No comments about Building Codes Illustrated for Elementary and Secondary Schools: A Guide to Understanding the 2006 International Building Code (Building Codes Illustrated).

4 comments about How to Build an Igloo: And Other Snow Shelters.

1. First of all my 5 and 6 year old started looking at this book and it was hard to get it back from them as they were so charmed by the pictures. They have been playing in the snow and hounding me to help ever since.
   
   Second of All I lived in Nunavut for 9 years and took lessons in igloo building from Inuit elders. I also worked with elders and teachers to create a unit on igloo building for students and teachers. I learned to make a half presentable igloo in this process! I can say with a modicum of expertise that many books on the subject are complete flops but not this one.
   
   This book is the real deal. The pictures are great and the text is as well. A fantastic and charming tutorial for playing in the snow. First rate.



2. How are blocks of ice cut and fitted to create an igloo, how can one assess snow possibilities to build one, and what are other shelter options for snowy areas? Norbert Yankielun's How to Build an Igloo and Other Snow Shelters covers all the basics, offering step-by-step insights on how to construct - and inhabit - an igloo or other snow shelter. Any collection located in an area that gets winter snow will relish this fun, appealing title!
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. my son got this as a gift and enjoyed the variety of snow shelter info.



4. What a truly delightful book describing both the science and the frivolity of snow structures. Dr. Why's excellent detail and evident excitement about the subject lend a depth to a subject all those exposed to the colder climes will enjoy. Make those NOT in a snow-filled area jealous... Great book for all ages and abilities!

1 comments about The Elements of Design: A Practical Encyclopedia of the Decorative Arts from the Renaissance to the Present.

1. This is a MUST HAVE for interior designers. The pictures are quite detailed. It is written in chronological order and takes you through all the design periods (including, but not limited to: Baroque, Rococo, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco) It explains and shows examples of furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, textiles, lighting (to name a few)from each period from 1400-2000.
   It is one of the MOST IMPORTANT reference books to have in your library. Especially to be able to explain certain things to clients. I recommend having it. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL BOOK. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A DESIGNER, GET IT FOR YOUR COFFEE TABLE...YOU WILL ENJOY LOOKING AT IT!

1 comments about The Myth of Santa Fe: Creating a Modern Regional Tradition.

1. The editiorial reviews available on this fine publication only hint at its value to preservationists, architects, and anyone involved with architectural design review boards. Wilson provides a concise history of Santa Fe and the cross-cultural influences that have shaped its architecture. Most importantly, the author examines the influence that early 20th century historic preservation philosophies had in formalizing what has ultimately become the "Santa Fe Sytle." This is essential material for anyone interested in examining how historic preservation can impact, both positively and negatively, contemporary architectural aesthetics.

1 comments about Frank Lloyd Wrights House on Kentuck Knob.

1. Don Hoffman's book gives and accurate description of how this magnificent home came into being from its inception to completion. It discusses how the sketches evolved due to the environmental considerations of the landscape showing how Kentuck Knob was build to coordinate the house and the hill upon which it was built into one organic structure.

   It explains Wright's architectural philosophy as to why he makes the decisions he did when building this house.

   Visually the book itself is elegantly designed with excellent photographs giving a true feel for the nature of the house and providing some insignt to the wise, artistically minded people whom conceived of and lived in Kentuck Knob so happily and with such a great respect for the environment which the house occupies.

   As a child I spent a great deal of time in this house, being close family friends with the original owners, so I would know if there were any inconsistancies with the book and reality and find it most accurately written.

   This would be a great gift for anyone interested in architecture, environmnetalism or whom is a particular fan of Frank Llyod Wright's architecture. Also it is so beautifully done that it would just be a pretty coffee table book to keep for yourself or for in a guest room.

5 comments about Modern Architecture Since 1900.

1. I gave up in trying to read this book. The language is too advanced for someone simply studying 20th cenury architecture class, unless this is your field of studies or you are going to write a thesis.



2. Nothing to review as you were unable to provide me with a copy of the product selected. Apparently it was out of stock. But you did provide the name of another book that I might like. Unfortunately it was for a text and that suggestion ws useless.



3. I am an architecture major and an architecture history minor. I love both fields, and I made 100 in the class that used this book. Take this review legitimately.
   
   I can go on to the academic approach to this review and tell you how this book is the best thing ever since the invention of electricity, but I won't.
   
   I am telling you this from a student's point of view, and I had to drag myself through a large majority of this book's chapters.
   
   As fairly wide-reaching as this book is with a wealth of information, this is one of the most boring reads I ever encountered, up there with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Quite frankly, I would rather drop everything right now and fly to London to drink some Earl Grey tea and choke on some exceptionally dry scones while chatting to a man in the Days of Yore curly wig and a white face of arsenic than ever have to read this book again.
   
   The only reason I would ever purchase this book (besides class) is to use it as reference.
   
   It is not a fun leisure read and it is drier than a martini with dust on it.
   
   You've been warned.



4. It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, task to write a review on
   Mr. Curtis's book on Modern architecture. Scope of time/space/subject
   is just so wide and deep to write down on a single page.
   
   However, the reason why this book stands out is that Mr. Curtis's
   writings are based on first hand experience of actual buildings.
   One can easily grasp that because he points out nitty-gritty aspects of
   Unique construction process and its critical position as "A"rchitecture.
   
   What impressed me personally was his stance on the tectonics of structure.
   He gives more credit (or may be it's just my reading of him) on the "visual structure"
   Than "actual structure." Issues of veiling, hence, comes to the foreground.
   Given his on-going interests in Spanish architects and his recent interviews and essays in
   El Croquis, it comes as no surprise.
   
   Mr. Curtis is extremely objective and logical in his analysis and his subject
   matter. However, what makes his book extremely tantalizing to read
   is that he takes a position that architecture could be more than just a composition of
   materials. Architecture should tell more than just its story. The intervention of the materiality and
   anti-gravitational nature of higher order puts architecture on a higher dimension
   
   Moreover, through the struggle between architect and client, and through
   The clash of public wantings and ambition of an architect,
   there is a moment that uplifts normative expression of construction
   into a higher and symbolic level. This sort of revealing of invisible or pervasive metaphors
   are ultimately achievable only through accuracy and precision
   
   This is only one aspect of the book. Grab it, you'll know what I mean.



5. Excellente Review of the History of Modern Architecture. Brief analisys on every condition that certainly had an influence in modernity.

No comments about Earth Architecture.

3 comments about Renzo Piano.

1. I think the book is really good for the people who doesn't know the work of Piano, but in my case it was - in certain way - disappointing. The pictures wasn't new, i already knew the most of them. A lot of sketches but few drawings, details or thoughts about Piano's work. The book could be excellent but it is just good.



2. ...As a proffesional photographer and an avid architecture enthusiast, I look for extreme qualities in the books I purchase. I have had nothing but great luck with my purchases from publishing companies such as Phaidon, Taschen, and Rizzoli. Phillip Jodidio is also someone who has proved himself time and time again (the author of this book, among others). This book is absolutely gorgeous! It is one of the few books I had to buy without being able to look through it, but wow! And to think there is one of these on Tadao Ando and one forthcoming on my favorite Architect Santiago Calatrava?!?!
   
   Anyhow, here are some details for you:
   
   This book is slightly smaller than the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, which remains my favorite book to date. With that said, it's a little easier to hold on your lap, but best viewed on a table!
   
   The photography is awesome...some of the photos take up two pages! - in fact, there is a center-foldout of the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center that takes up four pages!!!
   
   There is enough text to fill you in on info, but the photography in this book really does the talking. You will also find a lot of sketches and some models from Mr. Piano.
   
   Renzo Piano is one of my favorite architects, but if your cause is a love for architecture in general, I still have to recommend this book. Everything is well done, even the catologue of his complete work in the back.
   
   The only drawback for me is that only certain pieces of his work are showcased - for example, the Ferrari wind tunnel is only mentioned in the rear catologue, not showcased in the book.
   
   This book is well worth $125.00, in fact, in my opinion it's worth more than that! - After having this book, I am going to pick up the Tadao Ando and Santiago Calatrava books WITHOUT viewing them, that's what a good job this book did at selling me on those products!!



3. Renzo Piano is without a question one of the worlds greatest architects, his talent is singular, it's just awesome...as is this amazing book. It is THE book on Piano, and that is saying something because there are quite a few good books on the man and his work, but if you feel you can have just one on Renzo Piano then make it this one. The text is scholarly and highly informative and the images are just what you would expect in a book of this caliber..first rate. I often visit the Menil Collection here in Houston and never cease to marvel at how beautiful yet function it is, and that really is his genius. I recently visited his building for the Nasher Collection in Dallas and again was blown away at the elegance and beauty of the building, yet it works perfectly as a repository for Mr. Nasher's world class collection, it works on every level, as with the Menil, it is highly functional,yet beautiful. The two buildings could not be more different, but they both bare Mr. Piano's penchant for a building that works. It's not enough that the building is takes your breath away, it must also work and Renzo Piano understands this and as an admirer of great architecture and someone who appreciates function, thank you Mr. Piano. I highly recomend this beautiful book on this amazing talent.

2 comments about Art of Japanese Architecture.

1. I know little about Japanese architecture but found this book very instructive and easily readable for the novice. I shared it with freinds who have lived in Japan for over 20 years. They were quite impressed at the authenic quality of the research and the wonderful illustrations. Another friend, a landscape architect, was delighted that so many of the fine photos showed how important landscaping is the Japanese architecture. The photos and illustrations are supurb. The book doesn't just dwell inhistoricism but brings you up to date with modern Japanese works as well. I feel it is one of the best purchases I've made in a long time.



2. After an extensive search, I found the above description of THE ART OF JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE in a Library Journal listing. While there is nothing in book itself or on Amazon to indicate that it is but a revision of Introduction to Japanese Architecture, as a result of comparing the two books in their entirety, line by line and illustration by illustration, I can assure you that this is indeed the case.
   
   In general, both books give one who is not knowledgeable about it an excellent overview of Japanese architecture from its beginnings through modern times via a well-written, easy-to-grasp text. What will also appeal to those just beginning to study Japan is that the architecture is discussed in context--i.e., in a narrative that includes details about locations, gardens, statuary, historical events/people, and religion.
   
   Both books also abound in illustrations, all in color. Of ART's 370, 216 are photographs, 39 of which are 1-to-2-pg. spreads, 80 of which range from 3 x 5 to 3/4ths of a page. Included, too, are the following, which, with 9 exceptions, also appear in INTRO:
   -24 watercolors of sites showing their structures and landscaping, often at least 1/2 a page in size;
   -20 layouts/floor plans;
   -88 drawings/watercolors of individual structures, construction and architectural details;
   -19 paintings and woodblock prints.
   
   As for the differences between the two books-- While ART is 48 pages longer than INTRO, what accounts for most of these pages is the addition of 51 photographs, 32 of which are full- or 2-page spreads, 10 of which are 1/2- to 3/4th-page ones.
   
   In regards to the text, ART adds only approximately 368 lines, the equivalent of 3.5 pages (two 56-line, 2.5-inch-wide columns per page). Though most do add information about the architecture, the additions are scattered throughout the 173-page book and typically amount to but a phrase here or a sentence or two there of descriptive detail. In only 21 instances is a paragraph or two added. And only occasionally is the information a result of findings made since INTRO was published. ART also omits the equivalent of a page of text because it excludes INTRO's section on Tomb Mounds. (Excerpts from it, however, comprise the first "comment" on this review.)
   
   So which book do I recommend? Currently, it really depends on which is more important to you: price or photographs. Be aware, however, that both books paint Japanese architecture in broad strokes--i.e., the details about the architecture of specific structures rarely exceed a paragraph. If you are looking for a book that goes into technical detail, What is Japanese Architecture?: A Survey of Traditional Japanese Architecture will probably be more to your liking even though its illustrations are limited to line drawings. --B. Evans, 1/19/08
   
   Note: If you are trying to compare ART/INTRO with other books, a printable copy of the Table of Contents is in the commentary following my review of Introduction to Japanese Architecture. Unfortunately, neither book has an index.

1 comments about Luxury Winery Estates.

1. A little disappointed with this book. I feel there are better books out there on this subject.