5 comments about American Art Deco: Modernistic Architecture and Regionalism.

1. This book is all I'd hoped it to be! A great selection of structures and fine images to wow the imagination. If you love Art Deco this is a fine piece to own.



2. This is quite simply a fantastic book, the images ara crisp and well presented and the text is easy to navigate. Every major Art Deco building in American is chronicled and presented in its best light. It is such a relief that so many of these great buildings have survived, unlike many other architectural styles, Art Deco has always had a huge throng of admirors, people who loved the style and fought very hard to help preserve it. Everytime I set foot in one of these great buildings, like the Louisiana State Capitol or Radio City Music Hall or the Chrysler Building I am reminded of the shear artistry that went into these buildings and am disappointed at the austere, crass styles that have followed. I highly recommend this wonderful book, frankly it is the best I have seen on American Art Deco.



3. For many, a trip to downtown is a visit to something and for something. It is seldom seen as a time of reflection, to see the "what and why" of the great boundaries of concrete, glass and steel. Even our great structures specifically designed to create a feeling of wonder or awe appear to be less a creation for humans than a mere sidelight of structural shrugs, a busy nod to a slight deviation in the casting of the concrete, and, "This won't cost too much more to add this, this *thing* to the design, will it?"
   It didn't always work this way.
   This is a completely beautiful book. Criticisms are few and far between and are of the "Why didn't she make this a bigger book" variety. This is a big book.
   Art Deco was, and is, one of the highest achievements of architecture ever - ever! One look at the Niagara - Mohawk building should convince just about anyone. This book is a required review of the remaining Art Deco buildings with the most integrity.
   I only wish that there was more in the way of, say, South Miami Art Deco and more southern works extant but that is the point: You come away from this book looking for the momentous in your own city or area. when you find a (usually restored) specimen, you simply must stop and gawk for great periods of time.
   What a great book!



4. This is the finest book presently available on American Art Deco Architecture, in my opinion. Beautifully photographed and printed in Italy (288 oversize pages in full color), it's a must have if you have an interest in Art Deco and/or Architecture.
   
   All the finest American examples are here, the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Building in Syracuse, the Chrysler Building in New York, the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, and the Eastern Columbia, Wiltern Theatre/Pellissier and Bullocks Wilshire Buildings in Los Angeles, just to name a few. Most of the buildings are photographed from the outside as well as inside, with numerous detail photographs of doors and moldings.
   
   Carla Breeze is an architectural photographer by trade and she does a superb job with this book, I especially like the fact that perspective control has been used in the photographs (all the vertical lines are parallel) which makes for a much more pleasing look. The sleek and modernistic style of Art Deco, popular during the 1920's and 1930's, has yet to be matched, in my opinion, and Ms. Breeze captures the essence of it skillfully.



5. Architectural photographer Carla Breeze has focussed her camera on the best seventy-five Art Deco buildings across the Nation and produced a glorious book of color photos that perfectly captures the style. I really liked this book because she concentrates on the architectural detail of each building (with 450 photos) and in many cases, when this detail is on the outside, it is just not viewable from the ground.
   
   The introduction has an interesting eighteen-page photo section dealing with materials: metal, concrete, terra cotta, mosaic, glass, wood and stone. I found this very useful when looking at the images. Each building starts on the spread (though some have more pages) with a street address and some background text and captions for the photos. The elegant layout does not interfere with the wonderful buildings (a tip of the hat to book designer Robert Wiser). Could anyone do anything to improve the photo of the stunning Niagara Mohawk Power headquarters in Syracuse on page seventy-three.
   
   To complement this lovely book have a look at Rediscovering Art Deco USA: A Nationwide Tour of Architectural Delights by Barbara Capitman, Michael Kinerk and Dennis Wilhelm, a methodical nationwide survey, though it concentrates on commercial buildings rather than houses. If you are Deco spotting on the road leave a space in the glove compartment for David Gebhard's excellent The National Trust Guide to Art Deco in America (Preservation Press) if it's not in this book then most likely it's not worth looking at.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger.

5 comments about Archigram.

1. that's a pitty not have portuguese language but it is an interesting book.Not only for architects, but to anyone who loves construcion



2. I recently asked Dennis Crompton, about the historical significance of archigram's advocacy of social change and technology/advantgarde design in Modern Architecture. The elitist corporate architecture of the final and high practioner of the late Modern Architecture Style, Sir Norman Foster's definitive work, is a direct evolution of the 'Modern Movement' and 'archigram' dialog and vocabulary.
   BTW thanks, for trying to make a difference.



3. The merit of the book is to provide an affordable compilation of Archigram's images and original text, mostly published on Architectural Design almost forty years ago. While it is disappointing not to have color pictures, the graphics are still compelling and provocative (all done without Photoshop!). It is a very good basic reference book if you are interested in Archigram.



4. Content-wise the book is great, but all the images are black and white, which in terms of the work of archigram, is a disappointment. I will certainly end up buying a second book to fill in the blanks that this one leaves.



5. A staggering achievement. After viewing the exhibition at the San Francisco MoMA, I became very interested in this subject. I've found it to be an amazing introduction into the world of Art/Architecture for those whose interest lies within the graphic arts. Thoroughly enjoyable, highly enlightening. Highest Recommendation

1 comments about Architecture in China.

1. The overall view of the book is considered to be an excellence book.
   There are a few projects that need to have drawing documentation and in my preferences drawings could be bigger but they are readable.
   The photographs in this book are excellent representation of the essence of the projects under the study cases. Perhaps the narratives could include deeper conclusions of the architect's ideas-to explain the arrival of their conclusions.
   I would really appreciate if all drawings were black w/ grey scale.

5 comments about Santa Barbara Style.

1. Perfect represention of the Santa Barbara Style. Loved all the pictures, landscapes, ideas, and overall presentation of the book.



2. you just can't go wrong with these series of books, I have them all and they are outstanding



3. As an interior designer, several of my colleagues mentioned that this was the most requested style from their newer clients. I thought there would be more current interiors, referring to a new style. It was more of a historical chronicle of design in Santa Barbara, for exteriors and interiors. It is a nice book, but not exactly what I expected.



4. Im building a santa barbara style house and I was disappointed. Not a lot of details. Sure some pics of some SB mansions but not enough photos or details to actually do anything with this book. I guess if you are into SB history it might be OK, otherwise save yourself the $. You will be done browsing it in about 10 minutes and never use it again.



5. This is an amazing photo essay about the Spanish Architecture of Santa Barbara. I own several books like this and this is my favorite.Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente

2 comments about Jean Prouve, 1901-1984: The Dynamics of Creation (Basic Architecture Series).

1. very good introduction to Prouvre's work.
   
   This book is really just an overview of his career but it is very well laid out and informative. I think that the conciseness of the book is a real advantage. That said I really want to find out more.



2. This is the twentieth volume in the German Publishing Company Taschen's Basic Architecture Series. In previous volumes, Taschen has done an excellent job of summing up the careers of most the world's greatest modernist architects. It is fitting that after the first round of iconic masters, (Mies, Corbusier, Wright, Gropius) that Taschen has now moved on to other important modernist architects and designers.
   
   In most surveys of modern architecture, Jean Prouve's buildings are not prominently featured. He did not design the iconic buildings with which other great architects are usually closely identified. Today, Jean Prouve is probably best known for his furniture designs. However, Prouve contributed to the modernist agenda in other ways. As a designer, he produced some of the first modular metal buildings. Most of the metal buildings we see today are the grandchildren of the designs he first originated in the 1930's. However, his single greatest accomplishment is as one of the inventors of curtain walls. We may not be aware of them but they are all around us.
   
   Jean Prouve's work is not an easily accesible as some of the other great architects and designers of the period. Nevertheless, he was a powerful, inovative figure whose vision helped shaped the modern world. At a ten dollars a volume, this book is another Taschen success.

2 comments about Bungalow The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Home.

1. This is my first contact with Powell/Svendsen's books, and while it is indeed coffee table size (it needs to be large to accommodate the beautiful photography)it is so charming and readable that, without so intending, I READ it (in one sitting, yet). We have several other books of gorgeous bungalows, many with the same houses as subjects, with accomanying commentary equivalent to dry stale cornflakes; this one is crumpets and cream. Like others documenting bungalow style architecture, this book is not intended as a construction or instruction manual, but as inspiration. For admirers of bungalow style and for those seeking a picture to replace the thousand words BUNGALOW is an easy choice.



2. This book is lovely to look at with marvelous pictures. A great 'coffeetable book. My only complaint is that it is light on 'how to' information.

No comments about Great Houses of Florida.

4 comments about A World History of Architecture.

1. This 2nd edition was published in 2003 under ISBN: 1856693538 [Hb] and ISBN: 0071417516 [Hb], in 2004 under ISBN: 1856693716 [Pb], and in 2008 under ISBN: 0071544798 [Hb] and ISBN: 1856695492 [Pb]. It is magnificently illustrated guide to the global history of architecture is an update to include the non-western world and works from women on 608 pages. This impressive survey includes a wealth of information, and is beautifully formatted and enhanced with 570 photographs (300 in color) and 350 line drawings. A series of maps precedes the informative and well-written text.
   This 2nd edition gives a deeper knowledge and wider perspective of traditions in architecture throughout the world--from prehistoric through modern structures. The book includes photos, plans, scales for important monuments, residences, government buildings, and religious structures, complete with photos, plans, and scales, including: The Parthenon, Cheops Pyramid, Pantheon, Hadrian's Wall, Versailles, Monticello, The Brooklyn Bridge, Boston Public Library, Rockefeller Center, Fallingwater, The High Museum.
   This book also examines the unique methods of great architects past and present. Among them are Alvar Aalto, Robert Adam, Leon Battista Alberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, Gustave Eiffel, Peter Eisenman, Antonio Gaudi, Frank Gehry, Walter Gropius, Imhotep, Le Corbusier, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Michelangelo, Glenn Murcutt, Andrea Palladio, Eero Saarinen, Koca Sinan, Louis Sullivan, Christopher Wren, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
   The 1st edition was published in 1989 under ISBN: 0874847842 and titled "A History of Western Architecture".
   BIOGRAPHIES:
   Michael Fazio is emeritus professor of architecture at Mississippi State University, an architect, and architectural historian. He holds a Ph.D. in the history of architecture and urban development from Cornell University.
   Marian Moffett earned a Ph.D. at the M.I.T. (1975) and taught history of architecture at the University of Tennessee, where she had collaborated and co-authored with Lawrence Wodehouse including the first edition (1989) titled A History of Western Architecture.
   Lawrence Wodehouse, a native of Norwich, England, received a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews (1980), taught history of architecture at the University of Tennessee and others, and was the author of many books and numerous scholarly articles, a registered architect in the UK, and a founding member of the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians.
   CONTENTS:
   Preface
   Maps
   Introduction 1
   Ch. 1 The Beginnings of Architecture 9
   Ch. 2 The Greek World 39
   Ch. 3 The Architecture of Ancient India and Southeast Asia 67
   Ch. 4 Traditional Architecture of China and Japan 87
   Ch. 5 The Roman World 111
   Ch. 6 Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture 141
   Ch. 7 Islamic Architecture 165
   Ch. 8 Early Medieval and Romanesque Architecture 191
   Ch. 9 Gothic Architecture 229
   Ch. 10 Indigenous Architecture in the Pre-Columbian Americas 275
   Ch. 11 Renaissance Architecture 295
   Ch. 12 Baroque Architecture 353
   Ch. 13 The Eighteenth Century 397
   Ch. 14 Nineteenth-Century Developments 419
   Ch. 15 The Twentieth Century and Modernism 475
   Ch. 16 Modernisms in the Mid- and Late Twentieth Century 533
   Glossary 568
   Bibliography 572
   Picture Credits 576
   Index 577



2. It is an outstanding book for aspiring architects who want to gain more knowledge about the history of what they study and practice. From the Egyptians to the modern architects like Frank Gehry, this book explains how, why, and where the great structures of the world were built. It is an excellent research material to use.



3. I have always admired architecture. I love wandering through cities, marvelling at their skyscrapers, and travelling to Europe to see older buildings. I bought "A World History of Architecture" so that I could better understand not only the beauty of these buildings, but their place in architectural history. "A World History" exceeded my expectations.
   
   Its sixteen chapters describe the characteristics and innovations of architecture's major movements. You will learn what makes Gothic architecture Gothic, and Romanesque Romanesque. "A World History" also explains how these styles developed from eachother. Although appearance might suggest otherwise, today's skyscrapers are the descendants of the Parthenon and Pantheon.
   
   Not all chapters describe western styles, however. There are long, interesting sections about Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, Islamic and Pre-Columbian American architecture. The authors explain how these types influenced Western architecture, something I never realized. It is fascinating to read that Islamic mosques were the source of many concepts found in medieval cathedrals, and that Mayan buildings inspired some of Frank Lloyd Wright's work.
   
   The book is well written and full of beautiful pictures that illustrate the ideas described in the text. I don't think there is a single page devoid of pictures, which alone make the book interesting to leaf through.
   
   My only complaints concern the hefty price and bulky size. This is more of a textbook than bedroom reading. I found it uncomfortable to lay down on a couch to read this, or even sit in an armchair. It is best read sitting at a desk, like your chemistry textbook in high school.
   
   Otherwise, "A World History" is perfect. Having read this, I feel like I have completed an architectural class. This book gave me a knowledge architectural history that I cant wait to use on my next vacation.



4. Professors Fazio, Moffet, & Wodehouse have assembled a book which is impressive in its scope and thoroughness. It covers each subject with a depth appropriate for an academic environment, but remains approachable to the average reader. The photographs and plates are numerous and richly illustrate each topic throughout the volume. Expect this book to become a standard text in the field.

5 comments about The Farmhouse: New Inspiration for the Classic American Home.

1. I am a Manhattan city dweller struck by childhood nostalgia about what it is like to live on the country side. For types like me, interested in farm-house inspired modern architecture, this book offers a great visual feast. If you are looking for real farm houses, however, look elsewhere.



2. Written by an architect for the layperson, Jean Rehkamp Larson makes you feel the elbow room of the farmhouse and surrounding countryside without being too technical. Showing several house styles from historical to contemporary, Larson teaches us what characteristics make the American farmhouse a house style that is as ingrained in our minds as baseball and apple pie.



3. This book is a valuable resource as my husband and I plan our "farmhouse" that we intend to build next year beginning in February. It gives examples of restorations, new construction built to look like the old classical farmhouses across the midwest, and amazing interiors. I love the shaded boxes of information, emphasizing the importance of features such as shape, the color white, porches, etc. It is a lesson book for those wanting a basic education on how to talk farmhouses. We bought three books, and this one is far superior to the others.



4. One of over $1,000 worth of books I ordered prior to starting our remodel, The Farmhouse is above and beyond the best book I bought for our tastes, and is the primary resource I have given to our architect. No country shabby chic here -- the style is spare, warm, and elegant. Great photos and text. This book will save us thousands by beautifully getting across our ideas for our new Boulder, Colorado home. Those who like this book would also like Jeremiah Eck's The Distinctive Home.



5. An informative book with good examples and photos.