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."

1 comments about Design of Building Trusses (Parker/Ambrose Series of Simplified Design Guides).

1. I needed a good source book for the work I was doing at this time and recieved it quickly and in great condition. The analysis techniques are in use right now.

3 comments about The Look of Love: The Art of the Romance Novel.

1. I am a sucker for good romance novels and this one held my interest. It was a very good book read. Janie De Coster author of Man of My Dreams?



2. Individually these covers are very dull as graphic designs but put 150 in a book and they become interesting. As the author says in the intro, the paperback romance has come a long way. For years the covers of this literary genre had a dominant painting, predictably of the heroine, mediocre typography for the title, blurb and author's name. By the seventies things had changed for the better and covers took on the full force of the Marketing Division, image space was reduced to make way for expressive typography (some of it very good too) die-cut holes, foil stamping, embossing, fluorescent inks, thermography and varied paper stock.
   
   Unfortunately there is only one example of the contemporary look ('Hearts Aflame' by Johanna Lindsey) in the 150 shown. Mostly they are American covers from the forties to the mid-sixties, some from Canada and a few from Mills and Boon the main British romance publisher. Each of the nine chapters has a page of intro text printed on slightly yellowing paper, leading into the covers, a nice touch on these intro pages is the turned over top right-hand corner creating a bookmark, as one does with inexpensive books. Some of the covers also have the back shown and you can read the clichéd copy written to convince the casual book browser that they really do want to know what happened next.
   
   This is worthwhile addition to my popular culture book collection and if you want more have a look at the six hundred covers in Richard Lupff's `The Great American Paperback', a book of coffee-table proportions covering all genres but which I found rather disappointing because of its sloppy production.
   
   I don't think I'm giving too much away if I quote the last page of `The Look of Love'...
   "That's what it's like, darling," said Mrs. Stokes uneasily, "Being a doctor's wife, I mean."
   "I know," said Linette softly, her eyes starry. "Isn't it wonderful?"
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. As much an art book as a literary survey, Look Of Love considers the covers and stories of the romance market which have captivated millions from 1940-70. From changing themes of romance novels - such as women who come to struggle between careers and love - to changing images of women and passion, this is a colorful and revealing survey.

1 comments about Everything but the Walls.

1. Excellent book for one of the most famous new product designers. With small and understandable mentions of Jasper Morrison to all of his works. Explains how he inspired to do all of this works. From lightening equipment to chairs and tables, Jasper Morrison knows very well how to do the things look simpler and also functional.

No comments about English Architecture (World of Art).

5 comments about Mastering Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007.

1. I was very pleased with the delivery time and quality of the book that I had ordered through Amazon, "Mastering Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007". I will most likely order future books this way.



2. I found that this text was more an advanced tutorial than it was a standard textbook. The format was a little informal for my taste. Nonetheless, the Author was clearly knowledgeable, and the book provides a lot of necessary information. I was a little taken aback by how little advantage a knowledge of Autocad is in using the more advanced software



3. The text is very well written and explains the topics in more than adequate detail. However, there is supposed to be an accompanying CD with files that follow along with the text that would be helpful, but we never received the CD, not in the book nor a separate delivery. Aside from that, we are very happy with the information contained within the text itself.



4. I'm approximately one third of the way through the book. I've been using ACAD for approximately twenty years and I agree with the author that having some ACAD experience is helpful, perhaps essential in learning this software. I'm using it to teach myself and even though the book is excellent, nothing beats being able to ask someone a question when you're stuck. This is very complexe software and if you have a problem, you're left to your own devices. I come from a mechanical engineering background and don't know a soul familiar with ADT. The book is well written and illustrated but you have to read very closely to avoid errors in the exercises.



5. Has excellent tutorials, but difficult to look up a problem.

No comments about Structural Drafting.

2 comments about Designing Programmes.

1. Although this edition came out in 2007, much of its substance derives from the original 1964 edition. That sat as close to the Swiss School of typography and Bauhaus era as to our own, maybe closer, and it shows. Much of this text comes across with the same strident certainty of those streams of thought, but without the adolescent braggadaccio. Still, much remains worthwhile to today's designer, so let's start there.
   
   First, as you'd expect, the typography is lucid and legible. Pages have clean, airy layout, and graphics express their concepts with minimal fuss. Typesetting uses a font of the author's own design, a sanserif with warm character. I could fault it for a few things, the digit "8" in particular, and creation of the italic through a simple geometric tilt rather than a rethinking of the emphasis and letterforms. Still it reads comfortably and gives distinctive timbre to the author's voice. Even page numbering is unique without being annoying. Only lack of an index truly mars the book's design.
   
   At the back, exercises with gray or colored gradients suggest useful and playful explorations of many kinds. And, as a computing geek, I applaud many of Gerstner's examples of algorithmic development and combinatorial thoroughness. Some of his tools, based on Fritz Zwicky's boxes but owing equally to Ramon Lull's layered disks, can help anyone break a creative logjam through systematic exploration of a design space.
   
   But, although Gerstner uses the combinatoric tools of the mathematician, he wields them clumsily. For example, p.13 presents a family of related graphic elements, and asserts that the 16 can be combined three at a time in 560 distinct ways. Well, that would be true, except that pattern #5 would obscure #6 completely, #10 would hide #11 and #12, and #9 would hide #8. Although there are 560 possible combinations, there are far fewer visibly different combinations. Another combinatorial exercise blandly assumes that all design elements are distinguishable (as in "a-d-b-e-c"). It would enumerate quite differently if elements could be reused (as in "a-c-b-b-c"). His computer poetry is quaintly naive and, like Kandinsky, he equates graphic elements to sounds in a way that can only be a personal quirk or flaw in translation. In the end, Gerstner throws in the towel on the unguided exercise in permutations and combinations: "... it is difficult to design something as complex as font families that are not only new, but also innovative. Despite all the best programmatic efforts, it is probably impossible." Even though programming and hardware have advanced far beyond anything dreamt in this book, I have to agree. Foreseeable decades do not include obsolescence of human artistry, no matter what mechanical tools support it.
   
   Gerstner's book is interesting and potentially helpful. It tries to summon the strength of mathematical formalisms in design, but does so without the rigor that gives math its strength. Still, it offer ideas that can kick-start a stalled creative session, and shows that even simple elements offer combinatorial richness - a happy escape from complexity imposed from without.
   
   -- wiredweird



2. Gerstner's tome, Designing Programmes has developed a cult-like following and Lars Mueller wisely chose to reprint it. First editions sell upwards of 700-800 and this makes it out of reach for most. I was excited to see this book reprinted.
   
   I have a German edition and have used it as a reference, translating my own to English. This is an area where I am let down; when reading the translation in this edition, it does not flow smoothly and reads ambiguously in parts. A lot of text could have been cut out or better written for a more succinct read.
   
   Another area of disappointment is the picture quality: There are blurred photos, type with jagged edges, pixel edges on some photos, and errant dot patterns. It appears as if the original material was not used to produce this edition, instead scanning in or photographing pre-screened images.
   
   Despite these short comings, I believe it is a valuable book to own for any educator, student or practicing designer. Gerstner takes the reader through a logical and step-by-step process of solution, or program development to design problems.

No comments about Innovations in Hospice Architecture.

3 comments about Classical Architecture for the Twenty-first Century: An Introduction to Design.

1. This book was recommended to me by an architect. It clearly explains and illustrates the basic principles of classic architecture. The drawings and photographs are particularly well chosen. Though this book is not a difinitive guide, it is the best book that I have found for the reader looking for a basic understanding of the principles. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapter on "the ten timeless cannons" of classical architecture as well as the chapter entitled "The language of classical architecture: fifteen things to know."
   
   I think that the reader would find it very useful to combine reading this book with another book: Traditional Construction Patterns, by Stephen A. Mouzon.
   
   I highly recommend Classical Architecture, which was written in association with (and recommended by) CLASSICAL AMERICA.



2. THis book is a critically important and necessary tool for anyone wanting to understand classical architecture, whether to gain greater appreciation of historic buildings or in order to make new ones. Professor Gabriel's book is intended as a textbook for the study of classical design, whether in a formal architectural course or independently. In pursuit of this aim, the book presents thorough treatments of the major principles and techniques related to the discipline. His presentation of the underlying principles of classical planning, the orders, proportion, and ornament are very accessible and complete. The author manages to de-mystify the subject, while at the same time giving us an enhanced sense of the artistry behind all the examples he uses. Exhaustive treatment of the individual subjects is not his aim, but I found his comments both informative and subtle. Readers wishing to pursue any of the subjects in greater detail can avail themselves of the many references cited.
   One the great advantages of Gabriel's book is that it includes so many examples from his native French tradition. Americans tend to know little in detail about French architecture and theory. This book deepens our acquaintance with the well-known architects, such as Mansart and Ange-Jacques Gabriel, but also introduces lesser known and modern French masters, most notably Emilio Terry.
   Gabriel's instruction in watercolor wash rendering technique is very helpful, and the examples he illustrates, all by his former Syracuse University students, demonstrate that these skills can be learned and a high degree of proficiency attained today.
   I found the book excellent in presenting this material in a way that appeals to both younger and more mature students of design. It is a welcome and needed resource.



3. i am of two minds about making classical, beaux arts buildings today. on the one hand it does make for fine and elegant buildings. i believe that it is easier for a mediocre designer to produce a decent classical building than a decent modernist building. but i have misgivings about building 21st century buildings aping the style but not the construction systems of 300 years ago. we can't build they way they did, classical buildings today are like stage sets, they look great, but behind the canvas, it's all ropes and scaffolding. so, i was interested to read how and why to do classical buildings in the 21st century.
   
   the author, jean francois gabriel, one of the last graduates of the ecole des beaux arts in paris, now teaches in the united states. he has legitimate classical credibility, unlike graves or the krier brothers.
   
   it is a peculiar book, one part manifesto, one part text book, one part pattern book. it satisfies in none of these catagories. it seems to be written for the student, but has sections clearly directed at teachers, and has appeals to professionals to jump on the classicist bandwagon. the illustrations, many of them hand drawn in ink by the author or hand rendered in washes by his students, are lively, lovely, and engaging. i wish the same could be said of the text. the text is clear, but suffers from poor relationships between the prose and the subject illustrations, making reading somewhat difficult and jerky as your eye scans for the appropriate illustration.
   
   the book's biggest problem, in my opinion, is that it lacks two crucial chapters. had it had a chapter on the orders, described in detail how the orders are rendered, their parts, the proportions of each part to the others, and a chapter on beaux arts planning and methods of composing buildings in plan, this book would have been far more useful to students, teachers and professionals. the orders are discussed, but not in depth or detail. thomas gordon smith's book, classical architecture/rule & invention provides a fine example of what is missing with regard to describing the orders. and frustratingly, the only mention of beaux arts organizational planning is a single throw away line about using axises and enfelades. okay...how?
   
   the organization of the book seemed peculiar to me. in the midst of the discussions of how to treat rooms and outdoor spaces, there is a chapter on how to make watercolor wash renderings, followed by more chapters about massing and facades. the rendering chapter might have been better omitted, or placed at the end as an appendix.
   
   there is little discussion of why classical architecture should be adopted in the 21st century, nor is there any discussion of how classical architecture gets adapted to the very different needs, uses and building types of the 21st century. it's a pretty book, i love the drawings, but of very limited usefulness to students, teachers or professionals.