1 comments about Painting Your Favorite Birds Step by Step.

1. This book is an excellent step by step guide to painting Birds, the author has really thought about her subjects and even has given a little review about each bird at the start of the project wich makes it all the more interesting, loads of pictures, and the instructions are easy to follow. Overall an excellent book.

2 comments about Blur: The Making of Nothing.

1. This book was designed extreamly well. The book consists of emails, faxes, photos, sketches, CAD, essays, and much more in a scrap book fasion. The whole thing is talking about this project for the Expo, but that isn't what is interesting about it. The design of the book allows you to page through and look at the pictures, read snippits of emails or faxes, and shows you their process of concept and design. If you were to ignore the fact that it is all talking about this one project you can use it to inspire new ideas for your own use. This is one hell of a book. The copy i go was a slightly different version but the inards are essentially the same.



2. diller & scofidio are the best. and everyone has to know it. so read the book and support them on their fight against the rest of the bad, bad world. you can manipulate every fact that it fits your purpose, but sometimes it's too transparent for mature people, probably this book would work as a fairytale for children.

1 comments about MVRDV: Works and Projects 1991-2006.

1. The photo pictured is not the cover image, nor is the title accurate; but the content is first rate. Unlike MVRDV's own publications in which the pages number into the thousands, this book is simple and short. The image quality is very high; an excellent snapshot of MVRDV's works.

5 comments about In the Company of Stone: The Art of the Stone Wall.

1. The beautiful color photographs of the artfully designed and master-crafted stonework are nicely done! It seems apparent to me that the stone mason has a definite love for his chosen profession and for any project precisely crafted. This book is not a "how-to-do-stonework-101." It is the meshing between the photographer and artist that tells a unique story in pictures. This book wets my appetite for wanting to learn more about this timeless craft!



2. Dan Snows stonework may be some of the best in the world. Of all the stonework I have seen over the years his stands of as the best of the best.
   This book illustrates much of Dans work demonstrating what is possible.
   Most of this work is dry laid stone which is an art in itself. For those who like work utilizing mortar I recommend Lew Frenches book. Buy this book if you love to view stonework that makes you say " WOW!"



3. Over a decade ago, Dan Snow repaired the hundred-year-old dry stone walls that wander across our property in Vermont. The tumbled stone had been evocative, but the symmetry of the reassembled walls has been an irresistible delight. I do not know Snow--he worked while we were away--but I have thanked him a million times for his art. In this book, he has somehow captured with words the sensory pleasure of organizing and reorganizing stones. The art of walling, as evidenced by Peter Mauss's photographs, and the skill of walling, as described by Snow, are compulsively fascinating, an adventure for the armchair dreamer.
   The text and illustrations blend carefully, and the color photographs sparkle. The reproduction of the black and white photographs varies in quality, alas. This is a charming book. An excellent companion book is Gordon Hayward's "Stone in the Garden."



4. If you love stones and stone work you'll appreciate the pictures but a book just can't manage to "show" the art involved in working with stone



5. This is not a "how-to" book - it's better than that. It's a "why" book. The author expresses in his understated manner the "why's" of working with stone and for anyone who feels about stone the way he does (and I do)it is a delight to read - and look at. This book is absolutely inspirational and a joy.

2 comments about Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning.

1. A Person who just starts to learn something about Islamic culture should read it. For people who knows a lot the catalogue at the second part of the book would be helpful but it is also not complete.



2. I love this book. It gives you a very good insight to muslim architecture and is at the same time easy to read and entertaining. As an orientalist in a postgrad study program I got to read books on the subject that are much more confusing or that are written in a slightly boring style. This book is a thorough introduction that never just stays on the surface of the matter. It does not give you a chronological account of architecture history, but answers a lot of questions like "Why it was built like it was built?" In the back part of the book you find plans and short descriptions of the most important buildings, in the first part you find a lot of good photographs and even better articles on single subjects like materials or building techniques. But the most important thing: It's NEVER boring.

2 comments about AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

1. AIA-sponsored architectural surveys vary in quality, since AIA serves as an underwriter but does not actually publish the books. If you like American architectural history, and urban architecture in particular, you're probably a collector of these books. I am. My fellow Houstonian Mr. Deason is too. And if you like GOOD architectural surveys, take Mr. Deason's advice (as I did) and buy this one. It's the best of the AIA lot to date.
   
   There are 1,500 entries from the marvelous ensemble of structures that is Minneapolis/St. Paul. Settlement of the Twin Cities gathered steam after the Civil War, so there's not much age to these buildings, but there is remarkable diversity of style and quality. Since St. Paul is the less prosperous of the two cities, it's the better preserved. This guide puts both cities on lovely display, but you should keep in mind that the guide stays within the city limits.
   
   If you're familiar with AIA guides, you'll recognize the format. There are some extra features in this book that make it better than the others. First, its coverage is comprehensive. The structures you like are going to be in here: churches, colleges and universities, houses, schools, warehouses, mills, bridges, skyscrapers, museums. They're all here. Second, the essays are concise but also informative. The author has done a nice job of telling the reader something important about each of the structures reviewed. There are 600 small black & white photographs, but despite their small size they reveal the buildings well. You get an idea of what the buildings look like from the street, which is how you're likely to observe them in person. There are interior shots of a few of the most important public structures as well. Another nice feature is the inclusion of important lost structures, which accompany the entries for the buildings that replaced them. I've not been to the Twin Cities for over 20 years, but I got the feeling that I've had a nice intimate visit from browsing this book. Any architecture book that makes me want to travel somewhere to see the buildings for myself achieves a key objective. It's very good.
   
   The product detail above says the book is about 450 pages, but it's really 650, put together in a nice flexible binding and printed on non-glossy, thick-stock paper.



2. First of let me say, I love these AIA guides..granted some are better than others, but for the most part they are very informative. This one on the Twin Cities is one of the best. I am not at all familiar with Minneapolis-St. Paul, so this guide was a real eye opener, I really had no idea that these two cities had so many interesting buildings. The text is highly informative and easy to read and the images are well done. If you have any interest in architecture or of the Twin Cities then I cant imagine a reason you would not love this guide. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Late Victorian Houses and Cottages: Floor Plans and Illustrations for 40 House Designs.

1. If you were an upper-middle-class gentleman living a hundred years ago, and were thinking of building a house, but weren't sure just what style suited you, then you would want to get your hands on this book. The 40 plans here go beyond Victorian, and represent a good range of houses being built in the day. There are no modest cottages to be found here, these are mostly in the 2000-4000 sq ft range. For each house, you get a perspective and plans for the first two floors. You also get a nice description including the dimensions, along with the height of each story, materials, finishes, interior details, and the cost.
   
   Any of these houses could be built today, with some rearranging of the rooms to fit modern expectations. Put one of these on a block full of modern houses, and nobody would ever see any of the others. These plans come from an age when houses were designed to make an impression, make a statement about the owner and his station. They would certainly cost more than a comparably sized modern house, because every corner, every nook and cranny, is filled with beautiful details. The contractors who built these houses would never, ever, build a house with brick in front and vinyl siding in the back. They would sooner show up for their own weddings with the front of a tux on, and their bare backside hanging out! I'm hopeful that someday soon we'll have a housing renaissance, where these kinds of houses enjoy a resurgence of popularity. Highly recommended.



2. A good refurence on period homes. Each structure has a profile drawing, plans for two floors and is well described. Unfortunately it provides no images for attick which Victorians often used for bedrooms or funrooms as well as storage or basement which often contained house coal furnace and storage as well as other facilities.
   
   A good find for anyone interested in homes of this most interesting period. I just wish it were complete.



3. I actually purchased this book for use in a computer game. The Sims and Sims 2 games permit the building of houses and for me, this book filled the bill perfectly.
   
   To actually work from authentic floor plans used in the 19th Century and watch it come to life is an interesting hobby.
   
   Each home consists of a very good drawing of the house itself plus an excellent rendering of the floor plan. In those days, you browsed thru this book much the same as a Sears Catalog and picked out the home you wanted built. You then bought the floor plans which varied in price. Some floor plans cost as little as $25.00, others cost $150.00.
   
   There is a very good description of the house which consists of general dimensions, exterior materials, interior materials and accommodations such as heating by furnace or fireplace. In many cases, the house could be built for $3,000 or less.
   
   For the history buff it would be interesting time spent with this book. I recommend it for the detail in the floor plans alone. The drawings are superb.

No comments about Spas (Architectural Interiors).

2 comments about Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer.

1. I am not sure that I will use Amazon.com again.
   
   I am an instructor at a local college. I ordered books two & half weeks prior to my class beginning. a couple of days prior to class beginning, I wrote to Amazon asking where the books were. I received no answer. I wrote again on the day class began. I received no answer. The books arrived after the class began and I had no choice but to drive around town hand delivering the books to students who had not found the books on their own. I returned the remainder.
   
   Correspondence is either non existant or slow at best. I found Amazon a internet site with a lot to offer, but service and communication is not one of them.
   Karen Easter, IIDA, CEO
   IDR, Inc.



2. If you're interested in architectural programming--defining a project's requirements prior to designing--then this book is a "must read." Why "Problem Seeking?" Pena explains that since design is problem solving, programming is, "the search for sufficient information to clarify, to understand, to state the problem."
   Part One of the book is a primer, focusing on theory and principles. Part Two is the "how to do it" section, providing details and examples. The book is based on decades of real-life project examples from one of the most experienced architectural programming teams in the nation.
   
   
   The core idea is profound: Separating programming (analysis) from design (synthesis), brings tremendous clarity to the design problem. Focusing first on the goals, facts and concepts, then translating those into quantifiable needs (independent of the solution!) facilitates decision-making and encourages innovation.
   
   
   Reading this book won't make you an architectural programmer, but it provides an essential foundation for anyone involved in a building project--architects and owners alike. The book is used as a text book in architecture schools across the country, and is required reading before taking the Architectural Registration Exam. A 9 out of 10 only because it will leave you yearning for more.

4 comments about Richard Neutra: And The Search for Modern Architecture.

1. This book is the benchmark on Richard Neutra's work, it's thorough, has wonderful, vivid images, and the text is scholarly, but easy to read. I have always been a huge fan of Mr. Neutra's work, it is so clean, open, and modern. His buildings really fit Southern California perfect, the sunshine and the dry ocean breezes meld well with his modern asthetic. If you have any interest in Moderne architecture or are just a fan of the singular Mr. Neutra, then I highly recommend this book.



2. to an architect the purpose of this book is unclear. The subject is an architect with an extremely interesting life, who designed very interesting buildings. The subtitle of the book gives us the impression that the book is about architecture. In reality it only gives us a very poor impression of the buildings designed by Neutra: only very small pictures are displayed of what he designed. family snap-shots on the other hand, are everywhere and in larger sizes.
   Of course this can be a purpose of the writer. However, the uncritical way and blind admiration for Neutra makes the book boring to read and tiresome.
   I suggest that anyone that is interested in the works of Neutra buy another book, with better, and more pictures of his buildings and floor plans to go with them. His buildings deserve it.



3. this is an excellent account of the life and works of richard neutra. i would recommend this book to anyone interested in modern architecture, both regionally and internationally. More color images would have been appreciated, although this does not detract from the overall attractiveness of the book.



4. The classic Neutra companion; very informative. Although I would have liked to have seen current color photographs of the great RJN's work along with the extensive B&W ones (actually I believe a volume of that nature is in the works), this retrospective is nonetheless very broad in its scope and has many interesting stories about the building of the structures during Neutra's life. Also contains a complete list of his buildings and houses, along with locations and dates of construction.