5 comments about House As a Mirror of Self: Exploring the Deeper Meaning of Home.

1. I have an advanced degree in psychology and I have renovated several houses. The concept behind this book seemed fascinating to me. However, I have been very disappointed. The focus is on psychology written by an architect. She is an amateur psychologist--it would have been better if she had focused on her own area of expertise. It was a waste of money.



2. I found this book when I was undergoing my own deep personal transformation ten years ago. It helped me understand my own relationship to the homes I had created for clients and my self. As an interior designer and a contractor it is important to understand the calling of the client's psyche and meet those needs. There is so much focus now on the spiritual aspects of one's home, and feng shui does offer up its own insights, but using this book as a primer for understanding what is calling to you will lead you to a different more integrated understanding. A carpenter builds a house, the family makes it a home. Clare gives the reader a path to understanding this complex yet simple process. The book is easy to read and offers many good exercises to dialog with the inner self. I highly recommend it to designers and psychologist alike.



3. This reads more like a textbook for an interior design course. It has little to do with the psychology of your own choice of home/setting. Like another reviewer said, the idea seemed fascinating, but the book disappoints right away, if not for the setup alone; the author overuses the same phrases and form to setup her next example. It is as though this were her thesis for design school. It could also pass for a really good new age book, that's how problem-centered it is. If you have watched "Designing for the Sexes" on HGTV, you have read this book. This book is only interesting and appropriate for interior designers, not for anyone seeking insight into our needs and choices when it comes to home.



4. I loved this book for its ordinariness with a subject that can be extraordinary and difficult to grasp at times. The writings of Clare Cooper Marcus helped define and hone many inner qualities in a very immediate manner. This book is like having a compassionate friend sitting with me.



5. Have you every just fallen in love with a house, knowing that you were meant to live there? Have you ever had an apartment that seemed to suck the energy right from your body after a long hard day at work? Are there certain places in your home that are "yours" or "your spouse's"?
   
   Unconsciously we are all seeking to become our genuine selves. In this quest, we tend to surround ourselves with ideals, examples of what we feel matches our deepest parts of ourselves. These examples come primarily from past experience. For instance, we may have had a special place in a childhood home where we felt safe, loved, and free. Alternately, we may subconsciously associate a large dining room with sadness after the loss of a parent or unvoiced hostility in a dysfunctional family setting.
   
   House As A Mirror of Self brought to light many of the things that I had forgotten in my childhood and many of the situations that I hadn't really thought about. It is truly interesting what you gravitate towards because of your previous experiences and how those decisions get combined and complicated with that of your spouse. I even figured out why I was feeling that there was something not quite right about my home office.

1 comments about Living in Bahia.

1. I loved this book about Bahia in Brazil. The pictures are beautiful and the places are kind of a paradise.

No comments about Guide to Concrete: Masonry & Stucco Projects (Quikrete).

2 comments about The Simply Solar House: Green Building on a Budget.

1. "Anyone with an interest in constructing a solar, energy-efficient home can learn the basics from this book, even with little prior technical knowledge or home building experience. The timing for this impressive resource couldn't be better."
   
   Regina Johnson, Editor, Solar Today
   
   
   "Good, clear, cost effective advice that is easy to apply, and the best guidelines I have seen for building a small house that still feels big and open. By putting special emphasis on climates requiring heating in the winter but also having to deal with hot and humid summetime weather, the authors provide really helpful information that is difficult to find elsewhere." Gary Reysa, Build It Solar (www.builditsolar.com)
   
   
   "In The Simply Solar House, the husband-wife team of Richard and Yoko Crume brings to the world a new look at Green Building on a Budget. Richard and Yoko will help raise your awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and saving money. Based on extensive research and personal experience, the authors have creatively demonstrated that you do not have to spend a lot of money to build an energy efficient house. Energy efficiency is of critical importance in solving the climate change problem, especially as worldwide energy consumption continues to rise."
   
   Professor Godfrey Arinze Uzochukwu, PhD
   North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University



2. This small book helped me to remodel my house! I did it! Thank you for your work!

5 comments about Packing Iron: Gun Leather of the Frontier West.

1. I received the book quickly, in great condition. I would definitely use this vendor again.



2. If you're into Cowboy Action Shooting or even history of the Old West, this is a must have book. The pictures are fantastic and the way the book was put together gives the reader an extremely great view of what they wore in the old days. Plus, there are some great pictures from the cowboy movie and television era. Great Book!



3. This has rapidly become a favorite book of mine and, judging from the constant references to it from holster makers, has become a widely-used reference source. The quality of the book itself is excellent, with lots of crisp, large pictures and good accompanying text. The "frontier" period covered is pretty wide, really the colonial period into the pre-WW2 era. The emphasis, however, is on the 1800s. The first section of the book mostly covers military gunleather and its transition into civilian forms and usage. The bulk of part two is on California and Mexican Loop pattern holsters of the 1800's and early 20th century, although there is good material on a number of other subjects (all gun-related). The holster photo captions in part two tend to be very repetitious as there are numerous style variations presented, but ultimately don't detract from the pictures themselves or the text. This is not a book to buy if you are interested in costume or accoutrements other than gunleather, and you should pass it by if your primary interest is Western film and TV versions of gunleather - the buscadero, or drop-loop style is barely mentioned.



4. I saw this book several years ago in a book catalogue, I put off buying it because there really didn't seem to be enough subject matter to justify such a book. I could not have been more wrong. When I finally had one in hand I realized there really was a rich wealth of interesting material especially historically. This book shows the colorful evolution of holsters in the American West tradition. This is a fascinating collection of color and detail that leaves the reader in awe concerning this little known facet of traditional Western Americana. Well worth the price. Hours will be spent studing the beautiful illustrations and carefully researched text. You don't have to own a Colt sixshooter to apprecicate this beautiful book that faithfully follows and matches the tradition of the R.L. Wilson publications on the art of firearms.



5. The book was just what I had hoped it would be. Now I can make gun belts and holsters like they would have been made in the time of the old west for my cowboy events.

5 comments about 25 Houses Under 1500 Square Feet.

1. This book has some interesting small houses, and does include floor plans, sections, elevations, and lots of photos (of varying quality). But the book is full of typos that anyone giving the book a last once-over should have caught: "and and", using "compliments" instead of "complements", and in one case (The Methow Cabin) the floor plan of one building was listed for both itself AND another, totally different structure (The Cavehill Residence). If you're looking for ideas, this isn't a bad book, but its size is unwieldy, its photographs in many cases just clearly enlarged from photos provided by the builders or architects, and there are more than a few errors throughout the book. I'd check this one out from the library rather than buying it.



2. I'm glad that the book exists - if James Grayson Truelove hadn't bothered to slap together this flawed survey, you'd not get to see these houses in any detail. But I enjoyed "Gwathmey Siegel: Houses" more, and even preferred other JGT archi-photo books to this one. Only 4 houses (of 25) had enough drawings and varied enough photos to see and make sense of the whole. Plan drawings are present for most of the houses, which is a step up from photos-only glossy books. Alas, they're small & unlabeled. In addition to the swap mentioned by other reviewers, p.30 is missing all its plans (typo/print-o), and p.128 has the 2nd/3rd floor plans upside-down from the first floor. "How," you might ask, "could this idiot reviewer possibly complain about so simple a transform, which he obviously ought to be able to figure out?" Therein lies the problem with this book: In fact, it *wasn't* obvious how the house was arranged, because the accompanying photos were not comprehensive, nor documentary! Such is the case for most of the structures in this book: either multiple photos show the same angle, or they only really document one room in an entire design. To be fair, perhaps I should have realized this from the product description: 25 houses in 181pp. means only 7 pp. each. But with such a low page count, "white-spacey" layout, and largish photos, duplication is inexcusable. (N.B. Of 25 houses, 21 are modern-style. Just in case you were looking for -- or trying to avoid -- contemporary.)



3. I'm an architect and was very much looking forward to this book as I am a fervent believer that bigger is not better. I am always searching for good examples of how to do things as efficiently as possible, which produces a better design and ultimately costs less. People do not need 3000 square feet houses.
   
   I got this book for christmas and am very disappointed.
   First, the editing is terrible. There are literally pages that are marked "lower floor plan" & "upper floor plan" which are blank.
   
   Secondly, the majority of these houses are architectural follies. They are not "houses" in the meaning that most of us mean when we say house. They are playhouses - art lofts, guest houses, vacation houses, etc. How we live in a structure for a few hours of pleasurable work each day and how we live in our actual house varies greatly. How many of us recreate our same lives while we are on vacation? That is the whole problem with this book. It should rightly be called "Expensive architectural follies under 1500 square feet."
   
   In reviewing this book there is nothing that will inform you how to live in a smaller space. There is nothing that will redefine the idea of house.
   
   That being said there are some very nice pavillions.



4. There are a million residential architecture/design books out there, but in terms of quality of pictures and examples, James Grayson Trulove is the best. Makes a great coffee table book for any designer. Its mostly valuable as a visual resource (not alot of text). I love Trulove's message of quality over quanity - its better to have a small beautifully designed house than a mcmansion monstrosity.



5. Overall well done... Just a couple of houses featured that I asked myself "why? They did not fit the pacing of the book" Others I'd like to have seen more pictures of. Overall well done though.

No comments about French Country Kitchens: Authentic French Kitchen Design from Simple to Spectacular.

3 comments about House Beautiful 500 Sensational Ways to Create Your Ideal Home (House Beautiful).

1. This book has beautiful photographs of lovely interiors. But don't look for reasonable suggestions for decorating your home unless commissioning a mural and papering the walls with handpainted wallpaper are within your budget. If those options are in your budget, you will probably hire an interior decorator rather than use this book.



2. I found this to be a good source for inspiration with very good quality photos. This is a small landscape oriented book - meaning - it is like a large landscape proportioned photo. This is not a large coffee table book...just so you know. The book is well divided into different sections and there are many styles to offer design inspiration. As is often the case with House Beautiful in my opinion - things can be very overdone. With this book it happens less than in other HB books that I have found to be WAY over the top with things everywhere. I really like this book alot and enjoy looking through it. Unlike other decorating books that either overwhelm the senses or have too little I find this is just right. One problem is that once you find your decorating style the book goes on to another style or another section altogether. This is a summary type book to give a hint of inspiration but after that you will need to get a more style specific book. All in all a great source of ideas.



3. This is a fantastic source book of over 450 pages of photographs to inspire even he weariest of decorators! Divided into seven photographic chapters of finished room decorating styles ranging from "The Welcoming Home" to "Comfortable Haven" each chapter of photograghs is strucured into Living Spaces; Kichens; Libraries, Dens & Offices; Bedrooms; Bathrooms and finally Outdoor Rooms and Sunrooms. If you love house Beautiful Magazine you will love this Book.

3 comments about Field Guide to American Antique Furniture: A Unique Visual System for Identifying the Style of Virtually Any Piece of American Antique Furniture.

1. Excellent and easy to use reference book, illustrates styles in thier purest form. Does not treat the subject of authenticity but notes characteristics and idiosyncracies of various examples.



2. This book is good for a quick reference. It is filled with sketches that are grouped into categories (chairs, tables, beds).
   It can help you identify the style of a piece of furntiture, but doesn't help authenticating the piece.



3. Get this one. It shows and tells what a novice needs to learn about antique furniture. Also...a great refresher for long-time antiquers.

2 comments about The House Always Wins: Americas Most Trusted Home Columnists Guide to Creating Your (Almost) Perfect Dream House.

1. What a wonderful, witty, informative and engaging book. There is something for everyone within the covers of this book. It takes you from the very earliest stages of decorating your home to the completed look without the expense of a decorator, all done with a wonderful sense of humor describing the perils we have all experienced. If you have ever had to deal with contractors, painters, no-shows, budgets and calamaties here is the help we all need to prevent those costly mistakes. I loved the feeling of familiarity with the experiences of the author and had many a laugh along the way. I can think of no better way to chart a course to a warm, personal touch in my home than to use this book as my decorating bible.



2. This is the book you will wish you had written. Haven't we all felt like we were in the Tom Hanks movie 'The Money Pit' a time or two when trying to dress our nest?
   
   Marni Jameson takes you through her journey of learning how to find your true style, develop a workable (and affordable) plan of action, and, most importantly, how to both learn from AND laugh at your mistakes.
   You'll cry from laughing and commiserating with her over things that you may have experienced in your quests...but you'll also gain the confidence to get going again.
   
   From yard sale finds to antique stores, close-outs, cast-offs, and special orders...won't it feel good to do it right next time? Or at least be able to have a glass of wine and laugh over your follies? The best part is that Marni infuses the laughs with specific help to make your next attempt a success.
   
   You'll learn why "it never looks as good as in the magazine" but why that is actually A-OK! You'll learn that everyone makes the "cheapskate" mistakes and has contractor "issues" now and then. You'll get some great ideas from Marni...to help you find your OWN ideas. Brilliant concept!
   
   You will enjoy this book and I predict you will see yourself and others in it. In fact, I predict, like me, you'll order a few more copies for those buddettes of yours. Go ahead...make their day!