5 comments about House Thinking: A Room-by-Room Look at How We Live (P.S.).

1. This book reminds me of those stands at farmer's markets where someone with a passion for knitting has decided to sell all their crafts. It isn't really a piece of art, nor is it anything with substance. You buy the craft simply to take it home, to enjoy it and move on.
   
   Such is this book. It is non-threatening, direct in its look at houses. I read this book as a Canadian so I quickly got the hint that the 'we' in the subtitle implies 'We as Americans'. And so it is. This book is written by an American for Americans about the American house. Gallagher traces the history of the rooms of house-life, circumventing the terrain of Anglo-Saxon fame - frequent mention of Britain and the Victorian home. Again, because the 'we' implies American, there is no real look at the homes and rooms of other nations. There are passing glances but the focus is entirely US of A.
   
   There is nothing critical to this book. Gallagher writes the kind of book that would never actually say something offensive - when she talks about McMansions and such, she never 'actually' offers us her opinions (if she has any) on their crudeness and impact on the environment (because she wouldn't want to offend potential upper-middle class buyers of her book). It is like reading a commentary without the human element. The book is like a digestive cookie in this sense. Palatable but nearly tasteless.
   
   There are no pictures so when she mentions Monticello in Virginia, the reader must either dig up an old art history class memory of architectural slides or either go to the website page at the back of the book and look up the URL. (The lack of pictures also makes the book feel unfinished and unpolished. A book that discusses the layouts, presentation, contours of rooms without pictures - it would be like writing an art history book without prints of famous art.)
   
   I read The Power of Place (a much better read) recently and I found the same kind of easy-to-digest reading. Gallagher writes about the house,the various rooms of the house and we know what she's talking about, but it's like the rest of the world doesn't exist and her 'home' is in a complacent universe. If life was like a sitcom, then maybe this book would be 100% non-fiction.



2. Don't get me wrong. Despite my low rating, this is a worthwhile book, because it gets one thinking. But the author never reaches a conclusion of her own, and there is no single theme to the entire book, which gives the book a rough draft sort of feeling. The author did an impressive amount of research, and brings to our attention many famous houses, and the architects and owners responsible for such interesting abodes, revealing just a tiny glimmer of the "house thinking" that went into each living environment. Even just a few carefully selected photos would have gone a long way toward illustrating the "house thinking" expressed by each example. Instead, we are left with an extensive list of books and websites -- the start of our own research, if we wish to take up the task.
   
   This book did not hand me fully-formed ideas on a silver platter, but instead gave me insight into a way of thinking about the history of the modern home. I never realized how much the past continues to influence the present layout of rooms, and shapes our expectations about how we are supposed to use each of those rooms. There is a weak thread running through the book. The author is pointing out that we are still being influenced by the past. If we can develop a sort of psychological awareness, we might break free of the historical conventions and expectations that clash with our modern needs on an unconscious level. Sprinkled throughout the book is another thin thread: that we are being influenced in very subtle ways by the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory input from our rooms. We might not be consciously aware of these tiny influences until we stop looking at our rooms with the eye of an interior decorator. We need to look past the surface and feel the room from an emotional perspective. Isn't it attention to detail that makes a house into a comfortable, welcoming home? This book might get you thinking in the right direction.



3. I found the basic concept of this book to be fascinating. The author takes on the task of walking us through each room in the traditional American house and analyzing not the furniture and decor, but the life and psychology of each. The result should be a series of insights into how we can design our living spaces to support and even create behaviors that are beneficial to us. And in some cases, this is what we get. But all too often - indeed, for the majority of the book - Gallagher seems to veer off course and talk about the history and sociology associated with each room. While this is an interesting topic in and of itself, the lack of a consistent method from room to room can be both confusing and distracting. As an example, here are the approaches taken for two rooms: For the section on the living room, the author describes the psychology of refuge and prospect in a way that is potentially useful for anyone trying to figure out why their house does not seem to offer them the feeling of comfort and belonging they would like. For the section on the kitchen, we are treated to the historical background of women's literal place in the home, and the way the kitchen has evolved with and contributed to the feminist movement. Both sections are well written and interesting, but only the first supported my goal of learning how to create a comfortable home.
   
   This lack of of focus cripples what could have been both a very readable and very useful book. As it is, while "House Thinking" is still well worth reading, it will not be a book that earns a place of honor in your library. Or your living room. Or bedroom.



4. I work with architects & interior designers every day to design commerical space, so I'm familiar with the ideas the author was trying to communicate. The concept of how we live in our homes and how design has evolved in America and throughout the world is fascinating. The author has done a tremendous amount of research. At the end of the book I was left feeling like I'd read a draft of someone's doctoral dissertation, with a lot of editing still to be done. As others have mentioned, the lack of pictures and illustrations is a huge oversight. Even for those of us familiar with design concepts & nomenclature, it is nearly impossible to wade through the descriptions given--I felt like I was being tested to translate her observations into a vision that reconciled to her conclusions. Furthermore, I think the organization of the book, a room-by-room analysis of how design has evolved, although logical in approach--did not mesh well with what the author was trying to communicate. She would often go off on a tangent siting research, trends throughout history and psychological implications that may have applied to the "room" in question, but were often as relevant or irrelevant to any other room, yard or community she might have chosen to elaborate on.
   
   This might be a good book to introduce the evolution of design to someone with little prior knowledge (which is why I'm generous in providing 2 stars); especially at the current bargain prices on Amazon. Otherwise, I'd recommend passing this one by.



5. Enjoyed this book a lot though it is not a "decorating book" in the usual sense. I agree pictures would have been a delightful addition but I can see how it would have increased the costs and size of the book too much to be affordable. I found the insights into how our home spaces have evolved over time, and why we use them the way we do to be very entertaining. This book helps you think about how you use your space, and what feels good and right to you so your choices in decorating, remodeling or purchasing a home can be more deliberate. (You may actually understand why you fell in love with a house, or one room just feels so good, and another so bad!) It is easy to read and so entertaining, I hated to put it down.

3 comments about XS: Big Ideas, Small Buildings.

1. This book is about creativity and innovation; not just small-house-designing, but compact-space-creation. It contains not only residential projects, but also public facilities (e.g., bus stops) and objects (e.g., stunning tents), plus some "think-outside-the-box" structures for extream weather (e.g., north pole), remote locations, unusual situations (e.g., floating on a river) and pure entertainment (a pocket-size [before use] inflatable space). It also includes all the information about the architects and designers and the prices (generally very cheap, the inflatable space only costs about 5 franc!). However, I would like to have more informatin about those designs, maybe more pictures or text to get a more complete 3D feeling of those spaces.
   
   I discovered this book in a bookstore. After skimming through it, I immediately decided to order one copy. If you want to find some recent architecture and building cases, you'd better get some other books or buy some magazines. But if you want to know how far architecure and design can go and want to experience some intellectural stimulation, then get this book. You will be enlightened.



2. I found this book while doing a newsstand project for my studio class. I was interested in seeing how other designers had tackled the high level of detail that becomes necessary when creating a small structure (and get some inspriation for my own project along the way). I wasn't disappointed. Although I usually like to see more process sketches in architecture books (Xs is completely lacking in this regard), the variety, creativity and inventiveness of the projects exhibited won me over. The different uses of materials are especially diverse and inspiring. The photographs are thoughtful and do a good job of showing much of the detail that makes these structures interesting in the first place. The text is well-written (I consider any architecture writing not filled with euphemisim and jargon a godsend), and the quotes from the designers is insightful. I started showing Xs to other architects in my firm and it quickly became a hit. It is, above all else, an accessable, fun book.



3. This is a nice little book, well put together, of some unique projects you might not otherwise see because they are so small. It isn't very indepth on any of them, no more that 3-4 pics usually. Contains a lot of projects with novel use of materials, most are built pretty cheap too.
   It is good general book and worth... I think.

5 comments about Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies.

1. Los Angeles. There were a few years there when Los Angles was the center of the world. 1965-1985, give or take a few years. Oh yes, even the Brits were raving. David Hockney had declared LA the best place to paint ("Splash") and Reyner Banham declared LA the city of tomorrow. Things were cooking and I was there. Then things started to go wrong. Spielberg and the boys from USC took over Hollywood and turned the city from a culture center into an amusement park. The pollution started to get too dangerous to laugh at. The gangs took over much of the fringe. There was Rodney King, O.J., riots, earthquakes, fires, gang warfare. All in all, the city was destroyed. Who knows what Banham might make of the place now. This is a great little book.



2. The book was exactly what I wanted for a Christmas present and at a good price.



3. Even though Banham's book was written in the early '70's, it remains a cogent view of a metropolis that has changed yet remained the same. It is a place, yes a real place, that is defined by geography and the various cultures of its inhabitants to a unique degree. Architecture is but a backdrop to Banham's larger point about the inter-relationship of people to the natural and built environments. The perspective of 35 years only sharpens the observations made by the insightful author.



4. Outstanding book about Los Angeles, a must-read for anyone interested in history, architecture, and culture.It reads like poetry.



5. Reyner Banham's writing is intelligent and entertaining. He has taken LA to heart and reveals how its "four ecologies" have affected its contemporary appearance and character. You'll not only learn how LA's architecture came to be as it is, but learn a great deal about the history and personality of the city as well. I read this book to get to know LA better. I couldn't have picked a better one.

1 comments about Detail in Process: Detail in Process (AsBuilt).

1. This is the second book in the new AsBuilt series. Its like the In Detail series with beautifully presented images and drawings, but because all the projects (many different building types) are built in North America, most of the drawings have units of measurement and terminology currently used in the USA, and include materials available for construction in the United States. There are also more kinds of drawings, models and renderings than the typical formats usually found in books about details, which gives the series a dynamic, contemporary quality. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Another 100 of the World's Best Houses (Architecture).

1. This is a great book for resedential design. This book surpass its predecessor. This book is must buy.



2. This book is great for someone who is curious about the different styles of houses throughout world, regardless of one particular style (ie. modern, minimal, etc.) The pictures are very well scaled and the project desciption featured in the index is informative although they are missing the essential date of completion. The title of the book is subjective so it is up to the reader to determine if these really are the "best" houses in the world, but they do give a introduction to the different style of residential designs realized throughout the world.
   
   www.hjlbookreview.com



3. Not just another object for the coffee table, this book takes architecture seriously. The descriptions are clear and concise and the photographs illustrate each home in fine detail. For anyone who enjoys learning about great contemporary residential architecture, this is a very fine book.

No comments about The Houses of Martha's Vineyard.

No comments about Jean Nouvel by Jean Nouvel: Complete Works 1970-2008.

5 comments about American Country Houses of the Gilded Age (Sheldon's "Artistic Country-Seats").

1. The author of this book refers to country homes of the Gilded Age as "Country Seats" (or "country cottages"). By the author's definition, these were homes of, "grandiose size and scale with imposing facades complemented by manicured gardens and with large and impressive reception rooms, halls, parlors, dining rooms, and other public spaces."
   
   George Sheldon published a book around 1887 documenting this surge in architectural creativity (expressed via country seats) and called his book :"ARTISTIC COUNTRY SEATS".
   
   Therefore, this book in review, called, AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF THE GILDEN AGE, (by Arnold Lewis) was written to show the homes photographed in the Sheldon book, and to update the information provided by Sheldon, so that we can better understand what the Architects and structures' owners were trying to express.
   
   For a long time, I have been interested in seeing what the opulent homes of the Gilded Age must have looked like, especialy those that were avaialable before they were all torn down or destroyed by vandals, fire, etc.
   
   Since I was not too familiar with "country seats" I wanted to find a good book on this specific topic. Well, by buying this book by Arnold Lewis I think I was able to get a better feel for these "country seats" of the wealthy (aka: "country cottages" of the rich).
   
   
   The "country cottages" owned by the wealthy class shown in this Lewis book, are mostly from 1880 to around 1889. Also included in this book are a few selected Casinos from the same period. Reason for the Casinos being included in the Lewis book is probably because the same famous Architects that designed some of the opulent private cottages also designed Casinos located in vacations spots visited by the wealthy class. In addition, some of the Casinos bear a striking resemblance to the styles of the country seats shown in this Lewis book.
   
   Anyhow, when reading this book, I would advise that the reader reads the INTRODUCTION throughly because it explains the role that Sheldon had, in describing each structure. In other words, before jumping right in (as many of us often do) and looking at all the photos, I would recommend reading the entire INTRODUCTION, because it puts the photos in complete perspective.
   
   For instance: The author of this book has researched the Sheldon photos (and reviews) and then re-vamped the descriptions so that they are more understandable to a reader from our Era.
   
   The photos are large and the reader can see all the details so clearly. In fact, it's amazing that photos taken in the 1880's can be so clear!
   
   The black and white photos, have an almost sepia tone to them, making them even more enjoyable to admire. Each structure's photo has a clear explanation of the Architect of the structure, and also a brief description of the date of production and a background of the actual owners, and also, when the structure was finalized.
   
   The photos include a reproduction (in black and white) of the "blueprint" of the first floor of each structure.
   
   As other commentators have pointed out, the book does not show "blueprints" of the second or third floors, however, the author does attempt to describe the upper floors within the photos' description.
   
   Each Architectural style is described in detail in the INTRODUCTION. However, if you are a novice as to specific Architectural styles of the past, then I would recommend becoming briefly acquainted with Architectural styles (and the elementary Architectural vocabulary) before attempting to fully understand the structures` actual styles. For example, to a novice, a structure that looks like a "snow white castle" may be misunderstood, unless the reader has a brief knowledge & understanding of why the early Victorian and/or Queen Anne homes were designed with so many gables and filligrees and turrets.
   
   I should also mention that this book's INTRODUCTION mentions the COST of each home, specifically at the time of the home's finish. So, I think that the readers will find this fact also very interesting, especially when comparing each home to each other (eg: why did some homes cost $6,000, while others cost $200,000.00?).
   
   Also included in the INTRODUCTION are descriptions of where each home was once located (by State), and also which Architectural firm designed each home.



2. This book is richly illustrated with black & white photos of historic houses in the United States. For the person interested in houses from the gilded age, this book provides clear photographs with a minimum of text that can be studied in detail. The photos, more often than not, set the house in its surroundings, however photos of gardens and landscape architecture is minimal. This book is ideal for someone looking for ideas to incorporate into their own plans for home-building, as well as for students and professionals seeking a good photographic reference to the gilded age that covers houses in many regions of the country.



3. The homes shown and described in this book are wonders of a world gone by, and sadly many of them have fallen to the wreakers ball. Thankfully, this book has saved the images, basic floor plans and stories of these magnificent homes. This book is a nice addition to any Victorian lovers library.



4. "American Country Houses of the Gilded Age" reprints 100 photographs from "Artistic Country-Seats," a book originally published in 1886-87 with commentary by George William Sheldon. This new version of the collection replaces Sheldon's original comments with those of Arnold Lewis. But the real "stars" of the book are the 93 houses and four casinos portrayed in the excellent black-and white photos.

   These houses represent some of the most stunning mansions of the late 19th century. Most of these buildings were built in the northeastern United States. Each plate is accompanied by both Lewis' comments and by a first floor plan.

   The houses themselves represent many of the popular styles of the era: Tudor, "Shingle," Queen Anne, Chateauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Colonial Revival, and Exotic Revival. The crisp photography captures a wealth of beautiful details: covered verandas, stone arches, classical pillars, towers, pinnacles, parapets, half-timbering, castellations, fanciful dormers, and intricate decorative flourishes.

   The only disappointing aspect to the book is the fact that only the first floor plans are included. Plans for the other floors would have increased the book's value as a record of social history. Nevertheless, the detailed first floor plans do offer fascinating insights into the lives of the wealthy families of the "Gilded Age." You can imagine yourself wandering through the billiard room or music room of your favorite mansion! If you are fascinated by American home architecture, or if you simply want a taste of this opulent era, you will love this book.




5. This book let's readers see how the wealthiest people in America lived back in the late 1800's. The floor plans are, although small, completely readable. I do wish the author would have included the floor plans for the second, third, etc. floors. Great photographs and good desrciptions of the homes.

5 comments about Phaidon Atlas Of Contemporary World Architecture: Travel Edition.

1. I build houses for a hobby, various types and sizes (26 total). I am an engineer.
   
   Buy the travel edition, and go to any university library for the huge atlas. I have found it at 6 so far around the country. It takes a little extra time, but hey - so does building, especially a house not well thought out :(,
   
   Currently I have a bluff lot overlooking the pacific, next to a cemetary with a ton of open space around it, in a funky town (mobile homes below???). Green is in in So Cal (LA is going green? yea right...pigs fly). I would like to put Fallingwater on the bluff..hee hee.
   
   This book rocks and has become my companion along with the Wright companion, Survey and Hogue. I am fairly proficient with Auodesk Arch. Desktop (now 2008). My dream - have all this material importable into Arch desktop for 3d orbits on a iPhone - those flying pigs :)



2. This nice little book lists some architecturally interesting building, but is missing nearly all my favorites. Listing geographically is a good idea, but I prefer online databases.



3. For those of you interested in the praticality of this as a travel companion, trust me, it works. The maps are not enough alone to find buildings in their respective cities but between knowing their general locations and addresses you can easily navigate your way to find them. I carried this book in my pocket around Europe and can say first hand that it was the best travel guide I had. A must for any Architect or student planning on traveling.



4. When the original Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture was released in My 2004, several reviews were more enticed with the size of the tome in contrast to its contents. Frankly, I was put off by the price tag (albeit well deserved).
   
   However, the recently released Travel Edition of the tome has become one of the essential resources of my library.
   
   First, don't be put off of the fact that the softcover book is referred to as a Travel Edition as it contains a wealth of projects (subdivided by continents then countries). For each project there is a single project photo, project address, and the project architect. With each building a sentence or two states the significance of the project to 'Contemporary World Architecture' (an overly broad subject in itself).
   
   Second, there is a grand diversity to the projects profiled in the Travel Edition in terms of project types and locations. I haven't come across another book to date that offers such a variety of projects within the covers.
   
   Lastly, the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture Travel Edition provides project insights and narratives that are free of any bias or criticism. The lack of both is something that is rarely found in a subject as subjective as architecture, and is welcomed in this context.
   
   The Atlas suffers from a minor foreseeable problems. The book limits itself to projects that were complete as of the time when the book went to press. Any building completed during its printing or afterwards suffers the fate of being excluded from the Atlas; perhaps it/they will be included in future editions.



5. I think this is a book EVERY architect student should posses as a reference. It contains a large selection of references from all over the world. In comparison to the large version, which is rather costly for a student, this version contains brief descriptions and its a good size. I just wish there was a version on DISK!!!

3 comments about Islamic Art and Architecture (The World of Art).

1. Bought this book for my daughters Art class. It had all the information she needed. As alway amazon delivered quickly, with no delays.



2. As a beginner to the world of Islamic Art and architecture, I recently completed reading this book and found it a good introduction. It covers the development and major themes in architecture, ceramics, figure painting and calligraphy (textiles to a smaller extent) of Ummayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Saljuq, Atabegs, Mamluks, Islamic Spain and Morrocco, Ilkhanids/Timurids, Safavids and the Ottomans.

   Islamic art and architecture of the Indian Subcontinent (eg Dehli Sultanate or Mughal India) is not covered at all in this book.

   It has a good sampling of pictures in colour of especially major architectural monuments. I think the strength of this book is especially strong as an introduction to Islamic architecture. Its coverage of the other areas is not bad either.




3. This book has an unbilievable combination of detail, broad coverage of various topics, ability to keep attention concentrated due to a great way the book is written. Illustrations were both artistically beautiful and helpful in understanding the topics covered. I am in love with this book and, after library reading it, I am ordering it today!!!