20 homes with good explanations about material choices, site considerations, and the people who own them. It's a Taunton Press book, so the photos are great, of course. I especially like the floor plan illustrations that support the photos and give a sense of flow through the houses.