4 comments about Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston.

1. If one lives and Boston and was curious about what the city looked like 100, 200, 300, or 400 years ago this is the book for you. I discovered that somewhere between 1837 and 1851 the street I lived in was filled and went from being underwater to land.
   An incredibly well-researched history of how people altered the landscape of Boston.



2. Disclaimer: I was very fortunate to take the Harvard University class tought by the author, which uses this book as the class text.
   
   This book is a spectacular work of research and writing. The author truly shows her passion for the subject.
   The text presents a unique view of Boston history, with stunning detail and even intrigue. The historical and original maps are without equal, and the photographs and illustrations are superb selections.
   Pardon the cliché, but truly I found myself unable to put this book down!
   
   Her recent book Walking Tours of Boston's Made Land is also a must-have for anyone who wants to get close-up and personal with Boston history.



3. This is a wonderful book about how Boston changed in the last 200+ years. It is very readable, but I especially enjoyed the pictures and maps. It is an excellent book for anyone interested in the subject.



4. Seasholes must have combed every archive and walked every inch of Boston to produce this monumental book. Not only is it exhaustive, but it is entertaining as well. Although this is a handsome book it is not a cooffe table enterprise. This is a book you will want to take with you as you walk the streets of Boston. This book is destined to become dog eared and underlined. It is simply a must for anyone interested in the history of this great city.

3 comments about The Architectural Guidebook to New York City.

1. I was a bit disapointed by this book. There is information on a lot of NY buildings, but the information does not always concern architecture and is usually very limited. Gives you an impression of all there is to see, but does not do much more than that. Photographs are not impressive. Much more intersting is The Architecture of New York City, by Donald Martin Reynolds.



2. This book is really good and best used if you have a fair amount of time to wander around New York. It is like trailing through the city with a friend who has lived there for a long time; Marrone has great excursive lengthy interesting descriptions of a number of buildngs, and that's great. The problem is that each chapter has its own tiny map, and they are never put together in a larger overall map anywhere, making navigation difficult. If you have a lot of time, and want to do just a few buidings per day, that's fine. If you want to storm through NYC and see as much as possible in a limited amount of time, if is difficult.



3. The most obvious reason to replace the AIA Guide with this book is size. Dealing with only one borough enables the author to go into more detail while reducing the size of the book. The AIA Guide is about half the size of a large yellow pages. The Architectural Guidebook to NYC is about the size of an average novel. That makes a big difference when you're stuffing it into your backpack or purse for a trip on subway or foot.

   The more extensive entries are very welcome. In Union Square with this book and a view of the surrounding buildings, I was able to spend a pleasant and informative hour on a park bench, for free. That's a better bargain than the Staten Island Ferry.

   Morrone keeps the architect's jargon to a minimum and knows his subject well. The historical insights and views on clashing aesthetics were skillfully presented. He pointed out a couple of museums of very high caliber that I wasn't even aware of. A book like this is a perfect jumping off point for thousands of topics, from neighborhoods to cultures to politics to construction.

   I would encourage him to write similar books on the other buroughs, or better yet, an even more detailed work on each of the neighborhoods of Manhattan: each of them has at least a thousand buildings worth writing about.

5 comments about A Graveyard Preservation Primer (American Association for State and Local History Book Series).

1. If you've ever had a question about preserving a single headstones or need a complete primer to fully restore a historic graveyard, this book tells how. I admit I was unaware the "Association For Gravestone Studies" existed before reading this book, but the AGS has compliled a wealth of information and photos here. The book is concise, less than 200 pages, but proof a book doesn't need be thick and heavy as a 10 Lb. bag of kitty litter to cover a topic thoroughly. The wealth of actual grave marker photos are very interesting in themselves. Dozens of actual photos illustrate, no better way to understand how correct and incorrect methods can damage or beautifully restore 18th and 19th century headstones. For projects bigger than preserving a single headstone or family plot, information is included on everything from understanding symbolism on historic markers to acquiring funding for graveyard restoration, assessment, cleaning, landscaping, rules posting, survey forms, involving voluteers, even legislation proposal. There is also an appendix of sources to contact for Contractors, Conservators and Carvers in your area. This book is well worth the money, and will not end up in your next yard sale!



2. This provides exactly the information one needs to (a) appreciate the historical and material sensitivity of gravestones/markers; and the techniques, tools, and materials available to the interested amateur as well as professional to appropriately salvage, restore and protect these sensitive, often forgotten, resources. Especially useful for 17th-19th century graveyards and markers.



3. You'd think to clean an old gravestone all you'd need is a wire brush and some bleach, right? Or maybe a sand blaster? Turns out, that couldn't be more wrong. A Graveyard Preservation Primer is the most up to date guide for those wishing to conserve the old stones in their local graveyards, without unwittingly causing more damage. Materials and techniques for safely ridding stones of lichen, molds, and just plain dirt are explained, and they turn out to be surprisingly simple. But get ready to apply some good old fashioned elbow grease. As far as conserving/repairing stones that have already incurred damage, this has now become science, and Strangstad warns that it should not be undertaken by amateurs, however well-intentioned. Suggestions for locating professional assistance are included in this comprehensive manual. Anyone interested in cemetery preservation should begin by reading this work.



4. This is a great concise, basic book on graveyard preservation - a real "primer" indeed. Anyone interested in such work should read this through at least once before ever attempting it, then it can be a quick reference after that. Covers briefly yet thoroughly all aspects of gravesite preservation, explaining what you'll have to think about even if it can't give you precise instruction. Lynnette Strangstad, writing for the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS), does a fine job and includes bibliography and even some possible contacts for proceeding on preservation.



5. The Graveyard Preservation Primer is a must read for anyone interested in the reasons to save old graveyards and how to go about doing so in a respectful and historically accurate manner. Her book is well researched and well written. It is straightforward and simple enough for novices, yet has enough insightful information for even the most informed reader. Her topics range from how to organize volunteers to do gravestone and graveyard cleaning to photographic techniques to get outstanding records of the stones. Her suggestions for cleaning techniques are well researched and very sound. Overall, this is just a superb manual. A must read before any work is done on an old graveyard. It will also enhance the experience of the graveyard afficionado, by exposing them to a whole new set of ways to observe the gravestones and yard.

2 comments about Japan Houses.

1. I have read this book word by word and there is no doubt that the featured projects are a study in serenity. In fact the most intriguing part of the book is the introduction which informs the reader about the Japanese society and the inspiration behind such awe inspiring designs.
   
   Quality of paper and photography is top-notch. However, the write-up for the projects was a little disappointing. Besides being repetitive, on more than one occassion, I found words that were typed twice. And the biggest blunder that one would least expect from a book of this quality and standard - spelling mistake.
   
   On the other hand, if you are in for enjoying the architecture, look no further.



2. The projects featured in this book are very well compiled and really show how unique and different the Japanese culture is despite all the houses being designed in the same modernist principle. Poetry is evident in nearly all the houses featured and the architects (as well as the clients) have really take the term "less is more" to another level. This book's compilation, however, features houses that are larger than the average houses in Japan and may appeal to certain readers who comment that most modern Japanese houses border on experimental and are not actually habitable, at least by their standards. Houses featured include the H House by Akihito Fumita and the Misonou House by Makoto Tanijiri among many others.
   
   www.hjlbookreview.com

4 comments about New York Interiors.

1. This is a review of the 1997 hardcover edition with a view of the living room/studio in the SoHo loft of sculptress Michele Oka Doner on the dustcover. The 42 residences are shown in alphabetical order, divided into two categories, New York City and Outside of New York - not just the city but the state - which includes Jersey City, NJ, and Greenwich, CT. There is a wide range of personal style presented, from the wonderfully chic Parish-Hadley decorated Park Avenue apartment of socialite philanthropist Brooke Astor, to the 2nd Street tenement of Hells Angels leader Steve Bonge which is decorated with old hubcaps, a neo-lined coffin, and a vintage Texaco gas pump. The Ridiculous to the Sublime is represented by Donald Trump's Trump Tower apartment with back-lighted onyx slabs backing fountains of small geysers - yes, behind the living room sofa - and more indiscriminate uses of gold-leaf detailing that you could imagine, to The Sublime illustrated by Bill Blass' Sutton Place apartment with handsome architecture and each object carefully chosen with the greatest sophisticated masculine taste. The translated text is sometimes stilted as well as inaccurate, but the photos are generally of high quality. The over-all Euro feel of the design of the book is more directed to a desire in invoke a stylish effect instead of a book that is comfortable to read, however. Although many would undoubtedly find hearty nuggets of interesting inspiration, this book will probably appeal mostly to New Yorkers.



2. The forty-two profiled homes featured in this book have at least one thing in common, if only one thing: money. Paragraph-sized introductions relate very basic information about the owners and the homes, while straightforward but revealing photographs are followed-up with some light descriptions.
   
   With the flip of a few pages we go from a 60's psychedelic Fifth Avenue swing-pad to the gritty textures and castle-like feel of a converted factory on Long Island, and it is this type of glaring disparity throughout that is part of this book's strength but more of a weakness.
   
   It's as if the author wished to celebrate the Upper-class abodes in this part of the world, and while the work avoids the homogeny that others in this oeuvre have fallen prey to, one is left with a lingering, indelible question about the interior design of most of these homes: But why? The majority are utterly unlivable ranging from kitsch-heaven to blatant storage receptacles for ill-fitting (if expensive) works of art.
   
   Examples include Brooke Astor's Park Avenue duplex which has an `ungodly-rich-old-granny' flower suffocation theme going, replete with innumerable treasures of art and sculpture; or there's Donald Trump's revoltingly ostentatious gold-dripping suite overlooking Central Park; one Wall-street broker's penthouse has a bench inscribed in large lettering with grade school truisms such as "Killing is unavoidable but nothing to be proud of," amidst a dozen others. The novelty quickly wears thin.
   
   These people, millionaires all, some of them billionaires, have the money to transform almost anything they can conceive into physical reality, and it is quite underwhelming what many of them come up with, indicating a poverty of mind and spirit in many cases. They can afford a Basquiat or Manet but lack the eye of an artist to bestow a sense of proportion or dignity to a room, something not even the contracted architects and designers can give.
   
   Despite these reservations, there are several well-designed rooms in the mix, and a few gems. The best of the lot is Steve Mensch's windowless Manhattan home that has nature sprawling up brick in a large, central courtyard and a sense of guilt-free luxury and calm. For glimpses of a home like this, this book becomes an asset to any library. -Mark Stark



3. This is a wonderful book, showing the range of styles in New York city. It contains many large and magificent pictures, and it is an experience to look though it. Anyone who is interested in interior design would love this book!



4. Ms. Wedekind portrays an interesting cross section of this city's interiors through selected homes and apartments. Unfortunately; she has done little research other than browsing through already published glossy spreads in periodicals. I did not find one interior that had not already been published and was disappointed by this volume after having seen her last on Paris. Hopefully, she will do a little research if she continues this series.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater: The House and Its History, Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. 
   Forget everything you know about building a house--a dream house--and read this book. If you are a Wright fan, then you will relish every page and delight in knowing about how various aspects of the most famous house in the world came to be built.
   
   No doubt you will enjoy knowing that the final work was indeed a collaborative effort between Mr. Wright (who had strong opinions about everything) and Mr. Kaufman who was if anything, one of those ideal clients in the vein of Darwin Martin before him and Hib Johnson soon thereafter. Some of the most celebrated details of the building were Edgar Sr.'s input (i.e. no gold leaf paint on the parapets, routing out the stone and letting the glass simply meld into it). These things help make the house what it is.
   
   The story--it must be true, it has been told by so many and so often--of the house's design springing from the master's hand as Mr. K. was on his short drive to Taliesin, is worth savoring.
   
   The role of the Taliesin apprentice on site as clerk of the works is important to note--Mr. Wright would use this concept again and again for the remainder of his life, to assure that what was built was what he had in mind. In many cases the apprentice became almost adopted-family to the clients and their association became lifelong.
   
   Mr. Hoffmann is to be congratulated again and again for giving us this marvelous record of the building of Fallingwater.



2. EXCELLENT HISTORY OF THE BUILDING OF FALLINGWATER. MANY INSIGHTS INTO THE CHARACTER OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT.



3. This is an historical books about this house but all the pictures are in B & W. And it's so sad for such a masterpiece of frank Lloyd Wright.



4. This book is one of the best I have seen for describing in detail the challenges of creating one of America's architectural landmarks. Anyone who reads this book will be reminded of Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.

   Fallingwater came as a commission after one of the longest dry spells of Frank Lloyd Wright's career. Despite having no work to do, no money, and few prospects, Mr. Wright dawdled with the project while trying to sell his client, Edgar Kaufmann, as many other projects as possible. Contemporary accounts suggest that Wright only began sketching something on paper when Mr. Kaufmann was about to arrive at Taliesin in Wisconsin, where Wright did his work.

   Mr. Kaufman was not an easy client. He was the head of a major department store, and was used to getting his own way. Client and architect often clashed, with bent feelings on both sides. Independent "experts" got involved who also added to the controversy, mistakes, and misunderstandings. Mr. Kaufmann deserves credit, though, for sticking with Wright as the costs soared way above the original budget for this most unique house.

   Interestingly, the two were brought together by Mr. Kaufmann's son who had come to study with Wright in Taliesin. The book contains a brief introduction by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. who ultimately gave the home to a local nature conservancy.

   Even without the challenges of the human relationships, Fallingwater was a most ambitious commission. In a remote part of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, Fallingwater is sited on top of a waterfall. The potential for the water to undermine the house is enormous. Mr. Wright also wanted to keep as many of the original rocks and trees as possible. The site survey was often wrong, and the designs had to be adjusted to reflect the reality. The design also provided other unusual problems, and the first cantilever was built incorrectly due to changes made under Mr. Kaufmann's direction.

   The book contains a wealth of maps, letters, summaries of interviews with those who worked on the project, drawings, plans, and photographs of the work in progress in black and white. This detail brings the challenges to life in a very real way.

   The fascinating part of this book to me is that Fallingwater's final effects are the opposite of its creation. The home seems to float above the water, like a mirage. It seems to exude tranquility and peace. Yet, its every stage of movement toward becoming a reality was like a Sumo wrestling match with enormous heavyweight egos and ideas colliding at high speed and with little regard for the impact on the other fellow.

   As much as I love Fallingwater, I love understanding more about how it was created even more. Anyone who wants to leave a mark of greatness behind should read this book.

   After you finish thinking through the implications of Mr. Wright's vision and ways of implementing it, I suggest that you think about your own personal life and work. Where are you lacking in vision? Where are you lacking in the processes to implement worthwhile visions?

   Turn your dreams into beautiful realities . . . for everyone!




5. Of all the books on Fallingwater, this is the best when you want to know about how the house came into being. I have 2 copies of the book, one that accompanies me on all my travelling, and one to keep in my library. I have at least read it 8 to 10 times, and already look forward to the next time. The black and white photography is quite good, although the book would even be better with some color takes. Hoffman did a great job researching on the subject, and reading the book, it occurs that this was no easy task to get everything in order, chronoligically.

2 comments about Architecture of the Old South.

1. This is a wonderful book on some of the most spectacular buildings in American. The text is highly informative and the images are crisp and vivid, the author does a fine job of capturing the buildings in their best light, and he is quite thorough. The south is a special place, with it's own pace and culture, much is made of the divide of European and African American's, but as a southerner I can tell you that, both groups understand each other totally, for better or worse and for the most part work and live together better than in other parts of the country, these buildings where built for the most part by the whole of the south, and the styles reflect the culture, be it french, spanish, english, irish, african, scottish or whatever. The architecture of the great southern cites, Charlston, New Orleans, Natchez, and Savannah are on display here as are the wonderful rural plantations. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in the architecture of the south or just enjoys well conceived books on interesting topics.



2. "Architecture of the Old South" is a rich and immensely-informative volume.

   Mills Lane spent over fifteen year of "exploration, research, and writing" to produce this now classic work. He has attempted (and succeeded) in documenting how, surprisingly, "the great buildings of the Old South were created by outsiders and newcomers, especially New Englanders, whose contribution to Southern society and culture has been long underestimated."

   Laudable buildings from such great cities as Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans are amply represented here, as are country houses and plantation estates. And to Lane's credit, he includes some quirky homes and frontier houses that have architectural connections to some of the region's more familiar buildings.

   Van Jones Martin's color photography is crisp and unfussy. The best pictures include William Bryd II's handsome 18th-century mansion, in Westover, Virginia; Charleston's elegant, 18th-century Unitarian Church; and the grand, curving stair in Peter Wilson Hairston's 19th-century, two-story home in Advance, North Carolina.

   A fine Bibliography and Index can also be found in this handsome and important work.

2 comments about Iconic Building.

1. Mr. Jencks' earlier book hit the public by its correlation to the semantics.
   His analytical tools from language promoted his book
   "Language of Post Modern Architecture" into the international popularity.
   Likewise, I think this book could hit the global audience.
   It's very contemporary, dealing star architects' icons, written in extremely
   stimulating fashion.
   
   Like David Chipperfield mentioned it, nowadays smart architects engage
   in exploring designs, not writing heavy theoretical manifestos.
   In that sense, everyone around the world is experiencing
   the explosion of interesting icons produced by architectural celebrity system
   and is trying to understand the strata of current movement.
   
   Jencks's book is one of the books that try to understand the trend.
   For Mr. Jencks, point of departure to understand the current trend is the
   term "Icon". That word set the examples and tone of the book.
   
   the punch line of the book says,
   ",,,, the paradox that a great icon need not be a great work of
   architecture, but it must be a captivating one. It has to move your
   viscera, whether you like it or not, and stay around as a memory image
   that attracts other thoughts into its orbit."
   
   It stimulates reader's brain when it becomes systematic and linguistic.
   It seeks patterns and underlying principles of Iconic buildings in the
   global economy era. Mr. Jencks calls it the age of enigmatic signifier,
   due to the absence of metanarrative/ ideology/ religion.
   
   Ronchamp Chapel, to Mr. Jencks, epitomizes the modern
   icon.
   It's undulating form, it's manifestation of light, expressing the theology.
   Yet, what's different in contemporary icons, as is
   first launched by Bilbao effect,
   are that they are outcome of digital age, an enigmatic signifiers,
   freed from past conventions.
   
   Some interesting Details :
   
   1. Stories of powerful institutional museum clients.
   
   2. Comparison of two Pradas by Rem Koolhaas and Herzog de Meuron.
   The brilliance of Prada owner.
   
   3. fulfilling election and empty promises of the cases in Libskind and Koolhaas.
   
   4. success and failure of being icons.
   
   5. different uses of sun as an expression of cosmology.
   Libskind's Holocaust light (Berlin), wedge of light (ground zero)
   son of sun (Corb's Chandigarh), and beacon of a new faith (Foster's Reichstag)
   
   Fun Read !



2. I find it very entertaining to read through. Some architecture books can be dry and "technical" in their description and yet, this book reads like a novel. It reminds me of "The Edifice Complex" written by another favourite author of mine, Deyan Sudjic. None of the authors here provide us with definite accounts or definitions of what constitute iconic buildings and what kinds of people are immersed into edifice complex. However, they provide us with sufficient examples to talk in-depth about the topics. In this book, Charles Jencks endeavours to differentiate an iconic building from a landmark building. It also dissects if iconic building shall be loved or hated or a combination of both. Poignantly enough, Ground Zero is covered in length here because it entails so many people and so many factors that prevent it from happening. To these days, it's still work-in-progress. Architects that covered extensively here are Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, Sir Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Renzo Piano, Jaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Philip Johnson, Miralles, Daniel Libeskind, Will Alsop, SOM and several buildings such as Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, Ronchamp, Scotland new Parliament building, et cetera are mentioned too. The conclusion is succinct but probable, that iconic buildings are an evolution of nature or our human's tendency to be close to the Grand Universe which we don't have answers to. If you are a buff of architecture and that you wish to spruce your knowledge on the subject, you can't go better than this. Even better, this book shall read in conjunction with Deyan Sudjic's Edifice Complex because it counters or gives a new spin on Deyan's point of view on architecture. Contagious to read and highly recommended.

2 comments about Metapolis Dictionary of Advanced Architecture: City, Technology and Society in the Information Age.

1. This book has an interesting thrust behind it; to understand current ideas of urbanism and architecture theory, don't produce a timeless resource; instead, construct an index committed to the moment, that is destined to begin its obsolescence the second it's printed. It's best quality is its cluttered, jumbled design which floods you with imagery and conceptual points of departure.
   
   Sadly, it seems that 2/3rds of architecture education is deliberate obfuscation; people muddying their waters so as to appear deep. Like much of the worst theory, this operates from a "We're so clever, that what we're saying can't be summarized." viewpoint that complicates simple ideas. If you're not into theoretical hair-splitting you're in for a rough time.
   
   The books worst quality is it's fetishing of neologism. For complete annoyance you could look up these idiotic entries: 'benidorm' or 'mmm.' Other one-line entries for epic concepts that don't even offer fundamentals, are so broad as to be useless; look up 'colours!' (Say... that was useless!). No this isn't the book I'd turn to for a deep understanding of color but why include an entry at all?
   
   At it's worst this is a coy, academic in-joke that worships jargon, in an attempt to influence the lexicon. ('delynneate,' get it? Greg Lynn...). At it's best it's an exhilarating look at ideas that may have a shelf-life of decades or a few months, relievedly free of blob worshipping.



2. As an architecture student, I have found this book to be a valuable resource in terms of idea generation and development of design concepts. My professor, who practices architecture and makes use of the book on a professional level, recommended it to my classmates and I - I have used it ever since. Not only does it link terms with architectural concepts developed by well known and celebrated designers, it includes a number of interesting colour images. I highly recommend this to design students and professionals in any field, especially architecture. Happy reading!

No comments about The Survival Guide to Architectural Internship and Career Development.