5 comments about The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A Photographic Journey.

1. A jaw dropping remarkable ressurection of one of th the most sacred sights on American soil.
   
   This is further proof that the campaign to support the rebuilding of the Alamo as it was then in it entierty should full steam ahead and Mark Lemons work lay the foundations.
   
   Im sorry, I cant say anything that would do justice to this work, except Thank You Mark Lemon, Thank You.



2. I received the book in the mail yesterday afternoon and immediately plunged into it. I stayed up through the night last night, pouring over each page, comments, photos, art and all. I finally set it down around 10am this morning, having gone from cover to cover.
   
   I tried to wrap my head around the sheer volume of effort that Mr. Lemon must've put into researching this book and it seems utterly intimidating to me.
   
   This is precise scholarship and exquisite art in one simply superb package.



3. I HAVE BEEN AN ALAMO FAN ALL OF MY LIFE. I HAVE ALMOST EVERY BOOK AND ALAMO MOVIE EVER MADE IT SEEMS. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS BOOK. FOR A VIEW OF THE ALAMO COMPOUND YOU CANNOT DO BETTER THAN THIS BOOK. WELL DONE. IT'S ABOUT TIME. FOR THE ALAMO EXPERT, HISTORY FAN OR SOMEONE WHO WANTS A VIEW OF THE ALAMO AS IT ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE TIME OF THE BATTLE THIS IS YOUR BOOK. OH FOR THE RECORD NOT ALL OF THE ALAMO DEFENDERS WERE SLAVE OWNERS THEY WERE MOSTLY MEN DEFENDING THEIR LIBERTY. IT WAS ALSO NOT A RACE WAR IT WAR A CIVIL WAR. REMEMBER THE ALAMO. AND I STILL THINK THAT DAVID CROCKETT WENT DOWN SWINGING.



4. If you are looking for a complete detailed description of the Alamo fortress - this is it ...Great



5. I seldom enter Amazon reviews but this book so far exceeded my expectations I had to put up a 5 star review. There is nothing I can add to the very good reviews already posted - if you have even a passing interest in the Alamo or Texas history you will be entranced by this book. A steal at the price.

2 comments about Color, Environment, & Human Response.

1. This is an excellent book. It's very interesting and was the first book of it's kind that I have read. I gives color and light suggestions for different environments such as schools, office spaces, etc. It gives detailed scientific information about why these colors and types of light are good to use in these environments that is easy to understand. I think this book is a must have for all interior designers who care about the effects the environment they design will have on the people that will be in it!



2. Help! My cousin in Brazil is trying to contact the author of this book. The letter he sent was returned to him as the address being no good. He had gotten the address out of the back of the book. Does anyone know how to contact the author?

5 comments about A Field Guide to Sprawl.

1. The numerous color aerial photos in this book do a wonderful job of putting US development patterns into a whole new perspective. This isn't intended to be the end all be all of commentary about sprawl. For that, there are plenty of other great books that emphasize analysis and critique rather than a visual approach (A Better Way to Live is an example of a terrific book in the former category). This book is a great introduction to the different kinds of sprawl and what they look like. Sure, Dolores Hayden puts a fairly cynical touch on what commentary there is, but when you see the pictures of how developers have ruined our open spaces, you'll understand why. In short, a great little book that achieves its purpose very well.



2. Small coffee-table format picture book. There is a 10-page introduction, which is excellent, then 51 vocabulary terms. Each vocab term is 2 pages - one page is an aerial example picture, the facing page is text describing the term. The terms are mostly pejorative (slang) and are critical of certain types of development. This is not "new" stuff many of these terms and criticisms go back to the 1940s. While some of the terms are obvious (strip malls, McMansions) much of it is not obvious and opens a whole new way of seeing why certain things are laid out the way they are. More so, it helps to predict how future development will happen based on current development patterns. This book is a layman's guide to development criticism. Should be required reading for all who live in a developing community.



3. The book arrived ahead of schedule and was in great condition



4. The book is very simple and somewhat boring. I looked through the thing in less than an hour and now it's stuck in the closet. It does have some good aerial photos, but only a few. I was hoping the book would be a coffee table book for people to look through when they are over but it's now in the closet for who knows how long. It looks too much like an encyclopedia than a coffee table book in my opinion. The text isn't very well thought out either. Believe me, I'm an Urban Planner and so I'm interested in this stuff and have read a lot about sprawl, but this book just doesn't do it for me.



5. I agree with both the positive and negative reviews: I loved the pictures (as did the positive reviews)- they definitely gave me a better feel for concepts like "pods" that I am used to seeing from ground level. But I also think that some of Hayden's language was unclear, needlessly polemical, or both. For example, she writes that ducks (buildings that serve as advertisements) "are always out of context and do little to unify neighborhoods." But what does it mean for a building to be "out of context"? How does a cheese shop "unify a neighborhood", whether it is ugly or pretty? Also, Hayden's points sometimes have little to do with sprawl- for example, she has an entry on "Export Garbage" but she does not explain why she thinks suburbs generate more garbage than cities.
   
   But on balance I liked this book, mainly because she spends only a paragraph or two on each concept, so even the text entries I would have written differently did not take up a lot of my time.

No comments about Print Reading for Architecture & Construction (Thomson Delmar Learning Blueprint Reading).

4 comments about Castles: Their Construction and History (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. This book was written in the 1930's but it is indeed a timeless record of castles from BC to the age of fortifications. I first thought that this was too old of a book but after reading it, it is clearly a great castle book. The real treasure is that it was compiled before Hitler bombed the crap out of Europe. It is chronilogical. It is referenced perfectly. The illustrations include floor plans with scales and north arrows. Building sections keyed to the floor plans. Renderings and photographs keyed to the text. Sidney takes you thru all the different building types and features that make a castle. My favorite is the "Keep". The text is very easy to follow. I was amazed at Sidney's gift of describing without the aid of photographs and drawings castle configurations. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that gets to the core of the subject of castles.



2. There is no fluff and no romanticizing. This book is just plain hows and whys on castle construction and their evolution from wooden stockades to stone fortresses. It examines the changes in defenses as warfare evolved. It is dry reading, but this is bare bones information with no fantasizing....just what I wanted.



3. I bought this book because, well to put it plainly, I have always wanted to design a castle of my own. Having no real talent for architecture, I thought I'd see how others had done it before, and why they made the decisions they did. This book does a lot for the novice who wants to learn these things, but does so with enough illustrations to keep the readers interest through the text. I can see why another reviewer said it would make a good textbook -- it reads like one, and provides quite the education!

   Add it to a military history collection, a chivalric texts collection, or to your Lego room for the next time you want a more powerful castle than the kit suggests (but, putting little lego men heads on pikes at the gates may be going overboard).




4. As an Army Officer the study of military history is a professional necessity. The book: Castles their Construction and History has proven to be an incredible aid to this end. I am stationed in Europe and use the book as a guide when I travel and explore the castles in Germany, France and Italy. The book is very technical, it wastes some space giving detailed step by step descriptions of many castles but the casual reader of history will find the drawings, photos and overviews of history very interesting. The text of the book is rather dull to the non-history buff. It was very useful as a reference book while at the University of Florida.

1 comments about The Prefabricated Home.

1. As an architect interested in the idea of prefabrication I approached this book with the hope of learning as well as being instructed and entertained.
   The author succeeded on all counts.
   This book is extremely readable without losing any weight in content.
   I recommend it to anyone looking for both a historical and a social history of prefabricated building techniques.
   My only criticism is that the book skimmed over the huge prefab industry in Asia and Japan in particular to focus on Europe and North America. A small gripe concerning an excellent and rewarding read.

2 comments about The Complete Guide to Creating Heritage Scrapbooks (Memory Makers).

1. In my ongoing quest for more info on the how-tos of creating my Heritage Scrapbook, I purchased CHS. It is much better than Bev K Braun's book - CHS provides many intersting lay-outs which has given me wonderful ideas. But thank goodness I don't want to exactly replicate them because very few step-by-step instructions are offered.
   
   Overall, I would recommend this book as a basic in your library.



2. Memory Makers has once again produced an attractive, helpful guide for those of us wishing to expand our scrapbooking collectionl of page ideas. In The Complete Guide to Creating Heritage Scrapbooks, we are encouraged to tackle that most intimidating of scrapping tasks, the Family Heritage Album.

   The CGTCHS launches with an explanation of the importance of preserving our family's historical photos, stories, and memorabilia in an archival safe environment (aka, the scrapbook album). A short introduction to basic scrapbooking tools and techniques takes up a few pages. The main body of the book which follows is divided into six sections:
   Daily Life (documenting/preserving those "slice of life" moments in time);
   Celebrations (weddings, graduations, holidays, religious events, etc.);
   Wartime;
   Across the Generations (comparing people then and now);
   and Portraits and Family Trees.
   Each section is a collection of examples of pages dealing with these themes, and instructions on the process to recreate the page ideas presented. I found them to be very appealing, tasteful and well done overall. To help supplement one's journaling, there are nice year-by-year historical trivia timelines printed on the marginal sidebars thoughout the sections, dating from 1850 to 1975. Several of these ideas will end up in my own albums.

   However, a "complete" guide it is not. CGTCHS provides minimal information regarding researching family geneology, organizing one's search for information and a bare two page spread dedicated to the primary task of duplicating and restoring ancient photographs. I would expect these to be the first steps in researching a family history, but commentary on these subjects is scattered randomly. Also, to my way of thinking it was illogical to put "Portraits and Family Trees" last, as a family tree would be useful for keeping one's information correct as one completes other parts of the album. Readers who intend to put a serious effort into this aspect of their scrapbooking project will need to look elsewhere.

   Other things I would have found helpful would have been a guide to era-appropriate color schemes and decorating themes, and more on interviewing relatives regarding their own personal histories.

   Despite these drawbacks, CGTCHS was a great resource for ideas and inspiration. I finished the book with fresh encouragement to start on my own family heritage album.
   -Andrea, aka Merribelle.

2 comments about Designing the Sustainable School.

1. The book was a little pricey for my budget - but turned out to be well worth the expense! The range of school designs and locales provide great examples and were extremely helpful to me as I am working on a dissertation about school design. Finding up to date school design information - especially high performance school design, is quite difficult. This book made that so much easier. I also recommend the Prakash Nair Design Patterns for schools book.



2. Good for architects and for clients.
   
   1)Architects:
   This book is an excellent resource for sustainable architecture in general in addition to sustainable school design. It looks at 40+ buildings from around the world and in various architectural styles, discussing natural lighting, innovative HVAC systems, rainwater capturing and re-use, siting, natural ventilation, solar heating and cooling and many other systems. The buildings range from a community built clay brick building in rural Africa to modern high design.
   A great resource when designing your own project (house, school, whatever building type) in terms of brainstorming how to incorporate sustainable design systems. Also excellent for taking the next research step of comparing a variety of approaches to each individual system, and the book ends with a list of websites for further info. A valuable and inspiring find!
   
   2) Clients:
   A very helpful review of a wide variety of sustainable systems, it covers buildings of all budgets and styles. There is a list of the architects of each of the buildings, but the book can also be used for getting some useful background to help in working with an architect of your choosing.

1 comments about The Architectural Pattern Book: A Tool for Building Great Neighborhoods.

1. Most of us like architectural books because we think, or possibly just dream of building our own ULTIMATE house. Here, however, is a book not on building a house, but on building an entire neighborhood.
   
   It starts with a bit of history, the pattern books written in roman times. It brings them up to date with a survey of several American neighborhoods dating from turn of the century times. And finally it goes on to show what the authors have done as they designed blocks, sub-divisions and the like. It is intended to show what can be done to replace the common cookie cutter houses common in recent developments. It is a fascinating book that leads to thinking.

1 comments about Medieval Architecture (Oxford History of Art).

1. Part of the Oxford History of Art Series, this text on medieval architecture by Nicola Coldstream is an excellent survey of the development of architectural forms throughout the medieval period. Designed for the art major who is taking courses on architectural forms and history, the text provides a well-rounded presentation on the subject. Commencing with the derivation of the word "gothic," the book goes on to describe gothic's subsequent development as an architectural form through some five hundred years, and presents the differentiating features of the early, high, and late gothic, the flamboyant, and the rayonnant forms.
   
   After this orientation to the term "gothic," the text moves into a section on "Structure and Design," which covers floor plan design, architectural models, the role of the architect, and constructive geometry. A large section of the book covers the symbiotic roles of patrons and builders. Later sections of the book cover issues such as architectural space and representational art in great detail. Numerous full-color diagrammatic images support the text, and maps are also used as needed, making this book quite an impressive introductory text to the subject that should orient any reader to the subject.
   
   It is rare to find a book on such a theme that is simultaneously printed on high-quality semi-gloss paper, presented with the majority of its images in full color, be small enough to comfortably hold, and at the same time, be reasonably priced. This book, however, fits the bill admirably. The only small quibble would be that not ALL the photos are color. The majority indeed are, but it is unfortunate that, in an attempt, no doubt, to keep the cost down, a number of the photos are reproduced only in black and white. Nevertheless, and especially when one considers the price, it is pleasing to find the majority of photos are in color, and reproduced in good quality, as well. I highly recommend this book as an outstanding part of the library of a medievalist, an art scholar, or simply anyone interested in the emergence of gothic architecture. That the book is available at less than $15 is simply incredible.