No comments about A Theory for Practice: Architecture in Three Discourses.

No comments about Of Earth and Timbers Made: New Mexico Architecture.

2 comments about Desert Style.

1. This book is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Excellent service.



2. This was also added to my design collection of southwest decorating at its best. This is a very enjoyable book I always look at this for more items for another project. Or just to enjoy what someone else has done to make their living environment lovely.

4 comments about Glenn Murcutt: A Singular Architectural Practice.

1. This basically documents the architect's work but is not a great book. The photos, although good, are not top quality. There are lots of construction drawings, in a separate section (forcing a lot of flipping back and forth, BTW), but they were not redone for the book, are tiny reproductions of the originals, so not too readable. You usually at least get a floor plan, and some rough sketches in the text section, but the point of the book is not to explain how these buildings are built.

   The worst aspect is the commentary by the two authors, mere filler material. The best are the words of the architect himself, who can offer background on all his projects, and who comes across as very sincere.




2. This Review is not only an Engineer's perspective of Murcutt - it's also, in a way, a definitive statement that Murcutt has the perspective required of an Engineer.
   As a marine engineer with a keen professional and personal involvement with architecture, I have grown to respect Glenn Murcutt deeply. This book expresses much of what could be said about him, about his work, his principles and his motivation.
   I have been most impressed by the interpretation of Murcutt's architecture by the engineers associated with him, as well as the fruit borne in the lives of younger architects who have studied under his guidance, and have continued to co-labour with him in Australia today. If only it were so all over the world!
   The influence of Murcutt in our day must surely rank with that of Aalto during the past century.
   Inspired and highly recommended reading and study for all students of architecture, regional modernism and vernacular materials, as well as engineers with a passion for design.
   Brent O'Callaghan
   Engineer - Cape Town



3. I have been into Murcutt's work for a few years now, but I have been disappointed by the lack of good books on his work. Until now, the best book around was Phaidon's '3 houses'. The only projects I have been able to see have been single family houses in the middle of the australian brush--so it was pretty cool to see this book with houses (or at least A house) in an urban area as well as larger commercial type buildings (like the education center).

   As far as I know, all of his projects are shown in the book--built and unbuilt in great detail. The first 30 pages or so of the book is a collection of essays by both the authors and Murcutt. Then the book gets into his projects chronilogically--each with photographs, sketches and drawings.

   The last part of the book is a collection of 'blue-print' drawings showing the plans and more importantly the construction details of all his buildings--all in pretty good detail showing dimensions and materials.

   Im stingy with my book money--but I definately feel like I got my money's worth outta this one.




4. The Pritzker laureate selected his favorite buildings for this handsomely illustrated monograph, with its insightful text by two Australian architectural professors who know his work well. Nearly a third of the pages are devoted to drawings that illuminate Murcutt's meticulous approach to design.

No comments about Architecture Bulletin 04.

No comments about The Unknown City: Contesting Architecture and Social Space.

No comments about Old Buildings Looking for New Use: 64 Examples from Europe.

4 comments about Morningside Heights.

1. This book is NOT an architectural survey, per se. It does not attempt to catalogue all the historic or important structures of the neighborhood as, say, an AIA Guide does. Instead, it considers in some detail the architectural history of the neighborhood and its major institutions. We know which ones: Columbia University, Barnard College, Riverside Church, Union Theological Seminary, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and St. Luke's Hospital. As a tool for practicing architects or as a source for architectural historians, this book is about as good as they get. As a piece to enjoy for the general, curious reader it's a bit academic. Photographs are all black and white, and are technical and pragmatic rather than artistic.
   
   One more point: The narrative seems largely absent of knee-jerk political correctness and fadish multi-culturalist rhetoric, which is refreshing. Thus, the author has stopped at nothing in order to maintain the highest academic and scholarly standards in the book. Well done, in that regard.



2. I bought this book because I was born and raised in Morningside Heights. I moved away years ago and now live in another state but I often feel nostalgia for my old and very unique neighborhood. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the shadow of the Cathedral of St. John The Divine and surrounded by the three great public parks, Central, Morningside, and Riverside. Central Park is famous and Riverside is fairly known but very few outside the area know of the beauty of Morningside Park and Morningside Drive. This book is filled with photos and illustrations and tons of history. I recommend it to students of history of N.Y.C., architecture, and anyone interested in learning about the lesser known areas of New York.



3. Morningside Heights is one of America's greatest unknown architectural treasures. Most people who didn't go to Columbia University or one of its other institutions of learning don't even know that it exists. But this half-square-mile of Manhattan boasts classic old-fashioned streetscapes, dotted with architectural monuments, that compare to the best Europe has to offer. Mr. Dolkhart's book on how it all got built is comprehensive, flawlessly accurate, well illustrated, and informed by a cultivated urban sensibility from which we all can learn. I am the webmaster of this neighborhood's website.



4. This attractive book, with over 250 historical photographs, tells the story of a unique neighborhood in New York City. Dolkart traces its development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from a rural, undeveloped tract with an insane asylum and an orphanage into the home of some of the nation's most important educational and religious institutions (Columbia, Barnard and Teachers College, Union and Jewish Theological seminaries, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Riverside Church, and the Institute of Music and Art (later Juilliard and now Manhattan School of Music). The architectural history is meticulously documented, tracking the invovement of the major architects of the period in the neighborhood's transformation. The book also explores the involvement of New York's wealthiest families in and the rivalries that drove this neighborhood's development. Dolkart also for the first time documents the growth of Morningside Heights as the first middle-class apartment building neighborhood in New York City. His insights into this process help all those interested New York City and other urban centers in this country in understanding the fascinating ways in which important neighborhoods take shape and influence the future history of their city and the nation. This is a must for all those who love and study New York City, and urban and architectural history and development.

No comments about The Reliance Building: A Building Book from the Chicago Architecture Foundation (Pomegranate Catalog, No. A661).

3 comments about Morocco Modern (Ypma, Herbert J. M. World Design, 4.).

1. Don't let yourself be fooled by the title. This isn't really an interior design book at all. It's more of a Moroccan themed photography book, filled with artsy camera angles, photos of random people, and extreme closeup shots of architecture, while also focusing on the history and various exports of Morocco. As a Moroccan sourcebook, it's not half bad. It's very informative and written in a very informal style that's easily digested by the average reader. I really enjoyed reading the historical information and looking at the gorgeous pictures, hence the 4 stars.
   
   However, if you are thinking of picking this up as a resource for Moroccan style interior decorating, I wouldn't recommend this as one of your top picks. There are many other interior decorating books out there which are so much better for that purpose... "Moroccan Style" by Alexandra Bonfante-Warren, "Moroccan Interiors" by Lisa Lovatt-Smith, and "Exotic Style" by Sara Bliss, to name just a few. I picked this up to add to my Moroccan decorating collection, and was pretty disappointed with it as a design book. It hardly focuses on design at all.
   
   There aren't any interior pictures at all of average Moroccan homes. The few interior pictures featured are limited to public buildings such as mosques, historical sites, hotels, and government buildings. Most of the photographs in this book are exterior shots combined with closeup pictures of tilework, grillework, calligraphy, pottery, and textiles. To get a better idea of what I mean, take a look at the back cover of the book. The 6 pictures featured on the back cover of the book give a pretty fair overview of most of the photographic content of this book. The pictures are very lovely, but most of them aren't going to be too terrible helpful as design inspiration.



2. I bought this book for its colorful, lush photography, high production values, and because I just really wanted it when I saw it. As a book collector, I had to have it. As an artist, I can't walk by it on the shelf without picking it up and looking inside - it's very inspiring. Makes me want to go to Morocco !



3. The richness of the colors, the incredible patterns for the tiles, the bountiful King's Palmeraie... I was just inspired. Immensily superior to Moroccan Interiors, better photos and no comparison in terms of the tex