1 comments about Staircases: Design and Construction.

1. This book is really a stylistic overview of different stairs.
   It doesn't measure up to Birkhauser's Construction Manual Series. The 'Case Study Section'(the body of the book)is almost worthless from a technical point of view. You will find many obvious statements used to describe what you can already see in photographs. You will find precious little "behind the scenes" nuts and bolts discussion here. The price of the book in combination with the contents of the book calls to mind the word: "Hoax."

5 comments about Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses.

1. I was looking for mid-century houses that were more in the middle classes, and you do not get that here.
   
   These are all high-end, very expansive homes, similar to the type one might come across in Dwell magazine. The book is nicely set up, with thick, distinctive paper used, and the book coming encased in cellophane, implying 'you're getting something very sophisticated and special here...', something I neglected to pick up in reality [but again I was looking for something else]. I also did not like the contrived use of marketing (paper and cellophane wrap). Always a bad sign.



2. If you want a strong, national (not just LA or Palm Springs) overview of mid-century modern, this is a good bet. Very well produced, beautiful imagery.



3. The author provides a good overview of the history and restoration of 35 architecturally significant houses
   of the 1930's through mid-century. The only thing keeping it from getting a 5 star rating is it's small format,
   resulting in smallish pictures and smaller floor plans. These wonderful houses deserved a larger page size,
   say 12" x 12", to show them to the best advantage. Still, given it's relatively modest price, this book provides
   a lot of information between the covers.



4. 
   We are in danger of losing our mid-century domestic architectural heritage.
   
   Yesterday's flat-roof, ultra-modern "home of tomorrow" is often perceived as the cramped and impractical "teardown" of today. Most real estate agents will confide that "Modern doesn't sell," and those modernist homes that are sold are usually fodder for the bulldozer; razed and discarded to make way for another McMansion.
   
   Sometimes it seems that the only folks who have any fondness for "Home, Sleek Home" are advertising directors (who love to feature hip mid-century homes in TV commercials and print ads), and subscribers to Dwell Magazine (and subscribers to the Dwell Magazine lifestyle).
   
   In his book MODERNISM REBORN: Mid-Century American Houses, architectural critic Michael Webb demonstrates that there is a growing appreciation for cutting-edge American residential architecture of the 1930s through the 1960s, and in it he highlights the intrepid homeowners who've assumed stewardship of 35 of these "Contemporary" domiciles of long, long ago. Tersely written, illustrated with floor plans, and enlivened by nearly 200 color photos by noted architectural photographer Roger Strauss III, MODERNISM REBORN explores the unique histories of these homes, and chronicles the research, labor, and expense that the adventurous owners have lavished on their preservation, restoration and sometimes, expansion.
   
   Nearly all of the 20th Century architectural greats are represented here--Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Philip Johnson and R.M. Schindler--as well as iconic modernist structures such as Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #21, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, and Charles and Ray Eames' own home-studio. Webb presents homes that embody various modernist impulses in thematic chapters that prove that there was no one right way (or Wright way) to be "modern."
   
   Webb's survey argues a case for Modernism as a mode (or ideal) of living, rather than a mere style (or styles). Indeed, these light-filled, open plan, spartanly furnished "homes of the brave" imply an enlightened lifestyle of Zen-like purity somewhat at odds with the ever more acquisitive and materialistic American way of life.
   
   Don't read too much into the Modernist rejection of consumerism, however, because these designer homes were status symbols in their day, and to furnish a home with "Modern classics" like Le Corbusier's Petit Confort sofa, the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, and a pair of Mies Barcelona chairs will set you back several grand. Modern don't come cheap.
   
   Ultimately, the stories that Webb weaves about the people that commissioned, designed, built, restored and live in these homes are every bit as enlightening and memorable as the homes themselves. In fact, the author makes their histories seem inseparable, as if house and owner are joined in partnership against philistine taste, obnoxious neighbors, natural (and unnatural) disasters, and metal fatigue.
   
   This is not a scholarly study, but Webb assumes a certain level of cultural awareness and familiarity with architectural terms in his reader. It is a fine book with a fresh look at a perhaps overly familiar subject, and is well worth owning for the photos alone.
   
   Reading MODERNISM REBORN makes one wonder how the home of 1950 will inform and inspire the home of 2050, the mid-century home of tomorrow.



5. I bought this interesting book because I wanted something that would cover, visually, the best of mid-century American architecture. As another reviewer has said, don't expect a full technical account of the background to these beautiful houses but if you want excellent exterior and interior photos in a well designed and printed book, 'Modernism reborn' is the one to get.
   
   The fact that these thirty-five houses have all been restored in some way gives the book extra interest. Many of them were featured in the architectural press years ago when they were first built and these are the photos you usually see in books. Some of them were neglected but fortunately the current owners thought restoration worthwhile and this is how Roger Straus photographed them.
   
   An interesting companion book to 'Modernism reborn' is Classic Modern: Midcentury Modern At Home by Deborah K Dietsch, not directly concerned with the architecture but more to do with the furniture, fabrics, lighting and style that made these houses such wonderful homes. If only I could afford to live in one!
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Naval Architecture for Non-Naval Architects.

No comments about Contemporary Architecture and the Digital Design Process.

No comments about Site Planning and Design Handbook.

1 comments about Autodesk Inventor 9 Essentials Plus.

1. Autodesk Inventor 9 is a very powerful program and requires a lot of learning to use to it to full effect. This book is most helpful, but some in-person instruction would maximize the entire experience.
   
   Phil Z.

1 comments about Mathcad: A Tool for Engineers and Scientists + CD-ROM to accompany Mathcad (B.E.S.T.).

1. The book is great...very good examples. But MathCad 14 has serious computational problems. Go back and use MathCad 13.

3 comments about Hillside Homes: 214 Sloping-Lot & Multi-Level Designs : 1,040 to 6,628 Square Feet (Hillside Homes).

1. Watch it! It is very easy to buy an older edition. Especially when the publishers changed the plans from 214 down to 208. Newer book has some great ideas.



2. My wife and I were disappointed with the plans. Many seemed old and outdated. Although there were a few interesting designs, most of the newer designs were for homes >3000 square feet.



3. I'm completely renovating my California hillside home and bought this book hoping to find at least one or two interesting plans and was completely disappointed. The houses in this book are very conventional. If you want to see some interesting ideas that play with terrain, redwood and open floor plans, get Langworthy's "Hillside Homes" instead.

No comments about Using AutoCAD 2007 Basics.

1 comments about Creating the Artful Home: the Aesthetic Movement.

1. Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement is, surprisingly, the first close examination of late 19th-century American home design and its culture, offering up details on how the Aesthetic movement left a legacy of houses, developments, and ideas which linger into modern times. Historians, collectors and home and garden readers will learn about the movement and its impact on home furnishing trends, offering many rare color photo views of past interiors and exteriors along with dozens of drawings not seen elsewhere. A scholarly tone is added with an analysis of gender roles and architectural history, but while this scholarly tone allows CREATING THE ARTFUL HOME to be a pick for some college-level arts collections, its more likely audience will be the public or general-interest lending library, which will find it a unique coverage.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch