1 comments about Rome.

1. Too many histories jump lightly and quickly from the grandeur of pagan Rome to the grandeur of Renaissance and Baroque Rome --ignoring the thousand year artistic and architectural history in between. This book fills in a long and fascinating gap in the history; and brings to our attention works of art that, if they are outshone by the splendours before and after, are not to be despised. The only problem with this book is the relative paucity of pictures and plans, and the absence of any in colour. If printing photographs or reproductions is expensive, why can't they provide a DVD to go with the book?

3 comments about Hotels and Resorts: Planning and Design (Butterworth Architecture Design and Development Guides).

1. Great book, only negative is that it's a little out of date now. Last update was in 1995 which in design terms is a long time!



2. Good primer for anyone interested in development of their first hotel. Good schematics and good general information. Nice index. Useful for learning terminology, which makes negotiating with saavy designers and construction people a lot easier. Could stand to be updated.



3. This book includes all the technical and financial aspects of hotel design/planning. It is an essential book to have when designing any hotel as it contains all standard neccessities for all situations. It shows technical drawings and some info of many (successful) hotels around today. Including some financial statistics and images of these hotels, which are mainy the large hotel chains but also Low budget hotels. This is the most important info as we can learn the most from successful hotels and see why they are working.
   
   Cons are that it is quite difficult to follow. Not clearly explaining what certain statistics are and it is not in a reader friendly format. The few black/white pictures are not important really... But this does not affect my rating of the book as it is not intended for actual learning, rather more 'knowing' essential technical aspects.
   
   The book isn't what a lot of people see as design, aesthetics and visuals etc. It has nothing to do with interior decorating or contemporary design. Just to let you know if you dont already...
   
   If you are or thinking to be a hotel designer/Architect or are in the hotel business, then this book is perfect. You need it to have a hotel that works.

No comments about Renaissance Art and Architecture.

1 comments about History of Architectural Theory.

1. Though outdated in significant ways -- with the entire second half essentially eclipsed by Harry Mallgrave's stunningly comprehensive history of modern architectural theory (Cambridge, 2005) -- this is still worth owning and reading for the material from Vitruvius to Perrault.
   
   The enormous bibliography is, due to its cumbersome organization, rather daunting and not nearly as useful as it should be.
   
   Maddening as it is, it is still an essential volume for anyone even remotely interested in the rationale behind the stylistic appearances of our built environment.

1 comments about Urban Planning Today: A Harvard Design Magazine Reader (Harvard Design Magazine).

1. URBAN PLANNING TODAY is part magazine, part newsletter, and part book report on the latest problems and debates facing urban planning. Here various contributors provide articles on projects from different backgrounds and goals in urban and regional planning, juxtaposing development strategies and issues with criticism and legal notes. Any with an interest in successes, failures, and evolving perspectives will welcome this addition to a college-level collection strong in urban studies.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about Hacienda Style.

1. I have been to the Yucatan and dream of owning a house there some day. This book transports me back there each time I open it. The photos are beautiful. The writing is interesting. I was excited to order this book and it is now at the top of my coffee table book pile, because it is my favorite to look at.



2. This book like their other Yucatan books is very nicely put together with beautiful photos and text. However, the overall appearance of the book seems to be a repetition of the same homes, hotels and discussions about the same designers/architects as their other books. I got the impression that the main purpose of this book and all its content was a payback to anyone that the writers (Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr) owed a favor to. That being hotels that gave them free accommodations, restaurants that gave free meals, architects that gave them free design work for their own properties and furniture dealers that gave them furniture.
   My advice is that if one is looking for design and idea books on Mexico is to search Amazon for alternative books. There are a good assortment to choose from at reasonable prices. If you have a copy of the earlier published Casa Yucatan that book is an adequate collection of the Carr/Witynski publications. Save your money and don't buy this book.

No comments about Restaurant Design (Daab Design Book).

2 comments about Watercolor Basics Color: Color (Watercolor Basics).

1. I found this book to be very helpful and reasonably priced. It is written for the beginner and intermediate, and is very concise. Good at many levels



2. I love Jan Kunz's style of watercolor painting, therefore, I bought the book just out of curiosity. I was totally wrapped in the book especially the demonstrations that are included in the book. Jan makes the color based concepts of hue, value and intensity so CLEAR that my paintings have shown new life since I completed her demonstrations. My shadows and light effects show so much more power and realism. I will definitely buy all of her books. Using this book for developing my skills seemed like Jan was right over my shoulder cheering me on to better and more impressive paintings.

5 comments about Julia Morgan, Architect.

1. This is an outstanding book on Morgan's life and work. Well written text, detailed history, biographical information, and quality photos of the many buildings are just of few of the book's strong points. Morgan designed hundreds of buildings during her over 50-year career, and the author deserves credit for covering so many of them. Of course, she is most famous for the projects she did for Hearst, such as the "Castle" and Wyntoon, the Austrian/Bavarian style estate near Mt. Shasta in northern California, but she created many other important buildings also, which get discussed in detail in this fine volume. Also included are scans of the original plans. Out of all the books on Morgan, this one is by far the best, and well worth your time and money.
   
   A little side note here, I've done five different tours of the Hearst Castle over the years, so have had an opportunity personally to view one of her most important works. During one of the tours, the guide said that a few years ago they had a 6.4 magnitude earthquake there, but except for a few tiles that came off here and there, the castle sustained no damage. That's because despite the delicate looking surface ornamentation, underneath the building is steel reinforced concrete, with even thicker walls than necessary. As a result, the entire Hearst Castle sustained almost no damage during the quake, and no structural damage, and the only really dramatic thing that happened was the guide said that the quake shook things violently enough so that a lot of water sloshed out of the big Neptune pool. :-)
   
   One of the guides said some interesting things about Hearst's wealth. By the standards of the time, he was certainly very wealthy, earning $50,000 a day back in the early 30s. But compared to the most wealthy people of the day, such as Rockefeller, who made one million dollars a day, this was relatively modest. Hearst was the 42nd wealthiest man in the U.S. at the time, his father, George Hearst, being 32nd, if I remember right. He spent 9 million dollars on the Castle, approximately one half a year's earnings, so percentage-wise, it was not that much money for him. But compared to the super-wealthy of the day, such as the Morgans, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, etc, apparently it wasn't much. :-)
   
   Back in the financial panic of 1905, J.P. Morgan, one of the wealthiest men of his time, lent the U.S. government 20 million dollars of his own money, back when that was a lot more, so it could temporarily keep operating. When Morgan died, Rockefeller commented, "He accomplished a lot for a man who wasn't that wealthy."
   
   Anyway, just a few perhaps irrelevant comments on some of the history of the wealthiest individuals of the time. :-)



2. Comprehensive with great photographs, this is a good place to start learning about Morgan's career.



3. I have always been interested in Julia Morgan's work but I have never been able to find enough solid and valuable information about her and her work. I own all of the Julia Morgan books, that is every book written about Julia Morgan. This, by far, is the best composition of the true character of Julia Morgan. Not only do you get an entire biography with incredible detail but you also get insight from hundreds of pictures, scans of actual plans Julia Morgan drafted and entires from other important persons. This book is a must have if you are looking for "the" book covering everything in Julia Morgan's life. This book stands alone among all the other Julia Morgan reads. I suggest that if you are looking for a book about Ms. Morgan, this is the best book, brings the greatest attention to detail that you will ever find about Julia Morgan.



4. A wonderful survey of a truly great Architect. Great photos. Original drawings. A detailed career history & biography. Most of the better known masters haven't gotten this kind of treatment; Ms. Morgan deserves it. GREAT book.



5. Beautiful book! Author does a lovely, sensitive job profiling Morgan, and her career as the first licensed female architect in the US. I also really enjoyed the socio-cultural, and artistic context of the early 20th Century. The extensive photographs are a wonderful addition - imperative in a book dealing with a visual art. One of the very richest architectual books I've seen in a long time, and a great addition to anyone's collection.

No comments about Calcutta.