No comments about Wright (Special Edition).

3 comments about Late Victorian Houses and Cottages: Floor Plans and Illustrations for 40 House Designs.

1. If you were an upper-middle-class gentleman living a hundred years ago, and were thinking of building a house, but weren't sure just what style suited you, then you would want to get your hands on this book. The 40 plans here go beyond Victorian, and represent a good range of houses being built in the day. There are no modest cottages to be found here, these are mostly in the 2000-4000 sq ft range. For each house, you get a perspective and plans for the first two floors. You also get a nice description including the dimensions, along with the height of each story, materials, finishes, interior details, and the cost.
   
   Any of these houses could be built today, with some rearranging of the rooms to fit modern expectations. Put one of these on a block full of modern houses, and nobody would ever see any of the others. These plans come from an age when houses were designed to make an impression, make a statement about the owner and his station. They would certainly cost more than a comparably sized modern house, because every corner, every nook and cranny, is filled with beautiful details. The contractors who built these houses would never, ever, build a house with brick in front and vinyl siding in the back. They would sooner show up for their own weddings with the front of a tux on, and their bare backside hanging out! I'm hopeful that someday soon we'll have a housing renaissance, where these kinds of houses enjoy a resurgence of popularity. Highly recommended.



2. A good refurence on period homes. Each structure has a profile drawing, plans for two floors and is well described. Unfortunately it provides no images for attick which Victorians often used for bedrooms or funrooms as well as storage or basement which often contained house coal furnace and storage as well as other facilities.
   
   A good find for anyone interested in homes of this most interesting period. I just wish it were complete.



3. I actually purchased this book for use in a computer game. The Sims and Sims 2 games permit the building of houses and for me, this book filled the bill perfectly.
   
   To actually work from authentic floor plans used in the 19th Century and watch it come to life is an interesting hobby.
   
   Each home consists of a very good drawing of the house itself plus an excellent rendering of the floor plan. In those days, you browsed thru this book much the same as a Sears Catalog and picked out the home you wanted built. You then bought the floor plans which varied in price. Some floor plans cost as little as $25.00, others cost $150.00.
   
   There is a very good description of the house which consists of general dimensions, exterior materials, interior materials and accommodations such as heating by furnace or fireplace. In many cases, the house could be built for $3,000 or less.
   
   For the history buff it would be interesting time spent with this book. I recommend it for the detail in the floor plans alone. The drawings are superb.

2 comments about Historic Preservation: Project Planning & Estimating.

1. This is a very useful book for anyone who has a role in a historic preservation project. It's the only book I've seen that looks at the whole project from feasibility and financing to contracts and construction.
   
   Not all of this book is riveting reading, but all of it is necessary to understanding what a large-scale preservation project might entail.
   
   The authors have vast experience in some of the biggest and most important (e.g. the Statue of Liberty) preservation projects undertaken in recent times.
   
   The only real flaw I noticed was in the discussion of using historic preservation tax credits: No mention was made of syndicating -- a process akin to selling -- tax credits so that nonprofits can take advantage of them.



2. The American construction industry has been waiting for this book for a long time. Its practical information can make this type of work a usual business practice, with profit for practitioners and retention of the public's cultural heritage. It can be done on time, on budget and still sensitive to original design and fabric, if the team has a well-rounded education.

5 comments about Architecture and Disjunction.

1. This book was required for our studio (third year), and I am very glad that it was. I found it to be thought-provoking and helpful to my studio project.



2. If the architecture of Frank Gehry, has been described as a movie composed entirely of special effects, then Tschumi's is like special effects that don't quite come off. Herbert Muschamp, the modernist cheerleader who is the architecture critic for the NY Times, began his review of Tschumi's Lerner Student Center at Columbia University by saying "By now, everyone knows that Bernard Tschumi's new Lerner Hall is a dud." And City Journal described his work as ""an agitated, irrational mix of limestone, brick, metal, and glass... giving the impression of a building on the edge of a nervous breakdown." Journalist Robert Locke has written, ""Tschumi's theoretical writings, the basis of his reputation, are a tangled mess that alternately induces dizziness and puzzlement as to whether the author actually knows what philosophy is, or merely heard it described by someone in a bar once ...... The worst of this stuff is so self-evidently empty as to defy attack". - It only remains for you to ask yourself whether you are one of those fools who will be taken in by this confidence trickster who has ruined the cities we live in, or whether you will move on to more intelligent reading. [Hint: Try Louis Kahn. It's a good start!]



3. Disjuntion indeed. More BS pontification than valuable commentary. The arguments are poorly considered, heavily flawed and bear no tangible relationship to the projects they are supposed to describe. Tschumis is just one of the many theoretical architects who make great claims about the buildings and cities they design for, but in practice produce the same tired cliched sculptural rubbish that has ruined Paris and other great places. But worse, Tschumi's buildings are poorly built and look even worse after a few years. - Check out his work at Columbia Campus in New York. The loading dock of any warehouse looks better than the entry ramp that he designed. - Time to wake up from the rubbish Tshumi and his ilk have been getting away with for years.



4. Tschumi states more-or-less obvious truths about the failure of modern architecture to create meaningful places. The arguments are clear, if simply stated. - My big regret is that the writer never heeds his own message. Tschumi himself is one of the worst practitioners of the very ideologies he criticizes. [Anyone who has looked at the Columbia building by Tschumi will know how poor, cold, puerile, vacuous and dumb (that's right DUMB) a building it is.] Tschumi has fallen into the trap so common in architecture these days, of believing that writing ("theorizing") is more important than observing and building for a true reality. Pragmatics and real life issues are not his bag. - In the end, Tschumi is just another architectural hypocrite. He sort of knows the real stuff, but is too much of a wanker (ask your British friends if you don't know what a wanker is), to care about real architectural problems enough to solve them. - A few diagrams here, a few poorly assembled details there ... who cares if it falls apart three days after he photographs it. - It's just such a pity this flaky poof is allowed to teach. - If you read it, (and I don;t recommend you waste your time doing so), just ask yourself if the doctor seems to use his own medicine.



5. In an amazing collection of essays, Tschumi criticizes both modernism objectivity and post-modern nostalgia. His most important proposition -- that there is no cause and effect relationship between function and space -- is a kick in the teeth of functionalist thinkers. Instead of "form and function", he proposes an architecture based on "space, event and movement", in which the conflit and contradictions between the terms of the equation is its most relevant aspect. "Architecture and disjunction" is a Pandora's Box -- some of the questions it proposes are painful and disturbing (like "what is space?", for instance), but have been overlooked long enough. To paraphrase Morpheus in the movie "The Matrix", "you can take the blue pill, and believe whatever you like, or you can 'read the little red book', stay in Wonderland, and I'll show how deep the rabbit hole goes..."

2 comments about Everyday Architecture of the Mid-Atlantic: Looking at Buildings and Landscapes (Creating the North American Landscape).

1. Wonderful book with very detailed information regarding architectual styles and construction techniques. This information is very useful for both the layman and scholar. It is written in easy to understand language with numerous illustrations and photographs.



2. This is the perfect book for those interested in the art and science of examining and interpreting the built landscape. Providing the same instruction as an intro-level Historic Preservation course, it teaches the reader the process for building documentation , as well as some of the other basics of the Historic Preservation profession. The beautiful photographs, drawings, and illustrations clarify the more-difficult ideas. Not for the casual building-enthusiast, but it will greatly add to the enjoyment of the more serious vernacular architecture fan.

3 comments about Gourd Fun for Everyone.

1. This book is easy to follow with great illustrations and instructions. The Native Americans use gourds for many things and often decorate them with early drawings of animals and native designs. Others, sometimes, just color them and add gold touches. Gourds come in many shapes and may be used for bird houses, baskets, containers, decorator items, etc. I've purchased a gourd from "The Gourd Farm" that looks like a SNAKE. Even the stem appears to be the snake's tongue. It will be so much fun to paint and place near the entrance to my home. They even make musical instruments by stringing wooden beads in a net fashion around them.
   
   Gourd painting isa lot of fun. I hope you'll give it a try.



2. This is a great book if you enjoy gourds. If you don't know anything about gourds or don't know anything about painting, it is still a good book, as there are enough instructions to get anyone started. The author presents some of the most creative gourd designs I have ever encountered. The book was well worth the money to me.



3. Anyone who enjoys working with gourds will truely appreciate the effort that has gone into the making of this book. I especially appreciated the very detailed photographs that accompany each project in the book. Everyone, from novice to expert will find something of interest. The book is written in an easy to understand format and everything needed to complete each project is listed. An excellent addition to any collection of "gourd" books, exactly what I was looking for.

1 comments about Building an Enterprise Architecture Practice: Tools, Tips, Best Practices, Ready-to-Use Insights (The Enterprise Series).

1. I have not gone through the whole book but going through the first 3 chapters I kind of liked the pace at which the book is written. The fundamentals are clearly documented with equal emphasis on product , process and people. Nice clear diagram to covey the concepts. I think it is a good buy.

5 comments about Painting Garden Animals with Sherry C. Nelson, MDA (Decorative Painting).

1. After thoroughly explaining the equipment and techniques to be used. the author takes the reader through very detailed step by step illustrated descriptions of the steps needed to oil paint several animals common to many suburban neighborhoods along with some vegetation and/or flowers as a setting. (There's even a black bear for those in wilder suburbia.) There are typically 20-24 close-up detailed illustrations for each painting. Her techniques yield very realistic paintings; she shows the subtle differences in various types of fur and hair for the different animals as well as body shapes and realistic poses. A great feature is an uncolored line drawing for each painting that you may photocopy or transfer to your support and use as a basis for the painting (but it's not a paint-by-number thing - just a initial guide). Consequently you don't have to be an experienced wildlife artist to benefit from this book.
   
   The paintings are very well done and illustrate her methods clearly. I'd highly recommend this for anyone, even novices, who wants to learn to paint their own animal pictures in oils.



2. THis is a wonderful art book. Great instructions and
   the colors are clear and crisp.
   Wonderful information.
   Thank you, DB



3. This book is well laid out, excellent pictures, easy to follow instructions, lovely patterns, money well spent on this book.



4. This is a great book for beginners or even a little more experienced painters. Unlike alot of step-by-step instruction books that miss critical steps(specifically the techniques - to me the most important part), Sherry's detailed pictures clearly illustrate what colours, brushes, and brush strokes to use to the very end of a painting. It's helped me get back into the hobby. The wildlife painting techniques have been very helpful. I still refer to it from time to time.



5. Not only are the sample paintings easy and fun to create, but they give you very good ideas for your own compositions from photos or life.

No comments about Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective (Golf Architecture).

5 comments about Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses.

1. I live in North Carolina, where Ross made his home--at least in the fall, winter, and spring. There's almost a holy reverence for the man around here but there's a lot of bluster and phoney-ness too. For example, there are plenty of clubs that say they have a Ross course when they have anything but. I remember a guy at a country club here telling me how fortunate they were to have an original Ross course. At the time, I didn't know any better and so I believed the dafty. I soon discovered that little of the original routing remained. Why? Because Trent Jones came in at some stage and pretty much blew the place to smithereens plus the large oak trees of which members are so fond had changed the original routing beyond recognition. And if you cut down those trees at that club, you're dead. Dead. The original course had a handful of trees.
   
   The beauty of Brad Klein's book is that it demystifies Ross while providing those with Ross courses a blueprint for renovation or restoration. It's a coffee table tome but it's much more than pretty pictures on coated paper. It's a thoroughly-researched thesis from someone with an advanced degree. It's also very well written and even passionate. Klein also resists the temptation to go PC, sensibly preferring to place Ross within the context of his time and place. Ross wasn't the greatest golf course architect (that's HS Colt) but Ross was a brilliant router; he understood the value of a golf course that everyone from the weekend hacker to the scratch man or woman could enjoy. Modern golf course architects need to make their courses easier, not harder. Take a look at one of the few remaining relatively untouched Ross courses. Which living golf course architect could make it better, or, more importantly, more enjoyable? On the 'real' Ross courses I've played, apart from Pinehurst #2, you have to work very hard to bag a lot of big numbers.
   
   Klein's book features details about the man and also discusses several of his courses. There's also a useful directory in the back. The book is also the story of one man's version of The American Dream. Ross arrived here pretty much penniless but managed to build a useful empire through hard work and some smart thinking. The book shows that Ross was a "Canny Scot" who knew how to promote himself and satisfy his clients. Nothing wrong with that. It's a happy story.
   
   It might have been tempting for Klein to get all cuddly with the group that calls itself The Donald Ross Society. I've met some members of said conglomerate, including one of its officers, and they are all a bit full of themselves. Klein mentions the society but it's very much his book, his thoughts, and his ideas. I like books with opinions and character. The book is respectful without being gushy and authoritative without being pompous.
   
   I hope that my buddy at the Donald Ross/Robert Trent Jones golf course that's currently under renovation reads Klein's book. He needs to. So too should anyone who is interested in golf course architecture and wants to know what a real Ross golf course looks like. Hint: it's rarely like Pinehurst #2.



2. Whereas Bahto in the Evangelist of Golf is focused on the National more and how it came to define C.B. MacDonald, Brad Klein produces a broad overview of Donald Ross and is less focused on any one aspect of his life and career as a golf designer.
   
   Donald Ross was the Henry Ford of golf design. Some 400 courses confirmed to his credit with, of course, Pinehurst being his crown achievement.
   
   I think this is a solid overview of Donald Ross in general, but I was hoping to really appreciate "why" his courses were so special. We get to understand that for Donald Ross, his routings and greens were some of his strong points. However, the Ross hole and green diagrams along with the course plans only convey so much about this. Yes, they're great but the text I feel isn't in depth enough to really bring out what's buried in the diagrams, plans and pics. Instead, we are exposed to tid bits of some of the more popular courses he's produced. There's an attempt to explain Ross strategies and golf design philosophy in chapter 7, but it's high level and general. I also don't quite grasp why chapter 7 wasn't placed sooner in this book. Maybe I was expecting too much on this. Indeed, this is not a "Confidential Guide" of Ross courses as John Conley states in his earlier review.
   
   At any rate, I think the strengths of this book lie within the quality production, tremendously thorough research (especially when it comes to how Ross did things), very good photographs (especially when it comes to before and after course pictures), and the historical perspective.
   
   The Pinehurst section is very interesting from a background and historical perspective, but you won't learn much about why the course is great.
   
   The renovation / restoration segment is also very informative. Some great pictures illustrate what can happen when proper care is given to a renovation / restoration effort.
   
   There's a nice comprehensive compilation list of Ross's courses, but unfortunately it won't help you figure out which one's you can play. Maybe in the next revision, Klein can indicate which courses are public vs. private. Even tracking back some of the courses within the book won't help either, as you're never too sure which one's are public or private.
   
   Overall, I'd recommend this volume in a heartbeat. Just don't have grand expectations about understanding what makes such and such a Ross course so great. Rather, view this work as a very good and thorough review of what was involved in being Ross the person, family man, hard working course designer, and creator of many great golf courses.



3. Brad Klein has done a superb job in this lavishly illustrarted story of Donald Ross,long recognized as one the original "founding fathers" of the golden era of golf architecture. While it shows dozens of courses in detail,it is much more than a picture book, since it tells the story of Ross right from his earliest days in Scotland. Klein weaves a very readable and interesting picture of the life and accomplishments of Donald Ross.

   The book is well named since it a wonderful journey of discovery. There are all kinds of new insights for even the Ross fans who thought they read everything about DJR. But it will hold the interest of any reader who loves to read about a rich, full life told well. About a man who left Scotland for America without enough money to buy his second meal but who worked so hard he became one of the best paid individuals in all of sports.

   And it is about a man who never forgot the meaning of family and his employees.

   Brad Klein's book is throughly researched, well written and shows a genuine love for golf and for one of the men who made it great. Mr Klein is on his way to join that list.

   John Purcell




4. There is little doubt of the time and effort it took to reasearch this phenominal book on one of Golf's Great Heroes.

   Author Brad Klein gives the reader a inside view of not only who Donald Ross was, what he represents to the game of Golf today, as well as a revealing throwback to an age gone by.

   Aerial photos, course diagrams, and other pertinent data show the reader just how much the game's playing grounds have changed, and the effort to hold on to their design critieria as was intended by this soft spoken man from the North of Scotland.

   I would highly suggest this book to all who love the game of Golf itself, as well as the courses of Donald Ross; and for those who love golf courses, in general.




5. In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.