5 comments about Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City.

1. As stated in an earlier review, this is a good book for anyone interested in NY buildings and history. The Empire State Building is my favorite building, and I have a large collection of books and photography regarding it. This book is an excellant addition to that collection.
   
   Though I know a great deal about the men and times behind the creation of the Empire State Building and some regarding the Chryslar, this book fascinated with additional information on both and all new information regarding 40 Wall Street. Neal Bascomb gives you a good account of the money men and their egos behind the financing of these buildings. He gives you the history and motivation of the architects. Neal also gives you the background on the men who built the buildings--which is usually lacking in other books.
   
   It was also interesting to read this book today with all that is going on with the economy. Though the situation today is not as bad as then, a lot of the same things happened. Now as then, especially here in Miami, there are going to be quite a few empty buildings dottig the skylines for the next five years.
   
   If you liked "The Devil and the White City", you'll like this book.



2. Very interesting coverage of the subject. Very focussed on three landmark buildings and the personalities involved in their conception and construction. It was fascinating to learn where these people came from and what happened to them after these huge projects. Many really suffered for their art and industry. I had read a bit on this subject before but this book really added to my knowledge. I have rarely been so entertained and engrossed by a non-fiction book. Highly recommended.



3. I certainly enjoyed _Higher_, but it could have been a better book. Bascomb needs an editor: usages are awkward, some of the passages read as though they were padding added to a slimmer first version, and when the author steps back to sketch the bigger picture the prose, all too often, turns purple. Not altogether his fault: too many authors today try to write a movie rather than a book. Oddly, for a book about architecture and the construction of specific buildings, there are surprisingly few photos -- not that I expected or wanted a coffee table book, but the very visual story here could have been better illustrated. Those of us who like this sort of book, and I do, despite the quibbling and caviling above, should also read Daniel Okrent's _Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center_, which is every bit as interesting and a better-written book, all in all.



4. The 1920's was all about reaching new heights in America - the roaring 20's emphasized a fast-paced lifestyle where there were no limits. It was this "anything goes" attitude that led to the construction of skyscrapers in New York City that were just as much a symbol of the times as they were practical business investments. In this book that chronicles the race to be the tallest between 3 New York landmarks - the Chrysler Building, 40 Wall Street, and The Empire State Building - egos collide, markets tumble, and relationship are broken. The author weaves a very readable tale that focuses on both the financial and architectural icons who led to the construction of these buildings. If bricks and mortar also interest you, then this will do the trick as well. Throughout the book you are taken to the construction sites and learn what its like to catch a burning hot rivet a quarter mile up in the air, all while balancing on a single beam and bracing against high winds and frigid temperatures. Overall, a very good book that manages to tell the "story" of these now prominent buildings. I would give it 4.5 stars if I could.



5. This book, not only glorifies the American spirit, but serves as an excellent reference for what New York was like in the late 1920's. Through architectually acurrate, this book focuses on more that any review can project. This is the best history book I've read since the Guardians by Geoff Kabaservice.

5 comments about McKim, Mead & White: The Masterworks.

1. I had been panting over this book when I first learned of it's release and it was given to me as a gift, quite unexpected, considering it's costly list price.
   
   1) Just because you are related to Mr. White does not mean you have the same gifts. Where architect White was a gifted visionary, builder and man about town, (not to mention murdered lover of Evelyn Nesbitt) author White is pedestrian at best and swinging from gilded-age coat tails at worst.
   
   2) Some of the photography is excellent, and that is the reason this book still lives on my coffee table. However, I will warn you that much of it is flat and lacking in imagination.
   
   3) For lovers of architecture like myself and others who would want to own this book, it is amazingly short of drawings such as elevations and cross-sections. To see these buildings on paper and then in lush color photographs would have been a better exercise than the travelogue style presentation in this volume.
   
   In short, the book does have some lovely parts, but the whole is a bit disappointing. I don't know that I would pay retail for it, rather I'd look for a good used version, or ask Santa for it for Christmas.



2. Though the definitive book on these great architects work is still yet to be written, this book certainly does their work justice. I enjoyed the text and felt quite knowledged after reading it. I thought the pictures where bold and well selected, though not to the level of some books of this sort. I especially enjoyed the section on Penn Station, wow, what a building, it is so disheartening that it was leveled for a very mediocre building that may find itself meeting the same fate as Penn Station soon: poetic justice I suppose. I think instead of converting McKim, Mead, and White's Post Office Building into the new Penn Station, they should take the blue prints of the original and build it, this was the firms best work, it's a disgrace that is was so underappreciated by the city govenment a the time. At anyrate, if you have any interest in great Gilded Age architecture, you will certainly enjoy this book, just to get a peek inside some of the most exclusive clubs in America is worth the price of the book.



3. Since the author touts himself as a descendant of Stanford White, one doesn't expect much in the way of critical perspective from the text of this book. More disappointing are the contemporary photographs - although reproduced at enormous size, they are oddly flat and lifeless. For a better book at a better price, check out "The Architecture of McKim, Mead & White in Photographs, Plans and Elevations"



4. When captains of industry like Morgan, Astor, or Vanderbilt chose to build grand edifices they engaged the services of the architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White. During the firms most inspired period (1879-1915), it built nearly 1,000 commissions, including many famous and important buildings that are still vital parts of the landscape and include: The Morgan Library, Boston Symphony Hall, Columbia University, and the American Academy in Rome.

   Written by Samuel G. White (great grandson of Sanford White) and Elizabeth White, McKim, Mead, and White: The Masterworks documents non-residential works of America's greatest classical architects. This new book showcases twenty-four public buildings in remarkable detail. The majority of the buildings included in The Masterworks are still in use however several notable examples; Madison Square Garden, Penn Station, 4 pavilions at the World's Columbian Exposition, and Madison Square Presbyterian Church were demolished long ago.

   The architects spared no expense when they created their masterworks and it is apparent that Rizzoli Publishers spared no expense in producing this lovely book. Contemporary color photographs by Jonathan Wallen document the buildings as they are today capturing the totality of their grandeur as well as their finest details. Fascinating archival photographs illustrate how the buildings appeared were when their doors first opened. And almost every building profile is augmented with elevation drawings, sketches, watercolors, and other rare background material. An informative text accompanies each profile. It sheds light on the personalities of the architects, their sources of inspiration, the personalities who commissioned the buildings, and the times when they lived and worked.




5. One of the most handsome books on architecture of recent years, beautifully written in a style that is concise without being in the least off-hand. You may find yourself mourning the passing of an age when so much distinguished architecture enhanced our cities, and mourning equally the fact of so much of it being taken for granted (and in many cases, heartlessly demolished)

   One regrets, however, that the book's designers have gone the fashionable route of having its pages printed in a nearly matte-finish.
   Rather than being the velvety ideal, here the photographs seem compromised by this technique. A good example is the photograph of the library at the University Club,( New York). What must be the most complexly rich and improbably Italianate room in North America comes off looking disapointingly murky and flat.( The author/photographer's previous book, Houses of Mc Kim Mead White, while employing the same approach, was rather better printed.)
   But this is a quibble; the book is ravishing.

No comments about French Architectural Ornament: From Versailles, Fontainebleau and Other Palaces (Dover Books on Architecture).

5 comments about 10 X 10.

1. this is awesome! lots of examples with some comments of each single work and all colors. I wanna check next 10 x 10 series.



2. I paged through this book literally twice after removing it from its packaging before the binding entirely separated from the pages. The cover of mine is now completely off the book, the "glue" that Phaidon used having completely failed to keep it together. This isn't an isolated incident either; several of my friends in possession of the same book have had the exact same problems. Even the copy on special reserve in my school's architecture library is experiancing problems of this sort. Above and beyond the binding issues, the actual design of the pages is very poorly thought out. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the captions of the pictures are oriented vertically within pages so chock-full of pictures it is hard to discern what one is looking at or for. The book's final offense is the essays in the back, which are printed on orange paper with black lettering, making them almost impossible to read. This book, while the content may be ok, is so poorly thought out that it warrants a second thought before purchase.



3. Im an architecture student at the University of Florida and this book, including 10x10_2 are a must have. They help to see many different types/styles of Architecture and also help in learning Arch. photography and how to capture that perfect shot, along with how to compose images/drawings of projects for presentation purposes. The book definetly puts you in the mood to design, even after many sleepless nights in studio, working on projects. Its also a good convo. starter if sitting on a coffee table.



4. This is an interesting book with plenty of visual information. However, as soon as you start paging through it, the binding will fall apart. The book is too thick to be held together with that crappy glue. Get a hardback edition if possible.



5. The book itself is great; full of inspiration for an architecture student like myself. Great glossy photos, short bits of writing for each architect, basically just what I was looking for. However. And this is a big However. The binding will literally become completely detached after looking at half a dozen pages. I just took the binding right off, cut off the front and back pages, and glued them to the adjacent pages, and its somewhat been working by being held together with the binding string. Seriously, come up with a better binding for this great book.

2 comments about Craftsman Style.

1. This book is perfect for the person who wants to know more about the Arts and Crafts Movement from a historical perspective and who also wants to see wonderful examples of this architectural style. It is also particularly helpful in training the eye to select accessories for your own home that follow the Craftsman tradition. The photography is just beautiful.
   
   Billie Weinstein
   La Crescenta, California



2. I'm in the middle of converting my house into a neo-Craftsman style house (http://hillsdalehouse.blogspot.com). I'm trying really hard to recreate all those wonderful details that you can seemingly only find in the circa 1914 originals. So, whenever a new book with Craftsman in the title (especially picture books) comes out, I'm quick to sneak a peek. So, I jumped all over this book (actually, I got it from the library). Here are my thoughts:
   
   If you are looking for a nice coffee table book with very pretty pictures of turn-of-the-century Arts & Craft houses, then look no further. This book has some wonderful stuff from houses featured in other similar books, plus many many houses I have never seen before. But, if you are looking for a book about Craftsman Style houses, you have found the wrong book.
   
   Yes, there are some houses that are what most people would call Craftsman. These include the usual Craftsman Farms house, some Green and Green, and the obligatory Bungalows of Pasadena. But, most of the houses in the book are not Craftsman at all, that is if you subscribe the notion that Craftsman houses are houses that were either featured in Gustav Stickley's original Craftsman magazine, or were obviously inspired by one of them. Instead, you'll find some beautiful pictures with a more William Morris type definition of Arts and Crafts. First off, you'll actually find pictures of William Morris' own house (never seen that before!). You will also find wonderful pictures of very gothic looking houses. You'll see marvelous neo-medieval houses. You'll find terrific Tudor revivals. But, you won't find many Craftsman Style houses, which is fine, except for the title of this book. Yes, Stickley and his followers were very much inspired by Morris, and it is fair to say that all things Craftsman are part of the Arts and Crafts movement. But, it is incorrect to say that all things Arts and Craft are Craftsman.
   
   The pictures are wonderful, the text is insightful, but the title is wrong. Oops.

2 comments about Restaurants by Design.

1. This book is pretty much over the top. If you are using it for ideas for a small to mid-range restaurant, it won't do you any good. These are million dollar plus restaurant designs of which an experienced interior designer specializing in restaurants can create. I was only looking for some practical ideas and would not have ordered the book had it been discribed better. If you want a coffee-table book, this one fills the bill - otherwise, don't waste your money.



2. The designs of restaurants is non-trivial. Not only must the design be pleasing to the eye and attractive to the customers, but the flow of the workers, the food, and the dirty dishes must work well. The result says this book is that a restaurant must be considered as a theater where the food is the show.
   
   This book illustrates twenty one of the most striking and original designs of recent years. Most of the featured restaurants are in the United States, but all over the US from New York to Las Vegas, to Portland, Oregon. But there are also restaurants from Japan, The Netherlands, France, and Mexico.
   
   Basically this is an idea book that can provide new thoughts on the restaurant you are designing or buying. There is very little description, it is mostly photographs to show what was done in these sites. The pictures and the printing are both excellent and show the state of the art as it exhists in restaurant design.

5 comments about Paris, City of Art.

1. This book IS beautiful, and of top quality. It is about half illustration and half text, covering the history of art and architecture in Paris. There are some exterior and interior shots of different structures and buildings. However, most of the photographs are of architectural details, or are color reproductions of paintings, statues, and artifacts, similar to what you would see in an art book. There are also a lot of simple blueprints, and pen-and-ink type drawings of different structures. This makes sense, given the title of the book. However, based on some of the reviews, I thought it would contain more photographs of the city, and of the beautiful buildings in Paris. When I received it, it wasn't quite what I expected. Overall, I think it's a good value. I wish I could find a book of similar quality, but a little more like a photographic tour of the well-known and obscure corners of one of my favorite cities.



2. Beatiful illustrations. Everything you need to know about France. Awesome book to keep for generations. I love it!!!



3. This book was absolutely excellent, of the highest quality. This is the greatest picture book i've ever seen.



4. This is more of a reference book than the standard "tour book"; it is a history of Art in Paris, and that is saying a lot! Very LARGE, HEAVY volume for art history buffs that have already visited Paris. Beautiful photography.



5. BY FAR THE BEST BOOK ON THE HISTORY OF ART OF ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES IN THE WORD, WHEN IT COMES TO ART. THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF PAPER AND VIBRANT CRISP ILLUSTRATIONS.IF SELECT IT , IS REALLY AN INVESTMENT.

4 comments about Classic Cracker: Florida's Wood-Frame Vernacular Architecture.

1. Very informative and historical pictorial of the classic cracker home. The different floor plans and pictures of "still standing" structures in Florida are all part of our heritage and I find that very exciting.



2. A complete and thorough description of a type of architecture and therefore the culture. This book was meaningful to me because of my southern heritage and I live in a cracker house. I didn't know it was a cracker house until I read the book. The author is fun and easy to read and the information is great.



3. Brief, but very informative, well documented and organized summary of a neglected (and marginal) theme in architectural history.



4. A well-designed and thorough examination of Southern vernacular architecture. With its concetration on Florida 'Cracker' design, Haase discusses the unique limitations of the Florida climate and the adaptations made to regional styles. His clearly labelled diagrams and enthusiasm for the subject bring a welcome light to architecture that is too often overshadowed by the flamboyant designs of Addison Mizner and other South Florida styles.

5 comments about The Alhambra (Wonders of the World).

1. Page one, paragraph one has two glaring errors. First, there are indeed figurative paintings in the Alhambra. They are painted on leather decorating the ceilings of the recesses in the Hall of Kings. Second, Columbus did not present his plan to cross the Atlantic to Ferdinand and Isabella at the Alhambra but at Santa Fe, their encampment several miles outside of Granada.
   I didn't bother to read further. This book promised to be worthless.



2. The book gives a good overview of the history of Alhambra palace and Islamic Spain. Some minor translation problems as the author try to root some of the names of the various rooms in the palace to its Arabic origin. Nonetheless, the book is well written, and is an excellent source for beginners on the Alhambra palace.



3. The good: debunks some of the myths, gives a good background to some of the names and how the appearance was radically altered by perceptions of what people thought (and what they wanted to think) represented Moorish architecture.
   
   The bad: He spends so much time explaining why this or that is not true that we almost learn about the Alhambra by what it is not. He never really gets has a together, narrative history here, which makes it difficult to get a 'grasp' on the place by just reading this book alone.
   
   Also He unfairly criticizes Irving's Tales of The Alhambra (apparently Washington Irving was at once dull, but too imaginative, prejudiced against Moors but sympathetic to Bobadil, cheering for the Spanish yet anti-Catholic - and yes Irwin contradicts himself on the same page!) while (strangely) praising movies like the 7th Voyage of Sindbad (which was filmed there). Shows a lack of understanding or depth about Orientalist Art, which doesn't stop him from talking about it.
   
   The guide he suggested to buy, available at the site and in Granada, is far better- (unfortunately not available in the US) its published by Ediciones Edilux, called "in focus' in English and available online if you google it.



4. Visiting the Alhambra is a once in a lifetime, must do event. See it first from the plaza adjacent to the little church of St. Nicholas across the valley. And when you do finally go in to the Alhambra, bring this guide.
   
   It's the sort of guide one might have had when visiting this place two hundred years ago--more Baedeker than Lonely Planet. It emphasizes the wonder of the place rather than entrance prices and opening times. Written in a narrative style that plays up the history of this magnificent palace, it is a joy to read both before and during one's visit. In fact, a careful reading of the book prior to visiting the Alhambra is bound to enhance the visit tremendously (as, after all, the Alhambra is so popular you'll be limited to a 15 to 30-minute window to make your entrance into the most stunning part of the complex, the Nasrid palace.) For that reason you'll want to know ahead of time what you'll be looking at, because once you're inside the rooms and courtyards go by in a blur--a gorgeous procession of delicate columns and sparkling fountains. If you're trying to read your guidebook for the first time in the midst of it all, you'll miss most of it. Once you are inside, you're much better off just using the book for a quick consultation as you enter each new room, gallery, or alcove.
   
   Irwin's 'Alhambra' tells you what you really need to know about this place (one of Europe's most magnificent palaces) including the unfortunate fact that much of what you will see (or are seeing) has been recreated; the presumed use of each area of the palace is at best an educated guess (and at worst, a shot in the dark). Even some of the carved inscriptions are misleading (assuming you can read medieval Arabic). As Irwin notes: "...Contreras, who knew no Arabic, rearranged them [the inscriptions] in such a way that it is no longer possible to make sense of them" (p. 47, hardbound). Regardless, there is beauty in this truth, and this book has it in spades. Your standard tourist guidebook will not confront you with such sincerity (although you'll need it for the basics mentioned above: entrance prices, opening times, etc., as Irwin is not concerned with those).
   
   The hardbound version of Irwin's 'The Alhambra' makes a great keepsake to remind you of your visit, and you can put it on your shelf next to the copy of Washington Irvings' 'Tales of the Alhambra' you picked up in the gift shop. Bottom line--if you are going to visit the Alhambra, do it right: bring this book, and read it ahead of time.



5. This little book is packed with the author's detailed opinions about the history of this marvel. It's good reading to prepare one for a visit, but it left me wondering if the legends that the author debunks may not be a prophecy of what tomorrow's scholars may think of this work.

5 comments about Lost Chicago.

1. This superb collection shows now-gone buildings and architectural treasures of our beloved city's past. These remarkable black-and-white photos show famous vanished bridges, churches, buildings and arenas, including the Colesium (nominating site of four Presidents). The City's downtown and surrounding areas were rebuildt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, in the largest building boom in U.S. history. Wood gave way to brick, steel, and concrete - the fire led to strict building codes - and many structures rose as the city expanded from 320,000 people in 1871 to 3.4 million by 1930. Readers learn about our city's history, plus the valuable contributions from world-famous architects and planners like Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Miles Van De Roh, Mortimer Adler, and Daniel Burham. Today, many call Chicago the nation's architectural marvel - yet we also lost many famous structures as this superb book shows.
   
   I'd have liked more photos of rail structures (Chicago was and probably remains the world's railroad capital), but it's a minor flaw. This is a superb book about a great city and its architectural past.



2. The well written story and photos of Chicago are great. It was amazing the number of outstanding architectural building that were built and torn down in such a short number of years.
   Having grown up in Chicagoland during the 40' & 50's, I found myself depressed to see such destruction - only to be replaced by glass and aluminum boxes. Even efforts to save the outstanding and much beloved main lobby at the Chicago and Northwestern station failed in the name of the almighty dollar!



3. First of all...Mr. Lowe obviously has a deep rooted love for our wonderful city of Chicago. Most importantly...he is ensuring future generations and historians the ability to reference so many facts. This simply said...is an incredible work of love and a dedicated effort.
   Thank You Mr. Lowe...my children's children will know what an important part that Chicago has played as our nation grew and prospered.
   
   L. Curt Erler Author of "Southside Kid"



4. Stunning photos of a beautiful city. This book is truly a step back to a time when buildings were built to withstand centuries, although tragically these examples did not. Chicago has some of the most impressive examples of architecture in the country and this book is a powerful archive of not only what the city was, but what it is today. I wish there was a similar book on the buildings of Detroit, many of which are sadly slipping into oblivion.



5. 
   
   There is much to enjoy here even if one does not have a special interest in architecture. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I especially liked the photo of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (p. 79) which occurs in the formerly Polish neighborhood that I grew up in. I also enjoyed the old maps of the Chicago area from the 1600's.