No comments about Electricity & Controls for HVAC-R.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright's Fireplaces (Wright at a Glance).

1. It is 4" X4" or so and about 1/8 inch thick so I was surprised at how small it is.
   
   The content was ok.



2. "Frank Lloyd Wright's Fireplaces," by Carla Lind, explores one particular facet of the work of this great architect. This book is part of a series of "mini-books" devoted to Wright. But despite the book's small scale (5.25 by 5.25 inches, 57 pages), Lind has packed in a wealth of words and images.

   The book contains Lind's insightful text, as well as a wealth of illuminating sidebar quotes from Wright and others. There are many detailed, full-color photographs of stunning fireplaces. There is even a delightful historic black-and-white photo of Wright himself playing the piano near one of his fireplaces.

   Houses represented in the book include the Hollyhock house, the Hanna house, Fallingwater, and many others. Each fireplace is a beautiful work of art which seems like an organic, integral part of the home. This book will surely delight fans of Wright, and of home design in general.

4 comments about State Houses: America's 50 State Capitol Buildings.

1. From 1985 (Sacramento, CA) to 2007 (Juneau, AK), I was lucky enough to visit all 50 state capitol buildings in the Nation at least once. I was really thrilled when this book came out and wasn't disappointed a bit : it is lavishly illustrated with beautiful color-pictures, and the text is full of information. A must-have, whether you are preparing to visit one of those impressive building or if you wish to remember what you saw in them !



2. Purchased as a gift for someone who loves to visit the State Houses.
   Beautiful photos and history of each capitol- couldn't be more pleased.



3. This is a very well executed book. The images are first rate and the text is highly informative. Every state capitol building is covered extensively and the book is full of great photographs, every state capitol building gets the same indepth coverage. I liked how the book is done in chronological order, you get to see the capitols evolve and see what was considered opulent at the time. I have been waiting for a book like this for some time and am so pleased that Ms. Thrane has put out such a wonderful book. Thank you.



4. If you're interested in architecture or history - especially if you want a flavor for the rich variety of our states and their capitols, this is a wonderful book. The large format photography is excellent and, according to the photographer, used only available lighting. It provides a real sense of the buildings and what has inspired each state. The text also provides a wealth of information about each building. I wish the book had been arranged by when each state attained statehood. A great gift for the traveler for the person who wishes they could travel. A wonderful reference for the library. Or, for me, the latest book on my coffee table.

4 comments about Colorscapes: Inspiring Palettes for the Home.

1. Susan Sargent has a brilliant eye for color, and the book is filled with fabulous pictures of vividly-colored interior spaces. Where the book falls short is in the text. The descriptions of what, why and how are all too brief and poorly related to the photos. The text and the photos often do not match each other, and too often there is no corresponding picture. In one chapter, the author describes how a family painting inspired the entire color pallette of the home, but the painting is never shown. In another, the photo caption lists the colors used in the room but omits the most dominate color. At one point, the text just stops mid-sentence, and the reader is left wondering how the book ever went to press in this condition.
   
   The photos are inspiring, but the book suffers from a lack of editorial effort. Matching text and photos on the same page or using the common convention of including a page reference or 'not shown' would have been most welcome. If you want more than eye candy, you have to work at understanding what is going on in the mind of this brilliant decorator.



2. I am a Susan Sargant fan and a lover of color... Her new book Colorscapes is a true inspiration. If you are tired of decorating around beige then this is the book for you! Here you are guided to find your own personal color's,put together your own design board, and forge ahead with confidence in creating the colorful spaces you have always wanted to live with! It is a wonderful addition to your home library.



3. This is another great book by Susan Sargent!
   A lot of pictures to give you ideas to design your home, and it looks doable! No oversized mansions with 20ft high ceiling and gigantic rooms full of antiques and paintings you expect to find in a museum.
   Real pro advice from a pro designer to help you achieve your own dream home design.
   And you will read this book like a good novel, there are stories behind those homes beeing redone.
   Susan is definitely the best when it comes down to put together bright colors without beeing tacky!



4. Made me less shy with color, that's for sure!

1 comments about New Museums: Contemporary Museum Architecture Around the World (Universe Architecture Series).

1. 31 museums in this small size survey at only 6.5 x 8.25 inches (16.5 x 21 cm) are depicted only by photos, but good ones. Following the introductory part on 12 pages, each of 31 buildings is headed by a description filling up a title page with text followed by 5 pages with only photos. This is an album-like book without any technical edge. It is similar to the book "New Museums" (ISBN: 0714844985), but only a half of its size and... splendor. Like all from the Universe Architecture series, it is compact and well published.
   CONTENTS:
   6 Introduction
   18 Contemporary Art Museum; St. Louis, Missouri; Allied Works Architecture
   24 Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts; St. Louis, Missouri; Tadao Ando
   30 Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art; Helsinki, Finland; Steven Holl Architects
   36 Contemporary Arts Center (CAC); Cincinnati, Ohio; Zaha Hadid
   42 Jewish Museum; Berlin, Germany; Daniel Libeskind
   48 American Folk Art Museum; New York, New York; Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates
   54 Museum of Modern Art, Queens; Long Island City, Queens, New York; Michael Maltzan and Cooper, Robertson & Partners
   60 Museum of Modern Art; New York, New York; Yoshio Taniguchi
   66 Kunsthaus Graz; Graz, Austria; Spacelab Cook-Fournier
   72 Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation; Vienna, Austria; Ortner and Ortner
   78 Kunsthaus Bregenz; Bregenz, Austria; Peter Zumthor
   84 Tate Modern; London, England; Herzog & de Meuron
   90 Dia:Beacon; Beacon, New York; Robert lrwin and OpenOffice Art + Architecture Collaborative
   96 0-Museum; Iida, Nagano, Japan; SANAA
   102 Kalkriese Archaeological Museum Park; Kalkriese, Germany; Gigon & Guyer
   108 Paper Art Museum; Shizuoka, Japan; Shigeru Ban
   114 Art Pavilion "De Verbeelding"; Zeewolde, Netherlands; René van Zuuk Architects
   120 Makino Museum of Plants and People; Shikoku Island, Japan; Hiroshi Naito
   126 Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science; Matsunoyama, Japan; Takaharu + Yui Tezuka Architects
   132 De Young Museum; San Francisco, California; Herzog & de Meuron
   136 Vulcania: Parc Europeen du Volcanisme; Saint-Ours les Roches, Auvergne, France; Hans Hollein
   142 Mesquite Heritage Museum and Art Center; Mesquite, Nevada; AssemblageSTUDlO
   148 Luyeyuan Sculpture Museum; Sichuan Province, China; Jiakun Liu
   154 Stone Museum; Nasu, Japan; Kengo Kuma & Associates
   160 asher Sculpture Center; Dallas, Texas; Renzo Piano Building Workshop
   166 Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; Fort Worth, Texas; Tadao Ando
   174 Nevada Museum of Art; Reno, Nevada; William Bruder
   180 Bellevue Arts Museum; Bellevue, Washington; Steven Holl Architects
   186 Moderna Museet; Stockholm, Sweden; Rafael Moneo
   192 Museu Serralves; Oporto, Portugal; Alvaro Siza
   200 Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College; Saratoga Springs, New York; Antoine Predock
   206 Notes
   207 Photography Credits
   208 Resources

4 comments about Virginia Plantation Homes.

1. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something with great pictures and a brief narrative. The photos were good in that they weren't all taken in the summer, as in most books of this type. It was nice to see these historic homes in the spring bloom, fall colors and winter white-scape. Of course the summer shots were also beautiful. A good book for your own or for a gift.



2. Gleason really excelled in books of this kind, he really knew how to capture these old grand buildings. This book is first rate and it covers all of the well known homes as well as some that may not be so familiar. All of his books of this genre are consistantly top notch. The colors are vibrant and just pop off the page. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the grandeur of the Old South, it's just amazing how many of these houses survived the Civil War, with battles often within earshot of the veranda.



3. Beautiful photos, good text, but awkward size (doesn't fit on book shelf)



4. In my opinion this coffee table book is the one by which all others should be judged. Gleason is one fine professional photographer who needs to expand into yet more regions on this same subject of old plantation homes

No comments about Detail Practice: Translucent Material: Glass, Synthetic Materials, Metal.

1 comments about Squares: A Public Place Design Guide for Urbanists.

1. Mark Childs really knows how to write about Civic Spaces. Highly recommend this book.

4 comments about The Ultimate Guide to Spas and Hot Tubs : Troubleshooting and Tricks of the Trade.

1. Software appears to work, but I was unable to update it because of a malfunction. Do Not expect help form the vendor, as a matter of fact you will be fortunate to recieve an answer from them. In short buy at your own risk!!!



2. This is helpful to understand the operations and "guts" of a hottub/spa, but not helpful in making decisions on which brand or type to buy initially. Once you have one, it is helpful in doing repairs yourself, and optimally maintaining it.



3. I own all of Tamminen's excellent pool and spa books. While I'm not a pool professional, I am a do-it-yourself person. Any question I have about installation, maintenance, and upkeep, I find the answers in Tamminen's books. I recommend this book to anyone with a spa or a hot tub. You'll find what you're looking for every time.



4. If you are looking for info on Spas and Hot Tubs, don't buy this book.
   Most of the info and photos are for Pools and the info on pools is outdated. The only time you see spas explained is when they are part of a pool!
   This looks like a 1970's book on Pools reprinted with a new cover showing spas. I was looking for info on Portable spa heaters and pumps. The book goes into great detail on gas!!! fired water heaters, and concrete???? spas!!!!
   For all of you Portable spa owners.......beware!!!!!!

1 comments about Concrete: Design, Construction, Examples (Detail Practice).

1. This book is produced by the creators of Detail Magazine. With this in mind I expected there to be a lot more details. It contains more of a brief history, types of concrete, different applications, and just as the title depicts, "Design Examples", with minimal construction insight or details. Most of the examples were nothing spectacularly unique as well. I would recommend this as a resource for an architecture student, but there is not much substance for the practicing architect.