4 comments about Provence Interiors.

1. I've owned this book for years & I return to it regularly. There is something magical about this book. Although most of us will never experience living in a Provence villa, the photography takes you away & it is absoultely wonderful to look at. Every page offers delightful discoveries. This book has it all and is by far my favorite interior design book in my collection.



2. This book is a gorgeously photographed journey into the homes of wealthy and/or very stylish residents of Provence. Not a book of typical 'French Country Interiors', it covers a wide range of styles from super modern to 17th century grandeur, from 'to the manor born', to gypsy caravans (stunning). As with all things French I adore the way they so gracefully combine the old and the new. These are for the most part not homes that were 'designed', but instead homes that 'grew' with thier owners over time. This book is one of a series of books by this publisher/editor team and they are all wonderful. I have this one, the book on Indian Interiors, the book on Moroccan Interiors (my favorite) and the one on Tuscan Interiors. Each of these books is pure quality. The photography, the variety of well chosen homes, the layout and design of the books, including paper quality, binding etc. is superb. There isn't one aspect of any of these books, including this one, that is run-of-the-mill or poorly conceived. If you are interested in Provencial style, creative interiors, use of colour and texture, and French Culture, you will adore this book. It is without a doubt the best book on French Interiors that I have found.



3. I have never been there, but through samplings such as this treasure of a book, I have seen on print what I most want to see: Provence! This "gift" presents the reader with the best views of interiors that I am aware of. I have combed my library and bookstores for views of Provence for almost forever. This book almost makes me cry, I long to see it so! Until I do, this sumptuous look at this magical region is availble in this outstanding book. I am SO glad I have my copy!



4. In this rich photographic essay of interiors in Provence, Lovatt-Smith captures the design, style, essence, texture, life and breath of this magical location and its occupant's beautiful interiors.

2 comments about Living in Tuscany.

1. I bought this for my wife, after visiting Luca, in Tuscany! This book captures the memories! Excellent book!



2. A very beautiful and detailed book. A place to think about living out the golden years there. Becoming part of the local living.

3 comments about La Tour de 300 M'Tres (Tour Eiffel).

1. I've been wanting to build model of Eiffel Tower for about 20 years. I've been drawing the main structure from bits and pieces I was able to collect over the years, and a lot of guess work. Then I came this book, and it was everything I've been looking for. It has all the dimensions and details you need to build an acurate model. It has details of the base of legs, the tower structure, original floor layouts and mechanical plans.
   This book is worth every penny, I wish I would of found it 20 years ago.



2. What can you say? You got all the original drawings, the explanations, and also the calculations.
   It is amazing the way they did things in the past.
   Also if you like history, the book is full of it.
   The book is a complete review of all the facts of the Eiffel Tower.
   You don't need to be an engineer to enjoy the book, but if you are, I bet you'll enjoy it even more.
   The pictures are excellent.



3. This is a wonderful reproduction of Gustav Eiffel's original design. Every detail of the Eiffel Tower is represented here. The book is HUGE, though, so make sure you have room for it.

4 comments about Dutch Colonial Homes in America.

1. This book provides an overview of a number of houses built by the Dutch colonist and their descendants in the former colony New Netherland. Beautiful photo's and an extensive historical description of eacht house and its area.



2. This is one of may favorite books featuring authentic Dutch colonials.
   
   The pictures are wonderful as well as the text.
   I had no idea as to the contribution the Dutch had not only in architecture but to the development of the country.
   
   There are many distinctions in their details. There are also many commonalities. I've been able to sort through and incorporate some simple but memorable treatments in one of my projects thanks to this book.
   
   It's a great reference for ideas as well as history and I turn to it often as of late.



3. This book contains some of the best visuals I have seen in quite a long time. The useage of lateral light to bring out texture, color, and ambience is striking. The authors have succedded in isolating commonplace daily scenes found in everything from common humble surroundings to the grandest settings. All scenes are presented equally well, and ,most important, in a new manner- Thus allowing the contemporary viewer to more than glimpse into the past. The visuals are accompainied with an informative, very readable text to greatly aid the reader in interpretation of the scenes depicted. Well done!



4. The material culture of the Dutch in America has always been misunderstood, mis-interrupted, and ignored. Now a book which gives visual evidence of the major contributions of the Dutch in the New World- how this culture in large part contributed to the newly emerging American culture and society.
   This is a must read for anyone interested in early American history as well as the colonial era.

1 comments about Japan-ness in Architecture.

1. I ordered this book before publication and it wasn't until the summer of 2006 that i read it. and read it and read it. It is not easy to grasp for it complexly relates the myth of "Japan-ness' and how the qualities of Japanese architecture have been influenced by critics, history, individuals and foreign interventions - Isato concludes that there is no 'essential Japanese style but a complex web of forces creating various Japanesese architectural forms. "Japan-ness in Architecture" is a beautiful blend of personal and historical explorations that reveal the sources of styles whose effects continually define structural identities and transformations throughout 'Japanese' history. This is one of the best books I have read on the interaction of Japanese history and culture.

3 comments about Plantation Homes of Louisiana and the Natchez Area.

1. This was purchased as a Christmas gift for my son-in-law who is originally from Louisiana. He loves it. From the narrative history to the beautiful pictures.



2. First of all, I love the South, and love plantation homes. The photographs in this book are very good. I personally didn't enjoy the photos of the rundown and derelict plantations. I bought this book because I thought it contained BEAUTIFUL pictures of the finest homes. And most of them are very nice, BUT...First of all, this is a pricey book.I once had a slim volume offerred by the Travel bureau that was better than this book. If all you want is to have a pretty coffee table book, it's fine. I personally would have preferred they leave out the aerial photos high above the homes...and the photos of derelict, rundown plantations and included more interior shots or different angles of the really beautiful plantations. I found that I looked through it once, but will probably rarely look through it again. Though it is well done for what it is, when reading the reviews before purchasing, I had a different impression of what this book is.



3. This book just takes your breath away. The houses are so beautiful and the photographs so vivid. Louisiana is perhaps the most blessed with homes from the old south and this book does them such a great service. It's nothing short of amazing that so many of them have survived, it's a testement to the quality of the builders, mostly slaves, the cypress wood used so often and benign neglect. Thank God these wonderful homes where not burned during the Civil War or torn down by short sighted developers. It's really lucky for us that this part of Louisiana has been virtually asleep for 150 years, but in the last 30 years it has awaken like a Pheonix and these houses have been restored and cared for, I am so grateful to Mr. Gleason for having created this book and for the preservationists that saved the homes themselves. I have visited many of these grand plantations and you can't help but be in awe of the beauty and saddened at the same time about the cruel institution that created them. I most appreciate the homes that have maintained their slave quarters, everyone should have to see the way these people lived, it was not all zippidy do da zippidy aye, I assure you...one must always view the historic south through this prism to understand the struggle to overcome. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for all things beautiful.

5 comments about Contemporary Japanese Restaurant Design.

1. Dont get this book. They show the same restaurants over and over. Nothing really worth looking at. Lighting is the same in each and every restaurant. I am an architect looking for different uses of materials this book is not it. It you see one restaurant here you can see them all.From 1 to 10 I would give this book a 5.



2. Nice photography, printing, etc., but many of the empty-room interior photos cried out for people! Part of the excitement of the venue are the people enjoying it. Some photos were pretty self-explanitory, but others could have used a complete naritive.



3. I saw this book in the library one day, and decided to check it out. I ended up renewing it three times, and then coming here to purchase it. This book is an excellent source for ideas or just to browse through on a rainy day. I love looking at all the highly detailed pictures and the wonderful descriptions of the places photographed. This book is extremely well written and put together. A must have for anyone who is interested in interior design, or contemporary Japanese architectute.



4. I bought this book looking for inspiration for work and I am not disappointed. This book has beautiful nice quality pictures and mentions what the architect/designer did and why (As a designer I am always curious). It also shows the floorplan of the restaurant so you see how it's laid out. Now that I am venturing into restaurant design from retail, this is very helpful.



5. I'm not a professional designer, nor do I claim to be, so this review will be based on what I discovered from the book.

   This book is full of wonderful pictures of Japanese restaurants around the world, rooms decorated so elegantly, youd expect to spend $100.00 a plate easily at any of them. Each restaurant profile lists the designers intentions, design materials, colors, and even a detailed blueprint of the layout. Im not sure you need any more than what is in this book, I spent two hours reading and looking through this book, and I only got 1/4 of the way through it. I found myself staring in awe at what these designers can do with minimal space to use the Japanese culture and aesthetics in making these architectual masterpieces. A definite must if you are looking to integrate asian design elements into your home or office. There are so many design elements that can make even the plainest home seem elegent, streamlined and beautiful.

3 comments about The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns and Other Farm Structures.

1. This field guide has what I consider to be soso black and white photos and drawings of each type of barn and supporting structures. If you are looking for accurate information on a style of barn and where it may be located this is the book for you. I would perfer better quality photo's and some color. Rather boring presentation!



2. For what I wanted the book for it is a fantastic resourse. I build model barns and covered bridges. This book has not only given me new ideas but also a history behind them. Love the book.



3. While the book presents numerous types of agricultural buildings from all over the U.S., it doesn't go into any sort of detail about any of them, making it of limited reference use.

5 comments about Hollywood At Home (Architectural Digest).

1. This book is just sumptous! A wonderful look into the lives of Hollywood legends via color and b&w photos. I especially like the older stars featured: Carole Lombard, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, etc. I have most of the Architectual Digest magazines featuring Hollywood stars, but this book includes additional photos for some of the stars and is presented so beautifully that even those who own the mags should get a copy. Printed on heavy glossy stock, this is an oustanding book that every Hollywood fan should have in their library!



2. I saw Hollywood At Home from Architectural Digest advertised one day on HGTV and I was interested in getting it. Occasionally it's fun to take a peek into a celebrities life, which is what this book is all about. There are celebrities from mostly past and some present including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and John Travolta. Perhaps my high hopes made it difficult for me to truly enjoy this book. I was expecting there to be more celebrity homes showcased or perhaps show more pictures of the homes of the celebrities they did spotlight. I've read Architectural Digest many times and I have been more impressed with their single issues than this book. I did enjoy seeing John Travolta's home photos and his amazing wall of aviation. Overall, the photos were decent, most of them culled from archives. If you're into some of the celebrities that are featured in this book then I highly reccommend it. If you're expecting any mind blowing architectural insight, then this is not the book for you.



3. The book arrived in a timely manner in good condition.
   Beautiful photos and lots of inside
   information about some of Hollywood's greatest.
   It's a great book!



4. Architectural Digest has done a fantastic job in creating this book. They have taken some of their best features from their superb magazine on Hollywood's stars and their homes and compiled it into this great book. The stories feature stars from the golden age up to the present time. I highly recommend it! It also makes a great gift!



5. First of all let me state unequivically, I love Architectual Digest, and this book is a dream for those of us who do. The houses vary, some are opulent, some are modest, most are in between. You get a feel for the real person behind the star fascade and because Architectural Digest has been in circulation for so long, some of old guard Hollywood is on display here as well as the more current stars. It's interesting to see the juxisposition of the era's. Highly recommended to anyone with any interest in this subject.

4 comments about Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols & Their Meaning.

1. Didn't have nearly as much information about the history and evolution of the Hex Sign as I expected. It also didn't have very many pictures as expected of these beautiful symbols and important piece of history. Good book but, could have definitely been more.



2. This little gudie is great if you are interested in the Pow Wow practice of Pennsylvania Dutch hexerei. Though these writers are interested in the cultural and commercial aspects of the barn hexes, they do offer an introductory discussion of the hex marks and a brief history of its appearance in teh New World. Totally worth your time to peruse and worth your money to have



3. The authors take a pragmatic approach to the subject of the many round decorations that have graced barns and homes of Pennsylvania for hundreds of years. Especially among Pennsylvanians of "Deutch" or German ancestry, the fancy round "hex signs" are a cultural identification as well a decoration for their barns. Perhaps these signs also have magickal meaning as a ward or protection. The term "hex" means a magic spell in German, and "hexen" means witch. The authors shy away somewhat from a serious inquiry into the magickal meanings and efficacy of protection hexes. They do offer a collection of good photos of many old and new signs, interviews with current painters and discussion of those available commercially.



4. "It is an excellent book on history of Pa.Dutch Hex Signs" Colorful and very informative!