5 comments about Paul F. Aubin's Mastering Revit Architecture 2009.

1. This is the first and last book you will need for working with Revit Architecture 2009. It's great for those just getting started using Revit, as well as more advanced users. The concise and practical step by step instructions are written in simple terms which make them easy to follow and understand. Every chapter contains dozens and dozens of very clear and helpful examples and screen captures, that perfectly illustrate the features and procedures being explained.
   
   I have purchased several of Paul Aubin's books in the past and have always found them invaluable. As an architect and CAD/BIM Manager of almost 20 years, I have not found a better resource for any Revit related questions I may have, no matter how basic or complex. I highly recommend this book.



2. Lots of beginner books available for Revit, but not many get into the thick of the features of Revit. This book is layered to provide simple instructions on getting started and extensive commentary on the what and why of the software. Good book for the professional architect looking for the relevance of Building Information Modeling.



3. Written in a masterful way with clear and concise examples, Paul Aubin's Revit guide is a complete view of Revit from the macro to the micro, from the broad understanding of concepts, to the nitty-gritty of the program. As an instructor and solution provider for hundreds of Revit professional users, I can't think of a book I have recommended or will recommend more than Paul Aubin's Mastering Revit Architecture (Series).
   
   If you have never used a computer to draw before or you are a CAD guru of another software.... whether you are new to Revit, or an Advanced Zen Revit Guru, Mastering Revit Architecture 2009 is the must-have book for your Revit library.



4. This book helped me to adapt to Revit Architecture 2009 very quickly, with practical and appropriate projects. The text is a bit long-winded, however the detail is necessary and ultimately helpful. It took a lot of time to get through the entire volume but it is certainly worth it, and I recommend it as part of getting the best out of this marvelous software.



5. Aubin's latest edition engages Revit users successfully, whether they are firt-time newbies, intermediate users, or experts looking to refine their best practices.
   
   The book is helpful for those attempting to get HOW and WHY to do things, not just WHAT to do as tutorials or software courses tend to focus on. This is especially critical for somewhat more "advanced" topics, like creating and managing parametric families. Furthermore, Aubin does well to back up concepts and best practices with practical how-to examples provided on CD which accompanies the text.
   
   There is still room for improvement in the text, and Aubin should consider expanding future editions to introduce case studies or examples of how a particular person/role in industry might use the tools differently. For example, although Worksharing overviewed in an appendix, it deserves more full attention where the complexities surrounding Worksharing issues could be made more relevant in hypothetical, narrative examples from industry. "The project architect will be concerned with X, while contrary to that the construction manager should watch out for the following..."
   
   That said, the book is a MUST HAVE for anybody serious about learning and applying Revit Architecture 2009 in their practice. I highly recommend this book, and will be referring to it frequently as I teach my colleagues to embrace BIM tools in my practice.

5 comments about Color Drawing: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers.

1. I am an Interior Design major and my professor recommended this book for the use of Prismacolor markers. It gives you great advice on how to render (coloring using the Prismacolor markers to show colors and shadows) and different techniques so you can get the effect you want.



2. It is a very handy book, but this edition is leaning more towards photoshop capabilities. The tips it gives for computer rendering are nice to know but I think it's sacrificing a bit of the hand rendering information which I would have liked to see more of.



3. this book is an awsome book for any designer intrested in improving their presentations, the book is very thorough and deals with a wide range of subjects....very recomended!!!!



4. I am a beginning artist. I am especially interested in drawing. This book has fabulous examples of using marker, pastel and colored pencil for bringing a drawing to the next level. The ideas brought forth are exactly what I have been searching for. The book also has references to other books which I have acquired. I also use graphic programs at work. This book takes a hand drawing into Photoshop for the next level as well. Awesome book!



5. I bought this book at an ASID national convention and promptly brought it back to my design school and recommended it as required text for a visual presentation class. It is well laid out, has easy to follow tips and tricks for both hand and computer rendering. I wish I had found it earlier!

5 comments about Atlas of Novel Tectonics.

1. An unxpectedly fine book on architectural theory that's rooted not in politics or aesthetics or lit-crit theory, but in the worlds of physics and engineering-- a look at architecture and architectural possibilities based on the sinews of buildings rather than the ideology of architects. I'm an historian by training, and an aficionado of architecture and design theory. Reiser + Umemoto have created a small book that offers a view of postmodern architecture seen through the lens of the physically possible. Anyone who wants to imagine new cities and new styles of building needs to consider the sheer physical constraints of design, and this book is a fine place to start.



2. This book gets lots of play right now in (big "A") Architecture schools. I'm a firm believer that if your thoughts are clear, your writing is clear. This book embarks on many dialectical examples that are explained with too much "difficult writing" for its own good. Grad students of the world, beware the three DDDs that inspire some of this writing: Deleuze, Derrida and Delanda. They plow enormous fields in complicated patterns and only yield a kernel or two. Ironically, I admire Reiser + Umemoto as architects and am looking forward to a book on their more recent work.



3. Reiser and Umemoto (henceforth R&U) have put together a wonderful role model of a textbook in a field that erroneously prides itself on having NO textbooks -- that is, by having far too many "must-read" books that remain disconnected and often irrelevant to the problem of learning HOW TO GO ABOUT wrapping one's head around this thing called Architecture. Without turgidity, mysticism, pedantry, or pretentious narcissism, the authors elegantly demonstrate one version of architectural head-wrapping: THEIRS. But make no mistake: to call it 'theirs' is only to specify the site of the (unavoidable)subjectivity that propels this kind of demonstration. And the clarity with which this demostration is done is yet another demonstration of the refinement of their subjectivity.
   
   This book, along with those by George L. Hersey, is one of the very few books in the field that can actually help one in reducing the confusion in trying to understand what Architecture as a DISCIPLINE really deals with, so overcrowded it is today with so many extra-architectural issues/agendas. After all, it was never Architecture as such that was confusing or difficult to understand. People with clubby exclusionary motives, aided and abetted by academic survivalists -- the small sort of people Dryden derided as 'criticules'(teeny weeny critics) -- have made the topic into the unnecessarily convoluted intestine that it is today. And given the paucity of well-paying or creatively challenging work for architects in the real world, this nefarious practice of obfuscation will likely continue since "all forms of power are always accompanied by some form of mysticism."
   But I digress.
   
   I mentioned George L. Hersey's books earlier as exemplars of clarity. I was thinking of his `Architecture and Geometry in the Age of the Baroque'. There you see what actually qualified AS an architectural problem for architects like Borromini and Guarini. You also see the INTENSITY and COMPLEXITY in the SIMPLICITY of the problems they chose to deal with. This kind of architectural cathexis (focus of interest) is something that got lost a while ago with people wasting their vital fluids arguing over possibly important but ultimately extra-architectural issues like low-income housing, importance of having porches, evils of capitalism, etc -- issues that are really a matter of political will, compassion, self-control, and/or common sense.
   
   Enter R&U:
   Knowledgeable admirers of the Baroque that they are, they remind us what it really means to "play ball" in Architecture: ripped-pantyhose mediations on Heraclitus be damned, Architecture, like Baseball, has its internally generated/regulated rules that demand consistency with how Nature designs; and playing a great game regardless of all external factors (politics, ideology, economy, management, the weather, etc) is really all that counts in the end.
   
   In five sections, R&U demonstrate the very thing they profess to practice - strategies of ordering - by crystallizing the perennial topics of Architecture. The five headings are:
   1. Geometry
   2. Matter
   3. Operating
   4. Common Errors to Avoid
   5. The World
   
   Under those five headings, Reiser and Umemoto present short discussions based on themes that are often paired into their basic Yin & Yang. Some examples:
   Difference in Kind / Difference in Degree
   Variety vs. Variation
   Selection / Classification
   Classical Body / Impersonal Individuation
   Exact / Anexact-yet-rigorous
   Continuity / Discontinuity
   Intensive / Extensive
   
   No doubt there are ways of looking that go beyond the binary but I agree with this manner of presentation for the clarity it can offer to the student who needs to first get his conceptual house in order anyway.
   With their confident yet quiet presentation, R&U steer clear from trying to be clever or pointlessly esoteric. Every illustration serves to enhance the point they are trying to get across. And the point is always and consistently ABOUT HOW ONE MIGHT GO ABOUT DOING this thing called Architecture which essentially operates - without necessarily being delimited thereby in its possibilities - as a finite set of limits within a SYSTEM - a coherent system of desire and sensibility, as opposed to a smorgasbord of personal whims, tastes, styles, and personal baggage.
   
   Discussion of each topic is accompanied by quirky but spot-on illustrations ranging from stress diagrams to engravings of Solomon's Temple from Villapando to Max Ernst collages to selections from their own projects. (Whether, if, and how well R&U actually applied these very principles to their own design work is a matter outside the scope of this review.)
   
   Being teachers as well as practicing architects, R&U thoughtfully included a section (Section 4) that should be particularly useful for most architecture students who often end up getting the short end of the stick after going from one teacher to another without there being any rhyme or reason to the arbitrary sequence in which they are exposed to ideas.
   
   The value of this book lies in its status as an exemplar of clarity in terms of its strategy of perception/observation, not necessarily in its enormity of scope, exhaustiveness, logical throroughness, or profundity in the application of Deleuze's or DeLanda's ideas -- which in this case is not really an issue.
   As an exemplar, this book points a way possibly toward a New Architecture (again) but more importantly, a New Honesty/Modesty/Clarity in speaking/writing about Architecture.



4. get it... that's all i have to say. there's no reason not to own it.



5. maybe I was once again fooled by how sexy this book is, but I pandered to every word Jesse and Nakano had for me inside. The short entries are well composed and illustrated, have great arguments, and the entire thing can be gobbled up in an afternoon or two.
   
   Currently the book is in my bag, and goes pretty much wherever I do.

5 comments about Landscape Graphics.

1. Lots of good ideas with which to practice or trace. Definitely a particular style, but still somewhat general. One could easily devlop their own style from this. And more than likely, you're probably required to get this book if you're reading this. Best of luck!!!



2. This book is an absolute must-have for the beginning landscape designer/architect's personal library. As a fifth year landscape architecture student, my book is in wretched condition due to the fact that I refer to it constantly, more than any other book I own. It will continue to be useful to me for years to come.



3. Though the book was published in 2002, the graphics may seem a bit dated in our digital age, but the book is an excellent source of skills and design treatments needed in landscape design. Lettering and symbols are very helpful. The book is consistent with college level instruction and is recommended reading.
   
   Dan Halsey
   [...]



4. Excellent first year planning studio text book; excellent sketches and explanations, clear and comprehensive diagrams and text



5. Over the last ten years, I've recommended several landscape graphics texts to my students, and this is the one they repeatedly tell me they like. It provides a good mixture of how-to instructions and a wide variety of examples--diagrams, plans, sections, elevations and perspectives. Color rendering is not covered (I use Michael Doyle's book, but I'm sure there are other good ones).
   
   ***Students purchasing a used copy of this should check the publication date. The older version (1987) has some amusing and alarming examples--use with caution!***

5 comments about Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises.

1. Great book. Very cool practical applications to problems using environmentally sound solutions. Beautiful pictures and I especially liked the $8 tent clip. Brilliant.



2. We purchased this book for our son. He is deeply committed to 'green' projects. This will give him testimonials of others in his field to aid him in his own work for clients who have the desire to lessen their carbon footprint.
   
   Sincerely,
   F. Albuquerque



3. Okay, so I havent actually read the book but Cameron Sinclair came to my school a month ago to give a lecture based on the book. It was one of the most motivating and perspective changing experiences that Ive ever had. It gave me a totally new perspective on architecture. People in studio were pinning up signs on their boards that said "Design Like You Give a Damn." Cameron Sinclair is an amazing guy. He started off the lecture talking about how he got out of architecture school and was completely dissatisfied with being a "CAD monkey," so he quit, raised money for the poor and distressed, and designed and built places for them with the money. anyways...just buy this and im going to buy it too



4. I found this book intriguing for several reasons, none the least of which was the architecture. But furthermore the discourse regarding the real and perceived boundaries surrounding the issue of humanitarian shelters is one wildly fascinating to me - as we seem to be grappling with it within our own American borders as opposed to just impoverished third world countries. Also the epic political and logistical sagas of humanitarian efforts to provide shelter are enough material for another volume of their own. Well organized and well written in easy to follow case study format. A truly thought provoking piece proving that the resolution of one of the most basic human needs continues to require our attention and effort.



5. I purchased this book as a gift for my father, who is an architect that studied under a protege of Saarinen. He loves it!!! He stayed up all night reading it and it has inspired him to go in new directions with his designs. An excellent gift/coffee table book.

5 comments about Preacher Vol. 7: Salvation.

1. For the first time in the series, the Jesse-Cassidy-Tulip team is broken up, where Tulip and Cassidy are pushed completely into the background. "Salvation" focuses solely on Jesse Custer's experiences immediately after the cataclysmic events as depicted in "Tears in the Sun." Describing, appropriately enough, Jesse's stay in the racially polarized Salvation, Texas, Jesse's brawling talents land him the peachy job of town sheriff. Of course, being on the right side of the law for once only further encourages young Jesse to reach out and touch somebody. His rough and tumble ways seem to work, though, as his good conscience guides him to physically discipline only those who `deserve' it. Salvation eventually becomes a more just and humane town. Ennis is to be saluted for introducing the politics of race, here, and exploring small-town interracial relationships. As is unfortunately too often the case with other comic titles, African-Americans either don't exist or are the bad guys.
   
   One thing I didn't like about this book was Ennis' excessive use of deus ex machina that makes the narrative creak - some of the volume's tenser moments are resolved rather dubiously (a fortuitous bolt of lightening, Jesse's dog Skeeter does his best impression of Lassie on several occasions). Also, there is one rather amazing coincidence/revelation that occurs soon after Jesse rolls into town involving one of Salvation's citizens. The sheer improbability of it really rubbed me the wrong way, and seemed like lazy, overly sentimental writing (which Ennis is almost never guilty of). Even more amazing was how this coincidence wasn't realized by the person even earlier than it was.
   
   However, as always, this is immensely likeable reading. Ennis keeps churning out the freak show characters that demonstrate the diversity of the human condition. Although the stories have been better, Ennis nevertheless manages to confound, amuse, and perturb.



2. Garth Ennis, Preacher: Salvation (DC Comics, 1999)
   
   If you've not yet found your way into the ever-growing cult of Preacher-worship, I'd advise you to do so at your earliest convenience by picking up a copy of Preacher: Gone to Texas. Ignore the wannabe rabblerousers and the like who will tell you how blasphemous the thing is and get yourself hooked.
   
   As with most stuff the unthinking crowd denounces as blasphemy without having read it, there's a great deal of spiritual benefit to be found under the surface. In this seventh episode of the nine-book series, Jesse, now separated from Cassidy and Tulip, finds himself back in Texas, in a little town called Salvation. Through various machinations, he finds himself the sheriff of the town, and immediately at loggerheads with Odin Quincannon, owner of the local meatpacking industry. You've been reading. You know what's gonna happen.
   
   Under all the grease and grime, Jesse Custer is the classic good guy. He stands for what's right, opposes what's wrong, and tries to get everything back on an even keel (though granted, lots of stuff blows up in the process). And what could possibly be blasphemous about that?
   
   No surprise that, once again, Ennis and Dillon have put out a winner. Some folks seem to have missed a minor part of the point (here's a hint: the name of the book, and the name of the town, point the way to figuring out why "coincidences" pop up here). Another solid entry in an exceptionally solid series.



3. I recently became interested in "Preacher" after reading "Gone to Texas," the first collection of issues. I thought it was a really interesting comic and I was retrospectively sad that I had missed out on it the first time around. After reading the second volume and becoming acquainted with the Grail and the inimitable Herr Starr, I was officially hooked. Garth Ennis's crisp, hilarious dialogue juxtaposed against (generally) serious subject matter in the context of a broader story arc made for a compelling combination of narrative elements that must come together in precisely the right way to work.
   
   Unfortunately, in the seventh volume of "Preacher" graphic novels -- "Salvation" -- the combination is less precise and thus the overall work suffers. "Salvation" deviates from the main story arc of the Grail and Jesse Custer's quest to find God and make him answer for some less than stellar decisions. After the literally explosive events of the preceding collection (in which Starr detonates a nuclear bomb in the American desert in an attempt to kill the Saint of Killers, but succeeds only in separating Custer from Cassidy and Tulip) and Custer's shock and depression at seeing his girlfriend Tulip engaged romantically with his former best friend Cassidy, it was a good call on the part of Ennis to move the action of the story away from the main arc; to both build dramatic tension and to explore other sectors of the characters' personalities and motivations.
   
   The problem is the manner in which Ennis went about this. Salvation, Texas, is a town where things fall into place all too conveniently in the context of the "Preacher" universe. Custer finds his long-lost mother as well as Lorrie, the sister of his one-eyed inbred childhood friend Billy Bob. Custer shakes the town up and quickly becomes sheriff, enraging Odin Quincannon, the more-than-slightly unhinged owner of a meat-processing plant in the neighboring town. The battle between Custer and Quincannon eventually envelops the entire town of Salvation and brings in the Ku Klux Klan, a sadomasochistic female neo-[...] lawyer (who, like every other woman in the "Preacher" saga, finds Jesse Custer irresistable), and sees Odin Quincannon repeatedly have sex with a statue made of meat. In other words, it's something of a jumble that goes on for entirely too long and introduces a ton of rather purposeless characters that we never see again in any meaningful sense (some of them reappear in an issue collected in the final "Preacher" volume called "Alamo"). I think a friend of mine summed it up really well when he said that "Salvation" read more like someone trying really, really hard to sound like Garth Ennis than Garth Ennis himself. Another non-writing complaint is that since this collection is the largest of the bunch, it was printed on stock paper instead of the better looking and more durable glossy paper of the other collections.
   
   This collection isn't bad, but is vastly inferior to the ones that came before it. For the most part, it's skippable, but every "Preacher" completist probably already has it.



4. Deadwood = Preacher, tv style? This is what happens here, pretty much. New sheriff in town, corrupt business types, etc., etc. Sherlock Holmes had something to say about small country towns and nowheresville type places.
   
   There is an evil meat baron, and corrupt cop, a dominatrix accountant, a one armed relative, and a good looking deputy. So of course Jesse ends up with the sheriff job by default, and a whole pile of problems come with it.



5. Salvation is the weakest of the nine collections, but that isn't to say it is bad in any way, it's still a darn good book (and really, it is only weak compared to its own work, and not that much weaker). The real problem is that for a while we are taken completely out of Jesse's quest to find God. And Tulip and Cassady are both missing. Maybe for a one shot it would have worked, but we were too far from where we need to be, especially at this point.

5 comments about Masterful Color: Vibrant Colored Pencil Paintings Layer by Layer.

1. I found this to be an excellent book on colored pencil. The lessons have a lot of detail and many step-by-step photos which make it a lot easier to complete the projects than in some books. I am using the book as if I were taking a course in color pencils, completing the paintings in the order in which they appear in the book. Most of my drawings are actually turning out to look like the ones in the book. When they don't I do them again paying closer attention to the instructions. I am learning a lot about layering color to get rich tones. I don't think all colored pencil artists build up that many layers to achieve the colors in their paintings but I think that it is worth it to learn this way. Now, when I do a leaf I won't immediately reach for the greens or when i do a red flower, immediately reach for the reds. I have been trying color pencil and knew I needed more instruction but wasn't sure where to start. I was so excited when I got this book because the book gave me the answer.
   I did find that my paintings came out more true to hers when i traced the finished painting in the book to make my pattern instead of using the line drawings in the back of the book but all-in-all it is a wonderful book.



2. "masterful COLOR" is well written in a clear concise format. Explanations from concept of idea to composition using the latest digital equipment as well as basic equipment needed is well taught. This is more of a "how I do it" book, rather than a broad spectrum book detailing supplies, equipment, techniques and other basics. With this in mind, Arlene Steinberg eliminates the need for lengthly explanations so you can focus on how to expediently execute a well conceived painting. A detailed summary of color theory and underpainting styles used by the Old Masters was exceptionally insightful and unique to this fine art medium. I consider this purchase a part of my foundation in learning the art of the colored pencil.



3. Having a pretty large collection of drawing and colored pencil books I figured there wasn't much I would get out of this one. I was wrong. This book really took my colored pencil paintings to a new level. Like a lot of other colored pencil books, you really need to have drawing skills as this book won't teach you how to draw. What you will learn is how to make your colored pencil paintings look like paintings and not bland one dimensional drawings. This book will teach you how to bring life to your drawings with vibrant, bold color. Get this book and try one of the drawings (I did the marbles) and if you follow the directions and take your time you will be amazed at what you can create. I find myself going to this book to help guide me each time I start a new project and it hasn't let me down yet.



4. The author provides a clear explanation of the colored pencil techniques and materials she uses to create her vibrant paintings. Very helpful to artists experienced with other media who want to master colored pencil.



5. I have bought a lot of books on colored pencil art over the years, and this one is perhaps the best of them all...it is absolutely packed with color illustrations- the artwork in it blows me away- and the color information and how to build up colors in colored pencil work is first rate.
   
   The information is vast- from supplies, to transfering, to using photos and grids, building a good composition, color and value, underpainting, reflections....and on and on. My big weakness (still) is to go in with a thick layer of the color I want to use- but the author shows us step by step how using many thin layers of different colors builds a much richer overall color and makes a much more beautiful painting in the end. There are MANY color tips- including a great chart of using greyed complements for darker values.
   
   The illustrations in the book are fantastic- beautiful glasswork in particular. The style is all photo-realistic- I do wish a few more 'imaginary' works were included, where the end result does not look like a photo, but that is just me. I would have to say if I had to rid myself of all my CP books but one, this would be the one I would keep.

5 comments about Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature.

1. Chicago City Planning Consultant Doug Farr has written a great book, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature.
   
   Farr combines new urbanism with green development in a clear and logical manner. He believes that "sustainable urbanism" is more than designing new Leed certified green buildings. It also includes the creation of green sustainable neighborhoods, and includes plans for sustainable urban development. He combines the strategies and principles of new urbanism with environmental improvements very well.
   
   Farr explains the evolution of the design reform movement. He outlines strategies on how to lead and promote sustainable urbanism.
   
   Doug Farr did an outstanding on form based codes for our neighboring communities of Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, and in developing plans that enhanced the environment while creating new urban space. I strongly recommend this book.
   
   Craig Hullinger AICP City of Peoria, Director, Economic Development



2. Thank god for the current trend toward the generalization of textbooks.
   
   I don't mean generalization in the sense of broadening or watering-down of subject matter, but rather in writing: many more texts in relatively technical fields are being written so that they can be appreciated interdisciplinarily, but professionals in related and sometimes even slightly-unrelated fields, and other folks who may simply be interested in the topic. It's good marketing, too, of course - it opens up much larger markets both academically and professionally, and as long as the book contains enough authority to convince instructors and professionals to purchase (or trust) it, it's a win-win situation for the publisher and author as well as the audience.
   
   Douglas Farr's Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature (Wiley, 2008; foreword by Andres Duany) falls into the category of win-win for everyone. A very well-illustrated primer on the subject, it appeals to planners, architects, landscape designers, engineers and other folks interested in integrating their work into the larger natural environment.
   
   Duany - the great architect and urban planner whose work with Arquitectonica shaped what we think of as "Florida modern" and whose current firm, DPZ, has become a de facto leader of the New Urbanism movement - suggests that the problem with such books is often that they most often fail to engage the reader in any kind of dialogue by simply being too technical, or by failing to instruct by simply being too exhortative and dogmatic. Luckily, Farr gives more than enough data and instruction in the dozen linked essays and case studies to instruct - but never loses sight of the fact that he's along with us for the ride, not talking at us but at our elbow, learning along with us, sharing both successes and failures and an honest interest in building communities that complement, rather than exclude, the unmanufactured world.
   
   There's so much more here than just part one's "Case for Sustainable Urbanism." Other sections focus on the type of leadership and communication strategies most helpful in implementing both small and large-scale projects; technical tools and special techniques for community involvement are also explored extensively. Other chapters discuss the role of density, how to approach corridor situations, diagramming neighborhoods and the various types of housing that complement specific types of neighborhoods, "biophilia" - including everything from designing walkable streets to integrating wastewater management - and extensive essays on high-performance buildings and infrastructure. The last section of the book is given over to case studies, which both illustrate the preceding chapters with easy-to-understand real-world examples of sustainable success stories & offer solutions for those of us slogging through similar projects or at an impasse with a particular audience.
   
   I recommend the book without hesitation to any planner interested in integrating sustainable projects in urban infill or exurban growth environments, as well as other aficionados of new urbanism topics. It's an entertaining read AND a necessary reference; it will replace several books on the already-overloaded shelves of a number of planners I know.



3. Doug Farr shows a comprehensive understanding of sustainability rarely seen in this movement. Too often different professions work on greening their product in isolation. While they may be doing wonderful designs they are not linking with other elements and professions to make these improvements complimentary and exponential. A LEED Platinum building built on farm land miles from the city center is not a comprehensive solution (and should really not be able to get a platinum rating.) Mr. Farr shows how to create an integrated approach to building where the "green" structure is consciously tied into the communities' transportation, utilities, culture, and work life creating a truly sustainable environment. Every public official and city planner should read this book.



4. Every once in awhile you find a book that becomes a new favorite. That happened recently with the arrival in our Livable Communities Coalition offices of this fabulous book by Doug Farr. Not long after receiving and beginning to read it, I had the pleasure of facilitating a workshop for the development of a "sustainability element" for the master plan for an intown Atlanta neighborhood. We are now organizing the outcome of that workshop for consideration by the neighborhood and the city. It feels as though Farr has handed me the answers to a final exam before I have to take the test.
   
   Farr's book combines passionate, compelling arguments for design reform with more than 100 pages of short essays. The essays explain how to implement sustainable urbanism and present case studies to illustrate his points. The book has given me a logical framework for organizing and connecting concepts and recommendations. And with just the right amount of detail - enough to get the point across, with where to go if you need more.
   
   Reduced to its most basic tenets, Farr's sustainable urbanism is walkable and transit-served urbanism integrated with high-performing buildings and infrastructure. As Farr puts it, high-performing infrastructure is an emerging field that combines many strains of reform: smart growth concerns about the financial burden imposed by new infrastructure for greenfield development; the New Urbanist's desire for humane, pedestrian-scaled infrastructure design; and the green building movement's focus on resource "greening" and consumption efficiencies.
   
   If smart growth, sustainable development or healthy communities interest you, and especially if you also work in the nonprofit or for-profit arenas for these causes, buy and read this book, and buy another and pass it on.



5. I'm a UNLV Landscape architect student (4th yr) and this book has been used as one of the text books for two classes so far, design studio, and urban land use. The concepts all relate to sustaining our planets resources and lowering our urban footprint. It presents the concepts from historical, present and future view. It has many illustrations,and is a terrific reference book.

5 comments about Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Saga of the Swamp Thing.

1. The above title was once the series tagline. Anyway, Vol.1 starts off with the autopsy of Swamp Thing by the Floronic Man showing that Swamp Thing was never human. He was only the memories of Holland combined into the living swamp. He soon returns to the swamp and sets up roots in the swamp and begins to grow some sort of vegetables. Abigail soon finds Swamp Thing and is confronted by the Floronic Man and tells her the above information. However, once Floronic Man gets in touch with his inner plant, he goes on a rampage and destroys many houses and takes many lives. Swamp Thing soon comes out of his catonic state and confronts Floronic Man and tells him he's hurting 'the green'. This chapter also features a special series of camo's by the JLA. The book then takes a supernatural turn when Abigail takes a job at a childrens asylumn. One child in particular knows a very dark and disturbing secret. The last few chapters involve the demon Etrigan as well.
   
   This was a very good series of chapters. It starts out slow, but eventually, you just can't put this book down. My favorite chapter is 'The Sleep of Reason', when we are introduced to Paul (the disturbed child, who Abigail works with)and his macabre 'visions' of the so called 'Monkey King' demon. Also, Etrigan enters the fray. Great first run by Alan Moore. I hope to get more of his Swamp Thing series soon. A very good read for any comic fan. (By the way: I'm 15).



2. "No death, no doom, no anguish can arouse the surpassing dispair which flows from a loss of identity. Merging with nothingness is peaceful oblivion; but to be aware of existence and yet to know that one is no longer a definite being distinguished from other beings - that one no longer has a self - that is the nameless summit of agony and dread." - H.P. Lovecraft
   
   The ability to communicate this concept, sudden and total loss of identity, is a high achivement. -That- is psychological horror, and Swamp Thing delivers with gusto. The elemental forces of horror, combined with the most efficent form of story-telling, all under the direction of masters of the craft. If you know how to read, read this.



3. Many would say that the comic industry was redefined by works such as Watchmen and The Dark Knight returns, but for me (and there are countless people who would agree with me on this one) it all started with the first issue of Swamp Thing included in this collection. "The Anatomy Lesson" heralded a new narrative structure and a literary voice that still rings in the ears of most comic book fantatics to this day: Alan Moore. After clearing up some unfinished storylines before starting his revamp of the character Moore started to cut loose, and Saga of the Swamp Thing moved from an obscure horror comic book into legend. Not only is "The Anatomy Lesson" brilliant, but there are other stories in here that would rank as some of my favorites of all time. Though some people might claim that Moore was still trying out panel transitions and experimental narrative structures that did not always work, I disagree. They worked perfectly, and make reading the comic so much more enjoyable. If the narrative seems long-winded to some, well then, they can just go ahead and feast their eyes on the gorgeous art (courtesy of John Totleben and Steve Bissette). I also have to mention the very last issue in this collection as a counterpoint to the first, entitled "By Demons Driven." This story gives us a taste of things to come in future collections, and just when events just can't seem to get any darker the last panel of this issue proves us wrong. Even if you're not a comic fan, you should get this. See where it all really began. Buy it. Read it. Let the words penetrate the root systems of your mind. Smell the moss. Taste the fear...hold it in your hands. Saga of the Swamp Thing.



4. Alan Moore took this as an opportunity to try something completely different with the Swamp Thing character, and pretty much succeeded. While I am not as much a fan of this as some people, it is still pretty good.
   
   The Swamp Thing series also introduces to someone perhaps a bit more interesting. John Constantine, Hellblazer.



5. With Swamp Thing, Alan Moore, one of the most talented authors in comic book history, rewrote the rules. I picked this up 20 years ago and am still amazed. Steve Bissette and John Totleben are probably my favorite art team in the history of comics. This is close to their start, so it's a little rough around the edges, but still way above and beyond the vast majority of most illustrators out there. Steve drew the amazing layouts, destroying storyboard conventions, and John tightened the loose sketches up into works of art. This was hugely influential when it came out, and still a highlight of work in graphic storytelling to this day. Many people copied, but few could rival, Alan Moore's dark and serious style.
   This may not be well received by the standard comic book crowd, but Alan Moore never wrote for that market share. Unfortunately, except for the cover none of John Totleben's amazing painted covers are included. DC really should put out a book of those. Moore and Totleben cooperated once again on Miracleman, another book with a dark edge that deconstructs superhero myths and is worth checking out.

5 comments about Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition.

1. It was very fast to get the product and I experience a very good seller!



2. Kim Elam's book is not only a fascinating read, but beautifully designed as well, making it a perfect example of its subject. A must for all artists and designers.



3. Want to be better or the best at what you do? This is the kind of book you use to fuel inspiration at a foundational level.



4. I bought this book primarily to see the studies of proportions in architecture. There are very few examples (really only 4 pages dedicated to that subject and 3 buildings analyzed) shown here. It does, however, give a myriad of ways to lay out different proportions using rectangles, circles, triangles, pentagons, etc. These, along with the examples of proportion in nature and on the human body were enough to spark my imagination as to how proportion can be used in design of buildings, but if you are looking for broad analysis of architectural proportions, look elsewhere. The examples that are given are mainly of poster design in the 1900s and Modern furniture design.



5. This coffee table book is one of my favorites. It doesn't go in depth into the subject matter but rather grazes over real-world examples with diagrams and simple explanations. Fun book to read, but not for the serious of study.