2 comments about Cities of Tomorrow: An Intellectual History of Urban Planning and Design in the Twentieth Century.

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2. My university is using this book as a text as part of our study of Planning History. It is a very good read and is unlike a textbook. Outlines planning history from 1880 to 1980.

5 comments about AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006 Bible.

1. I have used Autocad and Autocad LT in the past and needed a refresher for the newer version of Autocad LT. This book makes you have to sift out Autocad from Autocad LT. I would much have preferred a two part book. One part dedicated to each. I hope you will find a college or junior college facility that has a good textbook for the Autocad series. I know people do not like to read negative reviews. I just want you to know I believe you can find a better book somewhere. By the way I gave up on Autocad Lt as the revised software has become very unfriendly compared to past versions which in my opinion were more user-friendly. I now do my architectural designs manually again. I have purchased TurboCad and will try to learn it.



2. I've been using AutoCAD for years and everytime they come out with a new version, I buy this book to refer to to find out how to do the things the new version does. I buy this book to get to the odd and unusual commands that AutoCAD always seems to come up with and I use the dummies books for a quick reference.



3. Was delivered very quickly. Brand new with everything in tact. Completely satisfied with the purchase.



4. I find what I need. I am a senior project manager / architect who uses the latest CAD every day.
   If you're new to CAD, buy David Frey's "No experience required", you'll learn with pleasure, fast, and more than most of your co-workers'll ever know. Otherwise, buy Finkelstein.



5. I have four Autocad books. This one is far and away the best of the bunch. It is comprehensive, and most important to me, it is easy to understand. My computer went through a major system crash which took just about all my programs with it. I had to reinstall Autocad Lt. and then reconfigure a bunch of my personal customizations. I could not have done it without this book. Whenever I have a question about Autocad this is the first reference I reach for.

2 comments about Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction.

1. this is an excellent book for people with an intrest in the history of bridge construction and their design from the roman times to the modern bridge with lots of black and white illustrations.anybody who likes bridges will like this book.



2. This reprints a 1929 classic in an unabridged presentation covering the design and construction of spans around the world, from wooden landmarks and classic restored medieval structures to covered bridges, stone structures, and modern (up to early 1900s, that is) creations. Chapters pack in many vintage black and white photos and diagrams to accompany a technical survey of bridge advancements and construction.

5 comments about American Country Building Design: Rediscovered Plans for 19th-Century Farmhouses, Cottages, Landscapes, Barns, Carriage Houses & Outbuildings.

1. If you have an interest in house plans from times gone by (perhaps you'd like to build a modern home with old plans to get that special quality that only old fashioned houses possess) this book is a great resource. I have read the majority of the victorian era (1840-1900) house plan books which are available (Bicknell's Victorian Buildings, etc) and found the plans in those other books to be so fanciful and so devoid of useful details (i.e. dimensions, materials lists, etc) that they were of no use except as inspiration. This book still does not offer the level of detail that you would need to build a modern home from the old plans, but the plans it provides are more practical and were created by everyday folks who wanted to build a comfortable, smoothly-functioning home that still possessed style and grace. If you are looking for the reason why old homes seem so comfortable, this book will provide the practical explanations of why those old designs still work today (i.e. hallways centrally located provide efficiency and ventilation). This book is a good buy.



2. There was a nice range of different types and styles of buildings, but VERY sketchy information. Just wasn't quite what I was looking for.



3. This is a cool book. My wife and I are buying a 10 acre farmette with an abandoned 1880's style farmhouse, that believe me is in very rough condition. We are planning to renovate the house and construct an additional second story/wing.
   
   This book compiles many different architectural floor plans from the early to mid 1800s. By reading this book, we have a better appreciation for why the house was designed the way it is. For example, the small room off the kitchen on the main floor we determined was actually a "birthing" room (or nursery). Most of the bedrooms were upstairs but this room was on the main floor not only for easy access during the day, but also for warmth (the kitchen generally being the warmest room in the house). You will also note as you peruse through the various plans that room layout was constrained by the need to have access to the chimney/fireplace in selected rooms.
   
   It makes truly fascinating reading. There are several narrative descriptions of the room layouts as they were published in the mid-1800s, giving the viewpoint of the layout in terms of life in that era. One thing that could improve the book is additional narrative for some of the plans from their original published magazines (and why I give it only 4 stars).
   
   Our house did not have a bathroom when it was built, and most of the floor plans in this book do not either. This is not a book for those who are looking for a "new" plan that has an "old" look to it. Most of these plans would just not work well in this day and age (who needs the dairy table room and the ice house off the kitchen anymore?). But it may give you ideas on how rooms were traditionally laid out more than 100 years ago. It is more of a "fun" book than a "working" book, but for our purposes, as we delve into our restoration, it really makes enjoyable reading as it gives a window on architectural design at the turn of the century.



4. I was very disappointed in this book. Ever since I learned that the house I grew up in was built in 1752, I've been fascinated with early American architecture, particularly old farmhouses, outbuildings and barns. I was hoping to discover the original floorplans for some of these sprawling farmsteads I've seen through the northeast and midwest. None of the houses included in this book look like any of the farmhouses I've seen. What about the huge two-story farmhouses meant to hold the dozen or so children farm families had in order to work the farm? Most had a large central hall at the entrance with a large staircase. Some had the kitchen in an ell so the whole house wouldn't be heated by the wood cook stove in the summer, or even had a separate summer kitchen. There is no mention of saltboxes or sprawling capecods with the sheds that connected to the barn. Plus every barn shown has the animals housed on a floor below ground level! Most of the old barns I've seen house the animals on the main level and have a loft for the hay. If you're looking for original floorplans of old houses you're familiar with, look elsewhere!



5. This was exactly what I was searching for....a history lesson on how to properly plan a site for a home with ancillary buildings on anything over an acre.

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2 comments about Lofts: Good Ideas (Good Ideas Series).

1. Sorry, but the person who gave this book 2 stars is smoking crack. I spent about an hour flipping through this in the bookstore, but since I had no cash at the time I'm going to order it from amazon. I'm reading as many modern residential architecture books as I can right now since I will be building a house with my wife in the not too distant future. If you are familiar with Dwell magazine, that's the general look we are going for. Most books we have found are good for the general structure of the house. I liked this one for ideas specific to the interior. Lofts covers a wide spectrum of modern interior design for loft structures. This book was great for us in that it was packed with some great pictures that really inspired new ideas for what we want the interior to be. That ranged from creative use of space to flooring, flow of light, and furniture. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.



2. After enjoying the book "Small Spaces: Good Ideas", I was eager to order another book from the Good Ideas Series. I was greatly surprised to find this book to be so very dull and uninteresting. Most of the lofts shown are remarkably similar in style and design. Virtually all are of the sleek, architectural style that even an avowed minimalist like me found cold and unappealing. Most of the lofts were in New York, while other great cities with a grand history of loft living (such as Los Angeles and others) were omitted. I could not find any lofts that reflected the live/work spaces of real people. The interesting variety of loft design and lifestyle is not reflected here. Order this book if you are looking for examples of expensive white boxes with sharp angles. Otherwise, don't bother. Personally, the only thing this book inspired me to do was to give my copy away.

5 comments about Child Care Design Guide.

1. This book was a great addition to the work that I do and the designing of a child care center. The author catches the essence of what is needed to consider when starting from scratch.
   Great find! Great resource!!



2. Worth every dime!!! Anita Rui Olds has incredible insight into creating environments that are reflective of children and their interests. She believes that a child care setting should have "spirit." Included are Reggio-type environmental solutions that create a sense of wonder with an architecturally aesthetic sensibility. Lots of great ideas packed into this book. Only regret is that the pictures are too small and not in color. Would have been worth extra [$$] to have an expanded edition.



3. This is a terrific and necessary resource for anyone involved with the design or renovation of a child care setting. The author has clearly and concisely poured into the book her considerable knowledge and understanding of child care facilities, her passionate beliefs, and her attention to the details of good design. Her knowledge of child development is evident in all of her ideas.



4. This must be the best book that exist about designing Child Care Center. It covers everything, but the most important is the focus the autor made on the children. This book is a must for every architect or people interested in design of this kind of buildings, specially if he/she is really interested in children well being.
   The only but is that for the quality of its content, this book deserves a better paper and color pictures. (a 0 star here for MacGrow-Hill).
   Probably this book is call to change the way a day care is seen today.



5. Preeminent authority on design for child care, Anita Rui Olds consummated a lifetime of deep concern and research into the needs of children with the publication of this magnum opus. Lavish use of illustrations--photos, sketches, floor plans, and examples--and attractive layout support Ms. Olds's incisive text to create a remarkably accessible book. Many hundreds of child care professionals and architects who have studied under Ms. Olds will recognize and welcome this work as the summation of the concepts that placed the author at the forefront of her field.

   More and more children are in institutional care and, "in search of a model," day care typically happens in society's "leftover" spaces, church basements, warehouses, and places intended for adults. This book will help anyone committed to doing better for our children to "see that young children are raised in nurturing, spirited settings that honor their precious young souls." (from the introduction)

   The book's only drawback is technical as the reproduction of photographs is of disappointing quality.

   Tragically, Anita Olds did not live to see this book published. We can be thankful that she left it for us, full of her passion for children. In its use we will honor her spirit as we effect her designs.

No comments about Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary.

No comments about 3D AutoCAD 2008: One Step at a Time.