3 comments about At Home in Maine.

1. Beautiful houses and a lot of different styles of houses. A great gift for anyone who has lived in Maine, visited Maine or just loves good architecture.



2. This wonderful book by Christopher Glass and Brian Vanden Brink will simply take your breath away. I keep it by by bedside and turn to it on those lonely nights when I long for summer vacations in Maine. Brian Vanden Brink's photographs are crisp and amazing and are truly an inspiration to all novice photographers out there! Fans of Vanden Brink can see more of his amazing work at www.brianvandenbrink.com.



3. At Home in Maine: Houses Designed to Fit the Land is a showcase of Maine architecture especially designed to be aesthetically pleasing and fully integrated into the environment. Stunning full-color photographs reveal dwellings inside and out with a richness of texture and a smoothly harmonous design. The text by an architect with decades of experience offers insight into the subtle nuances of each house, noting its distinguishing features with a practiced eye in an easygoing, conversational manner that will appeal to lay readers and experts alike. A truly eye-pleasing book to page through, and a valuable resource for architectural design ideas.

2 comments about The International Style.

1. The most interesting aspect of the new edition is the recent forward by Philip Johnson (1995). In it he humorously describes his relationship with "The International Style," and how dated the book now appears. He also notes that it was Alfred Barr who introduced Hitchcock and him to this new world of architecture. It was Barr who had written extensively on the subject and dubbed it an "International Style."

   Not surprisingly, nearly all the buildings included in this catalog for the 1932 MoMA exhibit date from 1927. This was a pivotal year in the Modern Movement. Le Corbusier's "Toward a New Architecture" first appeared in English. The new improved Bauhaus opened its doors in Dessau, in Gropius' newly constructed complex. The International Competition for the League of Nations building was held with Le Corbusier losing out on a technicality. A building exhibition, laid out by Mies van der Rohe, was sponsored by the Deutscher Werkbund in Stuttgart. Modern Architecture had come of age.

   The selections are interesting for their range of architects but have several notable omissions. Among them Rudolf Schindler, who dismissed the idea of an "International Style," in a letter to Johnson. Modern architects then and now hate the idea of a "style," believing their works to be based on a set of constructive and compositional principles which transcend the notion of style.

   Nevertheless, the name stuck. Hitchcock and Johnson are widely credited for bringing the International Style to America, even though some early works by Neutra, Hood, Howe and Lescaze were included in the exhibition. Most importantly, Johnson lured Mies to America, where he would achieve his most lofty aspirations. The book makes for an interesting read but has long been superceded by more insightful and penetrating books on the subject.




2. This book is a living proof that architecture is an evolving being. It never stays stagnant. What is deemed to be modern then has now become a foundation for new styles & new materials to be developed to serve the functions & purposes of the occupants. Whilst the book defined the 3 principles that formed the backbone of the International Style, it's doing so as a mean of helping people to understand the 'style'better. Architects know better that there aren't any form of '-ism' but just good architecture when all the criterions of their clients are met. Half of the book is devoted to photos of buildings applying the so-called International Style but after you've seen one, you've seen it all. They all look distinctively indifferent to one another.

3 comments about Under Live Oaks: The Last Great Houses of the Old South.

1. I own a 120 year old farmhouse in the South and I am fascinated w/ the history and culture. This book is a JOY! I LOVE reading about the families in the book, the photos are GORGOUS and I have been unable to put this book down! Of all the 'Home' books I've read this is by far my absolute favorite! ENJOY!!!



2. If you like old houses of the South this book has some wonderful pictures. Some interesting photos of the interior rooms with a little bit of personal collections of the families. A great coffe table book. Not deep reading.



3. Both author and photographer of "Under Live Oaks" are English, and their knowledge of the South is distinctly secondhand and second-rate. Seebohm even acknowledges needing a crash course in Southern architecture from a friend! Instead of genuine knowledge and insight, we are offered a gauzy gothic cocktail of Hollywood cliches. (Mix one shot of "Gone With the Wind" with a dash of "Suddenly Last Summer" and a gallon of "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte.") For a beautiful and intelligent book on Southern architecture, try "Architecture of the Old South" by Mills Lane. For photos that shed some light on Southern myths and realities, try "William Eggleston's Guide."

1 comments about America Town: Building the Outposts of Empire.

1. As an American who has been affiliated with a few overseas military installations, I hoped that this book would deal with the sociocultural aspects of plopping thousands of middleclass Americans down in a different country and then tailoring their environment to make it seem as though they are still in Virginia or Illinois. America Town exceeded my expectations, as it provided a lot of new information that helped me to better understand some of the experiences I had in Asia, Western Europe, and The Med.
   I would say that this is a "niche" book, so if you are not curious about how the US designs its overseas military bases or have not lived on one, then you might find this either unbelievable or boring.
   Given our current controversial empire building in the Mideast, however, the way this book provides a history of how nations have always designed their occupations and then connects it to America would also appeal to anyone interested in geo-politics.

1 comments about Verb Natures: Architectural Boogazine (Actar's Boogazine) (Actar's Boogazine).

1. Fifth in the Actar 'boogazine' series, Verb Natures is a search for the natural or the organic in architecture. The selected works are as varied as the approaches or design methodologies demonstrated. Certain projects strive for that 'simple' complexity that is often found in genuine natural conditions. Manuel Gausa's 'Land-Arch' project, for instance, explores the ease in which natural systems lend themselves to shifting between scales. Gausa shows the flexibility inherent in natural systems by extending their influence to general program organization and envelope articulation. In contrast is Hitoshi Abe's AIP French Restaurant that choses to simulate nature through the use of imagery and modern fabrication processes. With a thoughtfully articulated screen, Abe manages to create a natural sensibility as it relates to a quality of light rather than structure.
   
   The 'natural' in architecture, as frequently depicted in this book, seems largely informed by mathematical processes. Various algorithms or mathematical expressions are created or utilized as generators of form or structure. The goal often appears to be auto-generative architecture with the intention of removing the influence or 'hand' of the designer. Arguably, this isn't easily accomplished as one has to make certain decisions related to the creation, manipulation and implementation of such processes.
   
   The occasional interviews with the designers are quite interesting and provide excellent insight into the ideas driving each project. This is another well-crafted Actar publication with generous photos, drawings and text.

5 comments about The Most Beautiful House in the World.

1. This book is like a conversation with an architect and as conversations sometimes go, Rybczynski goes on many rabbit trail, some interesting, some tedious.
   
   And then he will land upon a nugget of real value to someone interested in designing a house. Things like, "A building has to be simple enough to grasp and remember," and "Determining the shape of the roof is the most important decision the designer of a building must make," and a classic rule to remember, "reduce the size of elements as the eye moves up the facade."
   
   The book was written to tell the story of Rybczynski's barn-cum-home and that is mildly interesting. The real interest is in the information he gives the reader about building and designing in general.
   
   If you are interested in just the facts of architecture, buy a text book. If you are looking for a conversation about architecture you will enjoy this book.



2. this refers to the 1989 Penguin Edition-
   
   Asa mechanical engineer in my late thirties I started to know what architecture was all about and its relation to design. It turns out that its not easy to have a comprehensive introduction to the theme. Fortunately, Through Amazon and its reviews and suggested I bought this wonderful book and I was captivated, not only by the perspective it gives on the architecs work, but also on the insight about design it provides.



3. This book by the author of "Home: A Short History of an Idea" (1986) is a more subjective and less disciplined examination of that same topic. Professor Rybczynski uses his experience as an immigrant trying to "fit in" as a lens for looking at what in means to build ones own home. The skeleton of this story is the author's own decision to build a shed to which he can retreat on weekends (for more on weekends, read the author's "Waiting for the Weekend," 1991) and build a boat he can sail away in. At some point the shed becomes more of a barn and then, when he finally abandons his plan to build a boat, it becomes a permanent home for himself and his wife. For me, the book is less about architecture, the act or craft of building, and more about morphing and the undpredictable ways life unfolds. Taken in that vein, Rybczynski's story can be appreciated as a spiritual journey with many sidetrips and gentle awakenings. He is self-critical, but not self-deprecating. And he infuses his tale with enough humor to keep the reader interested without taxing credibility. I especially enjoyed his description of his wife, Shirley, who does some morphing of her own. At the beginning (when the couple was building a mere boathouse), she is little more than an extra pair of hands; when the couple decides to make the structure they have been building into their home, Shirley suddenly becomes a full-fledged "client," full of opinions and demands.
   
   Although, Rybczynski describes several impressive architect conceived and built houses (such as Wright's Fallingwater and Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth house), it is the houses built by their owners that he most celebrates--Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Connecticutt, Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford, Robert Lewis Stevenson's Vailima in Samoa, artists Carl and Karin Larsson's much documented Lilla Hyttnas in Sundborn, Sweden, and Carl Jung's home in Bollingen, Switzerland. "It is no coincidence," writes Rybczynski, "that Stevenson, Scott, Clemens, Larsson, Castrejon, and I were less than forty years old when we built our homes.... The process of building, for all of us, was a process of installing ourselves in a place, of establishing a spot where it would be safe to dream. We had to be old enough to recognize the particularity--and limits--of our dreams, but not too old to believe in them....My house had begun with the dream of a boat. The dream had run aground--I was now rooted in place." (pp. 190, 193)



4. I have to agree with another reviewer this book has little to do with home building and is much adieu about nothing. In the end I was a little digusted at what got built....but then again what is beautiful?
   
   I am a fan of the author and this is my 3rd read by him. I do have to warn potential readers that sometimes this book rambles on about topics most readers would have VERY little interest in. On the flip side the book does contain passages that are highly entertaining. Its about 50/50
   
   This is a book that comes in and out of focus, a style of writing I believe the author enjoys. I guess in order to get books out in the marketplace as often as Witold does he must resort to digressing on just about any topic that pops into his mind.
   
   With that said, he is an intellect...he's well traveled and leads what I believe to be a pretty interesting life.
   
   This is an average book, I was expecting a bit more about home building and a bit less esoteric rhetoric. But then again, nothing churns out books better than rambling away.



5. This book did not come close to meeting my expectations. Of the 200 pages in this book, scarcely 30 actually pertain to the author's house building experience. It appears "the Most Beautiful House" subject was merely a excuse to ramble from one topic to another. One minute he is talking about animal sacrifices & liver divining, the next he is discussing the verb "to habit". I was sorely disappointed and struggle to find any redeeming quality in this work. Readers be warned that this book is a motley crew of diatribes on topics having little to do with The Most Beautiful House in the World.

5 comments about They All Fall Down: Richard Nickel's Struggle to Save America's Architecture.

1. This book works on so many levels. Despite the rather dry-sounding title, it tells the story like a thriller novel. I found myself constantly trying to get to the next page to find out what happens next?? The book starts off with the frantic 2 week search for Nickel's body in the rubble of the old Stock Exchange building in 1972. Demolition is stopped while the building teeters on the verge of collapse in the heart of Chicago's business district. The book then flashes back and traces Nickel's career and his odyssey to save what he could of Sullivan's masterpieces as building after building after building was intentionally destroyed in the name of "progress". Along the way, the author weaves in tales of the history of some of the buildings, paints us pictures of the city and the politics of the time, and includes key characters such as Richard J. Daley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Leon Despres, Tim Samuelson, and others. There are tales of payoffs, double-dealing, and night time raids on old buildings. The book is meticulously researched, provides numerous quotes from Nickel's letters, other personal interviews, documents, and photos, none of which are extra baggage, but instead bring the story to life in a most touching way. The real heartbreaker of the book is that so little has changed since Nickel's death. Today, over 30 years later, nearly every week in Chicago, buildings designated as Chicago landmarks are torn down, or irreversibly altered, as Chicago continues to have exceptionally weak preservation ordinances. A building that would be considered the pride of a community in any other town, is ripped to shreds here without a second thought, if there is money to be made on the deal. If you are interested in Chicago architecture, the history of the preservation movement, Louis Sullivan, or Richard Nickel, this book is an essential.



2. Richard Nickels was a strange fellow, and I don't know if most people would be comfortable in his company. He desperately wanted to save what he considered to be Chicago's architectural landmarks, but in the end grew terribly disconsolate, finding few allies in Mayor Daley or others within the city's power structure. He managed to save many bits and pieces before the wrecker's ball arrived, some of which went to Southern Illinois University, but tons of which ended up in landfills after his death. Do you need this book? If it sickens you to see a beautiful old building torn down, then yes. If you read "Lost Chicago" and were amazed at the priceless treasures we've squandered, then yes. If you think the now burgeoning architectural salvage industry is a good thing, then yes. Nickels fought to save buildings, but when that failed, he saved everything he could. The book doesn't claim he was a pioneer or innovator in that regard, but then I haven't heard of anyone else who dedicated their life to the field. The Trading Room from the Stock Exchange Building - where Nickel's died - survives in the Art Institute of Chicago today only because of his efforts. We almost certainly owe him a far greater debt than the book has claimed, since he helped to publicize the threat to our architectural heritage and started building a consensus towards preservation and salvage. The book will amaze and annoy you. You'll learn much more about Nickels' personal life than you would want to know. You'll wish he had finished some of the writing projects he started. And you'll wonder how much more he might have accomplished if he had lived a bit longer. It's a book that makes you think, and one you won't soon forget. - tjm



3. I ate this book up! Nickel's photgraphs are outstanding, and his dedication to salvaging historical buildings is heroic. The historic preservation movement owes an enormous debt to this man.



4. I ate this book up! Nickel's photgraphs are outstanding, and his dedication to salvaging historical buildings is heroic. The historic preservation movement owes an enormous debt to this man.



5. The story of Richard Nickel, who loved buildings of Adler & Sullivan fame. A wonderfully well-written book. I saw it in the library, and to my own amazement, could not put it down when I got home. Even if you know little about archetecture, you will love this book for it's story, the life and love of Nickel. Who I call with slight tongue-in-cheek a nerd.

3 comments about Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City.

1. This is a great book. Philadelphia was blessed with some beautiful buildings and sad to say many did not service so called progress. The vintage images were very interesting and the text was very informative. Philadelphia did lose many buildings that never should have been destroyed, but many of the historic buildings on Society Hill or great buildings like Independence Hall and its annex buildings, survive and I do like what the park service did to house the Liberty Bell, it's sort of Modern Georgian. It's hard to believe that the iconic City Hall building was so close to being pulled down, it barely survived, I mean can you image Philadelphia without City Hall?!!! so it could have been worse...and Wannamakers is still extant, though it's now called Lord and Taylor and at least the greatest of department store buildings is still open and glorious, but i do wish they would get rid of that ridiculous steel stucture substituting for the great Franklins home..its awful..just rebuild it and let people know it's a reproduction..this is BEN FRANKLINS HOUSE, people!!! I do love how Philadelphia cherish's the great Franklin, he is the greatest of the founding father's and he gets his due respect in his home town..i still cant believe that he does not have a huge memorial in Washington, it's a travesty. Great book..if you have any love at all for architecture history of Philadelphia in general...oh and Philadelphians dont let them tear down Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park, it's the last of the great Gilded age estates in Philadelphia, it's on it's last leg..dont let it go the way of the late, great Whitemarsh Hall.



2. Tom Keels has produced a treasure of a book. There are many compilations of photographs of old Philadelphia, but Keels supplies what others mostly lack -- a brief but rich history and context for each of the lost buildings he documents. Many of the photographs will be familiar to anyone interested in Philadelphia history, but this should not discourage you from buying the book. You will learn a great deal, thanks to Keels' perspicacious research. Moreover, his prose is graceful and witty, never stodgy.



3. This is an amazing book and concept! It's a guided tour of Philadelphia history like no other. The maps in the book are especially effective in highlighting the changes in the Philadelphia landscape over the years. I used the same Philadelphia based cartographers, NaZa, for ABC Philadelphia to highlight the best and most current places for Philadelphia families today, now I'm wondering about the best family places in Philadelphia from yesteryear. This will be on the top of my holiday list this year.

4 comments about Transparency.

1. This book is not out of print and is available from the publisher. It has been published in Germnan and in English so if you want an English version make sure you order the correct edition.



2. Rowe's obtuse, convoluted writing style buries his ideas in a morass of verbal sludge, rendering them totally inaccessible to the layman and barely comprehensible to the typical architecture student. After encountering this book several times in the course of various classes, I was surprised to realize how comparatively simple the ideas it contains are. In the typical fashion of upper-level humanities academia, however, Rowe hides his point behind impossibly twisted sentences and an onslaught of outside references that seems designed more to impress the reader with Rowe's own wide-ranging knowledge than to enlighten. The ideas of this book could be condensed to a short essay, and the only thing lost would be the page count.



3. I'm a student, Transperency: the book gives you a new way to think about architecture, outlining a basic characteristic in architecture that transcends major movements. Crucial to the understanding of buildings. best of all. .. Colin Rowe is really easy to read.



4. This article defined visual analysis of two dimensional architectural and urban design compostion.

1 comments about China's New Dawn: An Architectural Transformation.

1. It was here quick and in great condition.
   
   Very reasonably priced.