No comments about San Miguel's Mexican Interiors.

4 comments about Richard Neutra, 1892-1970: Survival Through Design (Taschen Basic Architecture).

1. I agree with all of the other reviewers in that this is a very high quality book in general. Very nice photos and high quality printing. But, there are NO floorplans or blueprints in this book. There are only tiny thumbnail size floorplan drawings of each home that have no details--they don't label the different rooms or show any built-in furniture or closet spaces. The kitchens are not notated nor are any kitchen cabinets shown. The drawings only show walls and windows and don't even show the standard architectural symbols for swinging doors. You are left to guess what rooms are bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms ect!
   
   So if you want to study a Neutra house by examining the floorplan or blueprint, you cannot do so with this book! How can you you have a book about an architect and exclude architectural drawings? This book is nothing but a small format coffee table book for people who are not interested in really studying what made Neutra homes unique and interesting.
   
   If you are interested in getting a book with drawings of Neutra homes, then this is NOT the book for you. The thumbnail drawings are virtually useless.
   
   I would not recommend this book.



2. For a very thin book, very informative, lots of photos, though most interior shots are black and white. Barbara Lamprecht provides insight into one of the pre-eminent Modernist visionaries whose work still captures the imagination today.



3. The German Publishing Company, Taschen has recently introduced a series of paperback monographs covering the lives and works of the Twentieth Century's greatest architects.
   
   The series follows a standardized format. The books are 96 pages long and begin with an introductory biographical chapter. The book then moves onto brief chapters highlighting the master architect's most iconic buildings. The book is very well written and his covered head to toe with beautiful photographs. The book is of the high quality that one generally associates with Taschen publishing.
   
   Richard Neutra, an Austrian immigrant helped introduce the United States to European "modernism". His early works shows the clear influence of Bauhuas. What made Neutra one of the great architects is that he took modernist ideas and gave them a uniquely American character. We are currently experiencing a mid century modern revival and Richard Neutra was one of creators of that style. This book is a wonderful introduction to the works of this great architect. Taschen hits another home run! A great value. Highly recommended.



4. I have written two research papers on Richard Neutra and therefore have read lots and lots of books about the architect and his evocative buildings. This book, while admittedly just a quick look at Neutra's major works, is well-written (even lyric at times), packed with information, and interesting. She discusses his background and influences, theories of biorealism and technology, and characteristic stylistic language. The quality of the photographs is excellent--they are crisp and clear and literally pop out of the page, alive with contrast and color. I bought this book on a whim thinking that it would be just "fun" compared to longer, more involved texts, but it has become my favorite!!

2 comments about Cabins of Minnesota (Minnesota Byways).

1. The pictures are like something out of a dream, or a very old memory, tantalizing glimpses that one wants to attend more closely. I studied the pictures, each one a little fantasy, and turned the page hoping to see more specifics, but instead found another dreamy fragment. The text is similarly meandering, taking a leisurely pace through the idyll of cabin life.
   
   I gave the book only 3 stars not because there's anything subpar about what's in it, but because what's in it only skimmed the surface of my interest in cabins. I wanted more technical information. I wanted floorplans or demographical statistics.



2. The beautiful scenery of a MN cabin on a MN lake!
   "Wow!"
   
   Breath taking!
   
   Mark Salinas, MN

4 comments about Kandinsky: Complete Writings On Art.

1. A densely translated book. A must have reference for any artist's library.



2. This book deserves a commanding coign of vantage on the shelf of any reader desiring a deeper understanding of the creative process. In extending its reach beyond the requisite inclusion of Kandinsky's On the Spiritual in Art and Point and Line to Plane, the work embraces nearly 900 pages of life-giving insight by the master and driving force of nonobjective art.
   
   To cast a light on any one Kandinsky commentary is to risk a plunge of the whole into shadow. We nevertheless salute in general the author's reflections on his fellow artists, for as Kandinsky finds characteristics to praise he provides a refreshing view of art's operating mechanisms. To select but a single example, in a charming commentary on the paintings of musician Arnold Schoenberg the author skewers the popular idea that an artist achieves full realization through a discovery of a "corresponding form" recognizable to all comers. In fact, it is the very discovery of what Kandinsky calls a "dying form" which is to the artist "fatal." As for the converse, the artist who produces an ever-changing series of works representing in their form the development of a more sensitive and robust inner soul discovers, ironically, his works condemned for a lack of stylistic conformance. And so, says Kandinsky, "the dead passes for the living, and vice versa." Schoenberg, the author assures us, is one of the living for in each of his disparate works "the inner desire of the artist speaks forth in a form appropriate to it."
   
   If Kandinsky's control of the linguistic levers fails to rise to a degree of calibration one imagines appropriate to the vital topic, and if the author very often satisfies himself with the bold proposition which arrests the reader and inspires a healthy suspicion as to a deliberate reduction of the author's encircling vision, his conclusions are fired by a robust soul attuned to the finest strands of the real, and it only remains to add that in terms of abstraction this work must to the archway of understanding provide a requisite keystone.



3. This book is as thorough of a collection of writings by an individual as you will ever find. Including every major treatise, essay, and book by Kandisky, it goes a few steps further with every Kandisky poem (English and German translations) and play. Moreover, the book includes innumerable pamphlets and the like from the earlier late-Expressionist exhibits; also incorporated are several corrspondances between Kandinsky and contemporaries, particularly atonal composer Arnold Schoenburg--illuminating how each other's theories were mutually related and held a reciprocal influence. A little known fact, Schoenburg himself was a non-objective painter--photos of his works are among these pages, as well! Before each section is a contextual introduction to that particular writing. And much much more.



4. An obligatory text for any visual, aural, or literary artist, and a necessity for any true understanding of the nature of artistic creation.

2 comments about Architect's Essentials of Starting, Assessing and Transitioning a Design Firm (The Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice).

1. Wish there were more in the book about design professionals who consult with other professionals--how to manage your prime? I wish there was a similar book for landscape architect.



2. Starting your own design firm is a scary proposition. Having a trusted advisor can help make the transition from employee to being your own boss a little less intimidating. Piven and Perkins do just that in this well written book, which covers the essentials--hey, that's what they called it--of starting a firm without getting bogged down in minutiae.
   You'll get some solid advice on planning, financing, and how to handle some of the more delicate issues of starting your own firm--such as how to represent work you did for others when marketing your new business. The book also includes model business plans and a basic (very basic) overview of accounting principles that even an architect can understand. Worth reading if you're entertaining any notions about starting your own shop.

No comments about Turfgrass Soil Fertility & Chemical Problems: Assessment and Management.

No comments about Stone Sampler, Second Edition (with CD).

1 comments about Golden Gate Bridge: History and Design of an Icon.

1. It's quite cheeky of architect Donald MacDonald not to include a single photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge in his little 128-page book about what is considered one of the modern wonders of the world. Instead, he provides seventy of his own color illustrations to help him and co-writer Ira Nadel tell the history of one of the most beautiful examples of bridge engineering, both in terms of structural design and aesthetic appeal. How the Golden Gate Bridge manages to maintain its iconic status - attracting nine million visitors annually and 1.8 billion vehicles since its opening - is due to what the co-authors describe simply as "geometry". Six brief chapters cover its genesis from the City Beautiful movement showcased at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition through a diverse range of design scenarios through the treacherous construction in 1933-37 and then finally to its enduring survival through the 21st century. I was surprised to discover the pervasive Mayan influences in the structural engineering and how the ultimately Art Deco-inspired design really served to showcase the simplified detail behind its impressive continuity and monumental verticality.
   
   Although one would have expected the use of gold given its name, the bridge's arresting shade of "international orange" was the result of extensive debate. MacDonald uses the creative latitude of his illustrations to show what colors and patterns were seriously considered, including some truly ugly striped patterns meant to allow the military greater visibility during heavy fog conditions. Even the height of the towers was a source of controversy as original designs had them rise to nearly 1,000 feet, or the equal of the Eiffel Tower, versus the final 746 feet. The turbulence of the weather conditions was a key consideration, and as it turns out, the bridge's elastic suspension has been successful in responding to gale-force winds. Particularly interesting is the last chapter on the bridge's current state wherein efforts are focused on earthquake retro-fitting and suicide prevention barriers. MacDonald should know since his firm has been instrumental in the redesign of the toll plaza, the seismic retrofit and the various proposals for a suicide deterrence barrier. This is not the most comprehensive look at the Golden Gate Bridge, but I find MacDonald and Nadel's insights never less than interesting.

1 comments about Architecture in the Age of Divided Representation: The Question of Creativity in the Shadow of Production.

1. This insightful book provided me with a fundamental understanding of not only the history of architectural representation, but also scientific, psychological, philosophical and metaphysical backgrounds of the architectural expressions of epochs throughout the Western culture. What is especially interesting to me is how the idea of 'architecture as language' especially in relation to Bauhaus and modernism is investigated. Since the manifestation of fragments of contemporary cities continuously surfaces in our environments to be comprehended or to take in charge, the text seems to be very relevant to our present time, perhaps even more so in developing countries. One passage reads: "... (I)n amnesic aphasia, the discontinuity between the possible and actual reality of words, between their concrete and abstract meanings, destroys the physiognomic qualities of experience, perception, and language. The loss of physiognomic qualities is directly related to the loss of categorial background, affecting language and perception... This shows just how critical is the communication between articulated, conceptual experience and its background; even more important, it shows that the background is common to our experience as a whole, including our language."

3 comments about Sustainable Residential Interiors.

1. This book is very helpful in giving an overview about the nature of materials used in construction. It gives a great starting point for information on green building, and sustainable products. I highly recommend it as a book to keep around for referencing.



2. If you're a design professional or homeowner looking for a detailed reference manual on sustainabilty for your home - look no further. This is a thoughtfully compiled book with interesting as well as practical information to help make good choices as you make your home healthier for your family AND for the planet. The well designed projects are beautiful, showing green can be good looking too.



3. This book has the format of a text book and it is a fundamental read for any architect, interior designer or product designer. Very clear explanation of materials and systems used in construction, what is bad about them, what is the better alternative and why we should, as resposible beings, be practising sustainability. Not just recommended, it should be compulsory reading for every building professional and student!