3 comments about The Culture of Building.

1. This book is conceptually in the same iconoclastic camp as the work of Christopher Alexander and a very few others; fitting, as they worked together a couple decades back. Davis, however, is better able to cloth these revolutionary ideas in conventional terminology that doesn't make you squirm (not to denigrate Alexander, his work is genius, but the language he uses can veer into hippy-dippy and new-agey). And I mean revolutionary when I say it. The book is not intended as a manifesto, exactly, but it lays out the sources of our contemporary built environment, tracing their evolution through the past several centuries. He perceptively describes the various interacting institutional and cultural forces that control the modern building industry. He is also not afraid of passing qualitative judgement. If you feel that the built environment of the past 50 years has become something dehumanizing and unhealthy, this book will help you understand the cultural and institutional changes that have driven this. And in this way it IS a manifesto: once you understand a problem a certain way, you can start to infer solutions and act towards realizing them.



2. An excellent introduction to why we build the way we do. Davis explains the role of conflicting forces and institutions in shaping the buildings we build. He recommends improvements which our culture and architects needs to make in order to build healthy communities.



3. For years, I have been waiting for an honest discussion about the interface between development, design, construction and history. The Culture of Building helps to answer some of those nagging questions of why the built world of America looks the way that it does. Davis skillfully compares the evolution and habits of several building cultures to help illuminate our own. It is an important book for my education as an architect.

No comments about Interior Design: Materials and Specifications.

2 comments about The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays.

1. Colin Rowe's essays are exceptionally insightful and truly enlightening. These essays were written decades ago but they're still enormously valuable and still very fresh. The first essay, from which the book takes its title and probably Rowe's most famous, is an analysis of the geometrical and proportional similarities between Le Corbusier's villa at Garches and Palladio's Villa Malcontenta. A brief but dense tour de force. Perhaps his next most famous essay is "Transparency: Literal and Phenomenal," written with Robert Slutzky. Also a real eye-opener. In other essays he discusses the curious relationship between the Chicago frame and modern architecture; neo-classicism and modern architecture; mannerism and modern architecture; La Tourette; 19th century thinking about architectural character and composition; and the architecture of utopia. These essays make you think, look at things differently, look at things you hadn't noticed, and they ultimately enlarge your understanding of architecture and your architectural field of vision. I'm grateful to Colin Rowe for that. After reading this book I bought his three-volume collection of essays, "As I Was Saying." I just had to have more. The essays in this book put your mind to work but Rowe's writing is also quite engaging. He's a genuinely independent thinker and a rigorous one too. These are wonderful essays and the book is highly recommended.



2. This collection of essays by Prof. Colin Rowe is considered to be among the most important analytical essays on architecture in this century. Prof. Rowe has won the Gold Medal in Architecture from Queen Elizabeth and was Professor of Architecture at Cornell for over 25 years.

3 comments about Julius Shulman: Palm Springs.

1. This is just a gorgeous book. We saw the exhibit at the Palm Springs Art Museum on which it is based, and the book lives up to the exhibit. It's a beautifully photographed (of course -- Shulman does amazing things with light and contrast) retrospective of Desert Mid-Century Modern, and Alan Hess provides his usual informative commentary. A must-have for Desert Modern enthusiasts!



2. this beautiful book is a wonderful tribute to the world's most famous architectural photographer, the photographs speak for themselves and the book is lovingly assembled and very well executed



3. Excellent new book on Palm Springs architecture. The final statement on John Lautner's contribution to Palm Springs architecture finally does just to this exeptional architect. For a book of this quality the price is obscenely low.

5 comments about The Cabin: Inspiration for the Classic American Getaway.

1. This is the perfect companion to my dreams of a cabin of my own. Wide variety of styles, sizes, budgets. While most are in northern climates, there is one lovely Louisiana "dog-trot" cabin featured. A beautiful book -- I flip through it often.



2. I bought this book along with a bunch of others when I bought a country home. I liked this one the best-no Architectural Digest rich people cabins that none of us can afford (or even want). This book limits the size of the cabins to a modest 1200 feet or so and focuses on the creativity of the owners. Really interesting uses of space. I have given it as a gift many times and everyone has really liked it



3. This is a great book with many terrific photos that will fuel your imagination and inspiration for a future small home which, in my opinion is the wave of the near future. Less is more, and this book shows you how beautiful that can be. I would recommend you leave this book on the coffee table, people always pick it up and enjoy flipping through it.



4. In a nutshell, a beautiful book with gorgeous photos and plenty of ideas. In the few days that I've had it, its been used frequently to clarify and illustrate our own ideas about the cabin that we're planning. As far as I'm concerned it has paid for itself already.



5. God, this book is so lushly illustrated with cozy spaces and intimate hideaways that you just want to scramble for the hills after one read-through. All the houses in it are deliciously comfy and cozy, illustrating the forgotten principle of 'just enough', all look just big enough,a nd all look terribly inviting and tempting. This book is cabin porn, basically.

1 comments about Reading Architectural Working Drawings: Residential and Light Construction, Volume 1.

1. This is a very useful book if you are looking to draft something it is full of information on everything you will need to know.

5 comments about Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down.

1. I'm a starting-out engineer with a degree in aerospace. This is the sort of book that I would've "wanted" to read while in school. I personally haven't had chance to use 90% of what I've learned in school. But this book has opened my eyes to the root of what we do as engineers. Not something that'll get you a better grade in school. Instead, it will motivate you to really learn the most basic and important thing in engineering and to realize how important and crucial what we do at work are. 100% recommended for all my fellow engineering geeks out there!



2. The author, who worked as an aeronautical engineer during the war, was fond of asking his colleages "but shouldn't we put feathers on the wings". That his answer effected an instrument design of my own is strange enough, but it's his persistence in asking such a question well into middle age that is perhaps of higher value. It illustrates the childlike joy that marks the pleasures of engineering. In another example, a drawing of a wing feather showing the quill not centered but close to the leading edge provides a vivid punchline to the story of the development of the mono-plane. How putting struts in the center of their wings made them twist off when pulling out of a dive - resulting in the deaths of many Fokker pilots. He deepens our understanding of shear stresses through examples of form-fitting cocktail dresses made of fabrics cut 'on the bias' - heightening my appreciation both for the human form and Poisson's Ratio. That a book on structural enginnering was a pleasure to read was a surprise. That it was un-put-downable boggles the mind. He enables what we most hope for and least expect from a book: to see the world afresh.



3. I must confess I had a terrible time in the U making my degree in mechanical engineering.. stregth of materials almost made me mad.
   
   But as Twain said it, I have not let my schooling interfere with my education... and this are the books that educate.. for education can only be self-education... this is what I was after in the U and I never received it!!!
   
   I go futher with this assertion, the progress of the US (and some other advanced nations) above all the rest lies in the fact that popularizations of science and technology are readibly accesible to everyone (for all of those who want to use it, of course).. if anyone ever doubts the positive effects of globalization and the internet, I can testify that ever since I can use Amazon I can tap into the resources of knowledge previously denied by geographical barriers and help the system that produces this books.
   
   Getting back to the book, no matter what your schooling is, if you are into design and need to know about structures you cannot go wrong with this wonderful book.



4. I'M PROBABLY THE ODD MAN OUT ON THIS ONE BUT I HAD TROUBLE WADING THROUGH THIS BOOK..IN FACT I THOUGHT THE WRITING STYLE WAS GROPING AND STUMBLING AT BEST. WRITING ABOUT STRUCTURES IN SIMLPE TERMS IS A TOUGH TASK INDEED AND I'M NOT SURE GORDON HAS SUCEEDED HERE. I FOUND THE BOOK TO BE A REAL "YAWNER".
   
   FOR MY MONEY I WOULD BUY SALVADORI'S BOOKS OVER THIS. SALVADORI HAS A KNACK FOR MAKING THE SUBJECT TRULY GRIPPING READING. HIS BOOKS HAVE A MUCH MORE PRACTICAL BENT, AND IMHO THEY ARE WRITTEN MUCH BETTER, NOT TO MENTION THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE TOP GRADE. TRY STRUCTURE IN ARCHITECTURE OR WHY BUILDINGS STAND UP.
   
   THE 2 STARS ARE FOR GORDON'S DISCUSSION OF STRESS AND STRAIN, THE BEST PART OF THE BOOK FOR ME.



5. The book is indeed good for the layman (I would even say very good), but it lacks rigour and this makes it less usable for professional purposes...
   The author wants to avoid as much math as possible but as a consequence, some explanations contain gaps.
   This book can be seen as an extra to more professional books, everybody will definitely learn something from it and it reads very well...But if you want to have a rigorous understanding of structures, you should buy another book ...

5 comments about Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory.

1. Usually, I find books like this very disappointing. I actually checked this one out of the library to make sure it was worth the money before I bought it. All I can say is YES, it's worth purchasing, and I cannot wait to receive my copy.
   
   This book is a really good introduction to prefab housing options and building materials, with photos spanning the basic models to very VERY high-end examples of the houses that can be built using this approach. (I have to agree with the reviewer who said that, if you want a really in-depth look at the technical side of the process, this is not the best choice for you.) "Prefabulous" manages to make a potentially-daunting subject accessible to readers without being overly light and fluffy or using that condescending tone that so many of these types of books have. Likewise, it's been very handy to show this book to family members and neighbors who are interested in prefab housing as an idea, but don't know anything (yet!) about the nuts and bolts of the process. This book has been really eye-opening for them because of its beautiful photos and well-written, clear, concise text.
   
   All this being said, I should probably explain that I have a Masters Degree in Urban/City Planning from an "Ivy-league" university. Even with my academic and professional training, I found this book to be very informative and fully anticipate that it will be a fine addition to my personal library.



2. Lots of good pictures, but VERY LITTLE indepth and/or technical info about processes and products. Not for someone interested in really learning much about factory fabrication, except "look what we can do".



3. Fairly good. But thought maybe it would have had something included about the Dome houses also.



4. This is a terrific book that I use in my daily business as a REALTOR who is specializing in affordable, green, prefab solutions for my clients.Prefabulous: The House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory



5. This book doesn't go into every little detail of the prefab process, but it does provide a good starting point for anyone interested in this type of building. The pictures are beautiful and many company names are listed, which, after a quick search on the Internet, can be found online and contacted.

5 comments about The Family Tree Problem Solver: Proven Methods for Scaling the Inevitable Brick Wall.

1. As a genealogy reference or guide I found this book to be a dud.
   
   It has almost the worst Index I have ever seen. Sources that are mentioned in the text are not in the index nor clearly explained.
   
   As an example the source I know as the "Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature" was mentioned, more than once, under an odd acronym and I did not find any explanation or comment on the acronym or the different title.



2. This book is excellent to assist the serious genealogist. It requires some dedication to follow through the suggestions but if you do, you will learn a lot. Unfortunately, for all my dedication, I still have not uncovered my paternal grandfather's secrets. But I have not finished traveling all the paths the book suggests. Some I have, some are still waiting. I would recommend the book to give you a serious and straight forward path to follow rather than randomly searching.



3. I am sure that this book will prove very useful in my genealogy research. It is easy to follow with good examples.



4. This book is full of info to help you know the next step in trying to find a relative through non traditional methods. I originally got the book at the library, and I found I needed to buy the book - so I could highlight and mark it for future reference. Great resource!



5. If your brick walls are the immigrant generation, do yourself a favor and get a book specializing in that country's research rather than this one. Despite the 2005 copyright, the majority of the advice would have still held true a decade ago. And the emphasis on early American record issues is a real minus for those with later arriving ancestors. Despite the introduction's suggestion, the problem-solving techniques alone weren't worth the lack of examples in my problem areas.
   
   However, if you've been working on your genealogy for decades, need a refresher, and are working on your DAR application... you might love this book.

5 comments about Painting Flowers on Rocks.

1. I found some rocks near our cottage in the woods, and VOILA, beautiful flowers are now growing where they never could before. I am not an artist by any means, but after following the easy, detailed, step by step instructions, I had masterpieces! AMAZING book with AMAZING results. Thank you Lin for sharing your knowledge and bringing out the creative part of me I didn't know I had!



2. Follow the simple step by step directions for a beautiful "rock garden."



3. Whether you are simply curious about rock painting, or have a desire to paint flowers on rocks, this book is for you. It is well written by a world class rock artist and teacher and in addition to offering know-how, it is an encouraging book that shows the way to get involved in this fascinating and not too expensive art form.



4. This book was as I expected it to be.. the demonstrations were clear and instructons easy.. I ordered it because of an episode on the Carol Duvall show in which the author painted a beautiful bouquet on a simple smooth rock ..I have ordered other books of the same nature from Amazon before and have been equally satisfied.



5. It was such a pleasure to receive Lin's book about painting flowers on rocks. I have several of her other books which has brought us lots of hours of fun and fantasy. We appreciate her talents and her sharing her ideas with others like us. Her flower painted rocks are perfect for places like cemeteries that don't allow fresh flowers. It helps bring beauty to our loved ones graves without the work and worry of live plantings. The rocks require "no watering!" Thanks Lin for all your creative ideas.