1 comments about Cruelty and Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America.

1. Un excelente libro con una base teorica excepcional, ademas de una calidad grafica envidiable. El libro es un paseo por las cualidades fisicas de la ciudad y la arquitectura latinoamericanas. Es uno de los pocos libros sobre la arquitectura latinoamericana que responde a unos niveles altos de calidad expositiva, grafica, documental y teorica.

No comments about Logotopia: The Library in Architecture Art and the Imagination.

4 comments about New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial (New York).

1. I guess this book had to be written, it is a series afterall, but it is digusting what kind of buildings were built. Having said that, this is an excellent book and it is scholarly and the images are first rate, but lord these are for the most part terrible buildings that just about ruined the iconic Manhattan skyline, I guess at least we should be glad Jackie O, saved Pan Am from tearing down the breathtaking Grand Central Station, unfortunitely the same cannot be said for Penn Station, I think what you come away with from this book is, greedy developers, awful Mayors and the sinsister Robert Moses, it's a wonder the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were not torn down.



2. on the history of NY's architecture and great buildings.
   
   You should own all of them.



3. First of all, the book is just too darned big to handle comfortably. With over 1300 pages, I don't know whether to congratulate the authors on their thoroughness or criticize them for having no sense of self-restraint. This tome could have been divided into three separate volumes, and each would have been a substantial book in itself.

   The epic length of the book allows the authors to go into incredible detail. The book is divided into chapters primarily by neighborhood. There are also chapters devoted to the topic of interior decoration, the 1964-65 World's Fair, "Beyond the Boroughs," "Historic Preservation," and "New York and the Arts." The numerous b&w photographs, averaging more than one per page, are stunning.

   A chapter titled "Death by Development" walks the reader through the ideology of the era that led to public housing monstrosities, as well as middle-class housing of dubious aesthetic and structural integrity. This same chapter discusses proposals for air-raid shelters, some of which would have had expanses large enough to hold a nine-story building, as well as the 1945 incident in which a US military plane crashed into the Empire State Building. The same chapter shifts to transportation issues, and presents a 1951 proposal for an unconventional "people mover" under 42nd Street, and the beginning of construction in 1972 on the Second Avenue subway (which perhaps, will open sometime in my lifetime). All this in just one of seventeen chapters - gives you some idea of the expansiveness and thoroughness of this book.

   Many readers will take special note of the eight pages devoted to the World Trade Center. This book was written before "9-11," and the book's coverage of the WTC is haunting, to say the least.

   From our perspective, the era in question (1945-1976) constitutes the "dark ages" of urban planning and architecture. Yet, the beautiful period photographs and accompanying text immerse the reader in the aesthetic mentality of the era. This book is a masterpiece, and maybe later in the day I'll find the strength to move this eight pound book from my table to my desk.




4. A great book for the coffee table or the library. Concise desriptions of built projects as well as conceptual ideas for the City of New York. Focuses on individual neighborhoods as well as the city as a whole.

5 comments about Outhouses by Famous Architects.

1. I found this book both fun and informative. The drawings are excellent and the text really taught me a lot about famous architects. I can highly recommend Steve Schaecher's book.



2. I first found out about this book when he was appeared in a benefit show for my schools fine arts program, since he graduated from it. He gave excerpts from the book and I bought it at intermission. The book is hillarious and offers a unique view into what would happen if famous architects designed outhouses. Each picture is accompanied by a historical and analytical text. This book is a great collection to add to your bathroom reading material.



3. This author and cartoonist is the greatest hidden treasure in the publishing industry. I'm not sure if this guy has made a fortune yet, but if not, somebody better grab him up quick...He's the next Gary Larson, Matt Groenig, Mike Judge! Some of the funniest writing combined with unique hand drawings I've ever seen~ Buy several copies and give to friends. I did.



4. Outhouses by Famous Architects clearly is a fine mixture of cerebral humor. Mr. Schaecher has definitely given someone in the bathroom some new things to ponder. While I agree that I will have plenty of time to view his impressive drawings, I sometimes wonder how many others have considered exactly how their outhouse flows. On a serious note, this is definitely a must buy for someone who has a sense of humor or needs decoration for their outhouse/bathroom.



5. This is a terrific, very funny look at the unseen side of many of the world's greatest architects. (I'm sure that most of them forgot about their secondary, no. 2 efforts.) Mr. Schaecher's wit and understanding of both architecture and basic bodily functions are clearly evident. This book may not quite be suited for the coffee table, but it surely will make a splash in the powder room.

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.

No comments about Architecture and Science.

1 comments about In Search of a Living Architecture.

1. this book is fantastic! i am currently a 5th year architecture student...i wish i had come across this book by first year. it is plainly written, precise, easily comprehensible. in a school where the archi(babble) is almost as important as the design, this book gives a person like myself hope for the future of architecture, design, and construction. albert frey (whose mentor was le corbusier) is one of the lesser known great architects of the 20th century. his work has so much to offer. simplicity at its best! a must own!!!!!!!!

No comments about Yale in New Haven: Architecture and Urbanism.

No comments about Archigram: Architecture without Architecture.

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.