5 comments about The Doors of San Miguel De Allende.

1. There is no doubt that this book contains fine photography of a very interesting subject. I just wish, however, I paid more attention to the product description: Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches. This is not a coffee table book, and each photograph is 4.25 x 6.5 inches. So don't expect a book of the dimension that usually does justice to these types of photos. Let's just say that I wish I had a much larger format with which to enjoy the author's work.
   
   That said and out of the way, the author/photographer hits the mark exactly with a very intriguing facet of Old Mexico and the charming colonial city of San Miguel de Allende. Cities like this have an ancient patina to them, something that only history and time can impart. Like most art, you either get it or you don't, and this author gets it.
   
   The book isn't a metaphor to life inside the city, it is exactly what the title states - a collection of beautifully photographed handcrafted doors. But there is more; even if you have not made the journey to Old Mexico, you begin to know it by the faces of these doors. Much like human faces, there is embedded in each a perspective of a life lived and served, and serving, such that the reader/observer begins to wonder about the depths of the soul of each residence.
   
   I have been to San Miguel de Allende on one of several motorcyle journeys through Mexico. It is a land of enchantment, wonderful history, lively tradtions, excellent food, and most of all, a rich culture and some of the most vibrant, friendly people in all the world. They literally open their hearts - and doors - to all who travel and visit with humility and respect.
   
   This book deserves a larger footprint to display the author's work. But since it does not, I hope it serves as a teaser to those who have never been to San Miguel, or Guanajuato, or Zacatecas and the like - to go and see, and open, doors both literally and figuratively to a world so close yet so far away. Viva Old Mexico!



2. but if not, you'll be bored senseless.



3. This book was purchased as a gift for me. I am a subscriber to International Living, and San Miguel is a long-time favorite of theirs.
   
   I mentioned this, and the way the city had piqued my interest, to a family member. She then promptly went online and ordered this book for me.
   
   It is for this reason that I issue the following warning: the title should be taken LITERALLY, not figuratively.
   
   It could be read either way, but this book is NOT about opening the metaphorical doors to life in San Miguel. You will not look in these pages and then find the metaphorical doors to San Miguel thrown open to your understanding and appreciation. You will not learn about expat or local life in this historical city. And you will not find yourself frequently referring back here as you plan your trip or your move.
   
   What you WILL find, seriously, is heaps about the actual physical doorways on buildings in San Miguel.
   
   If you WANT the world's premiere photo-essay collection about the doorways in San Miguel, then this is a five-star tome all the way. Look all you want, you won't find better. If you want info about the city and culture of this red-hot expat community, look elsewhere.



4. If you are looking for rustic colonial or American Southwest doors then this book is a must buy. - jim



5. If you are looking for information about San Miguel, this book does NOT provide it! Very little written...too many door photos!

No comments about Preservation of Modern Architecture.

1 comments about New Hotels 3 (New Hotels).

1. All of us are familiar with the basic concept of the hotel, it's a collection of bedrooms for short term rental. And since the basic product is the same in all hotels, and the basic costs are about the same, what can you do to distinguish your property from the others in the next block, around the corner or across town.
   
   One answer is design. And this book is a collection of photographs of hotel designs that are the ultimate in design. They are selected from new properties all around the globe but with the criteria in mind that they reflect the work of the best designers around, some well known, some newcommers. They all reflect what is best in current design which blends the tried and traditional with the new and local cultural input.
   
   Often books such as these tend to reflect only the newest construction and giant properties. This one does not. There is one 'cafe with rooms' in Cape Town -- only 8 rooms. There are new buildings, but also buildings from the past that retain their outside appearance to fit into their community but which have been made luxurious inside.
   
   A splendid selection of hotels, well photographed and beautifully printed.

3 comments about Bungalow Plans.

1. Enjoyed this book very much. There were plans of the houses with pictures and explanation of features. There were pictures also of the interiors which were lovely. I loved this book. Excellent!



2. I am studying plans for a new craftsman neighborhood that I am building in. This book is not very helpful. It has a few pictures that may help with some exterior design choices but that is all. There are only about 20 plans in this book and none are very good. The plans have no dimensions on them. There is no way to tell what the width or depth is. We have some tight lots so all the houses have to be less than 40' wide. Save your money and buy Craftsman Style.



3. Profusely illustrated with simple yet methodical diagrams and gorgeous color photography, Bungalow Plans by bungalow development experts Christian and Christen Gladu (owners of the Bungalow Company, Bend, Oregon) is an impressive collection of twenty-five bungalow plans from top-class designers. Bungalow Plans is an enthusiastically recommended, beautifully presented showcase of practical, efficient, and "people friendly" homes in this distinctive architectural style.

4 comments about Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City.

1. Extreme Simplicity is a look inside the life of Christopher and Deolores Nyerges as they practice simple, sustainable living in urban California.
   
   While not a true "How to" manual, this book is thought provoking and encourages the reader to seek out additional information. The real strength of this book is the quiet yet compelling way the authors strive to value their environment, and live within it. They demonstrate a real respect for their surroundings.
   
   This book is also full of a variety of suggestions to maximize ways a city dweller can live sustainably. Without preaching "do this", but rather through the conversation of the book, the authors discuss ways they maximize their food growing and gathering through the use of open spaces, woods, community garden spaces and the like. They present a full picture of how they provide for themselves by growing their own, gathering food stuffs that others overlook, and taking advantage of space outside their own yard to provide for their needs.
   
   If you are looking for a step by step manual for homsteading in he city, this book is not for you. If you enjoy reading about others who live the lifestyle, and are looking to get ideas from people walking the talk, however, then Extreme Simplicity is a rich edition to your home library.



2. This is a timeless and well written book for anyone interested in the idea of living as self sufficient as one can within an urban or suburban area, especially in California.
   
   The authors writing style is a combination of journal and how to genre. From fruits, vegetables, flowers, small livestock, water and unexpected issues like how to protect what you have the authors lay out a cornucopia of facts and think ahead ideas that will help anyone interested in urban homesteading.
   
   Loved reading how they started with a fixer upper home and made it into a home to be proud of and how they took a totally neglected yard and made it into an Eden to be proud of as well as an inspiration to the rest of the neighborhood.
   
   Also nice to read how their efforts also saved open space around them that was a dumping ground for junk but became a safe haven for wild birds etc.



3. First of all, it's nice to see a book that deals with urban/suburban (rather than rural) homesteading! Some of what the authors suggest is not terribly practical in my region, such as going without air conditioning in the summer (Michigan's humidity can be pretty unbearable), but there are plenty of good suggestions that can be adapted for any climate.



4. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but beware; it's not really a how-to manual. It's the personal and very specific homesteading experiences of the authors. There is some good how-to information but it is not covered in any depth; there are whole books dedicated to topics that "Extreme Simplicity" covers in a page or two. This is the book for you if you are looking for an extensive overview, personal anecdotes and ideas to get you started in your homesteading lifestyle.
   I only gave it 4 stars because I felt the title was a bit misleading. I purchased the book based on the subtitle "Homesteading in the City". What they really mean is "Homesteading in the Suburbs of a Major City Where You Have a Bit of Land and Own Your Own Home". I was hoping to be able to recommend this book to my apartment bound friends in NYC but if you don't have even a bit of land or you are in a rental, this book won't help much. Still, it's a good read if you are interested in the topic. Kudos to the authors for what they are doing.

3 comments about Residential Steel Framing Handbook.

1. This book covers the entire gamut of steel framing in one convenient source. It covers the entire residential structure from the first plan through the wall framing to the roof. It has plety of diagrams and photos to enhance the points it attempts to make. The chapters are thorough, but not unnecessarily long. The author has that unique ability to describe the instruction he wants to impart but at the same time the keeps on track. It helps if the reader has an engineering background, but anyone familiar with the process should have little trouble following the step by step instructions.
   
   This book won't find its way to a best seller list, but that is not the point of the book. It has important information for those involved in steel construction framing and that audience should benefit greatly from having this book available as a reference.



2. I am familiar with commercial metal framing and drywall. I know nothing about residential metal framing. This book helped answer alot of questions I had. I still have not framed a house in metal but if and when I do, I know this book will have made alot of the techniques and materials easier for me to understand and work with.



3. As a Civil Engineer, having to deal with both horizontal and vertical construction, and having to build residential, industrial and commercial buildings, both in Hurricane zones (Dade County, Miami, Florida) and in earth movement areas (Los Angeles Force 4/Richter Scale 9) in California & now in Istanbul, Turkey, this handbook has been particularly usefull when describing Light Gauge Steel Framing to Engineers which are having to cope with the subject for the first time. Would like to know when a new Edition of this Handbook with updated data will be published?

   Our deep appreciation to Mr. Robert Scharff and the editors of Walls & Ceilings Magazine.

   Sincerely,

   Alexandre Byron-Exarcos President & CEO United States Steel Framing Corp.

3 comments about At Home in Maine.

1. Beautiful houses and a lot of different styles of houses. A great gift for anyone who has lived in Maine, visited Maine or just loves good architecture.



2. This wonderful book by Christopher Glass and Brian Vanden Brink will simply take your breath away. I keep it by by bedside and turn to it on those lonely nights when I long for summer vacations in Maine. Brian Vanden Brink's photographs are crisp and amazing and are truly an inspiration to all novice photographers out there! Fans of Vanden Brink can see more of his amazing work at www.brianvandenbrink.com.



3. At Home in Maine: Houses Designed to Fit the Land is a showcase of Maine architecture especially designed to be aesthetically pleasing and fully integrated into the environment. Stunning full-color photographs reveal dwellings inside and out with a richness of texture and a smoothly harmonous design. The text by an architect with decades of experience offers insight into the subtle nuances of each house, noting its distinguishing features with a practiced eye in an easygoing, conversational manner that will appeal to lay readers and experts alike. A truly eye-pleasing book to page through, and a valuable resource for architectural design ideas.

5 comments about The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection.

1. The only book written on how to build a cathedral. Very informative and helpful to a novice.



2. Good introduction to medieval building techniques. Being a devoted admirer of Gothic cathedrals, this was one of the first books I red about the subject and it served well. If you wish to know why was pointed arch so important, or procedures used to erect butresses or types of scaffoldings used at that times... you will find the answers here. There is one drawback - it seems to me that author was repeating some ideas from the first half of the book in the second one, but still, it deserves 5 stars. Kind regards, Mario.



3. If you want to know about the details of building a Gothic Cathedral this is IT! I only wish the type front was a little bigger and some of the drawings were enlarged. Some of the construction details are pretty much what we are still doing today.



4. The builders of Gothic vaults left few clues (written or pictorial) about their actual construction methods. John Fitchen employs induction as well as the skills of a detective to figure out how the vaults were designed and built. Nevertheless, he fails the inquisitive reader at one critical point.

   Fitchen states that the stone ribs supporting the Gothic vaults conform to a curve called, in mathematics, a catenary. The mathematics of catenary curves was first described by Robert Hooke in the late 1600s. This was no less than 150 years *after* the Gothic builders completed their last work.

   In the absence of a knowledge of the mathematics of catenaries, how did the Gothic builders discover the *only* rib curvature that was self-supporting?

   (It's not good enough to say the Gothic builders arrived at the correct catenary curve empirically, that is, by trial and error. There was simply no room for error. All would have come tumbling down.)

   How did they do it?




5. In this book, originally published in 1961, John Fitchen describes and explains the falsework (i.e. scaffolding) that was used to build Gothic Cathedrals. The main focus is on the construction and use of the centering (which is the formwork used to build arcs and vaults). The chapters: 1. Sources of information - 2. Constructional means - 3. Medieval types of vaulting - 4. Gothic formwork - 5. Gothic centering - 6. Erection of rib vaulting without formwork. The text is clearly written and accompanied by excellent drawings, a very good glossary and an extensive bibliography. For everyone interested in medieval building techniques this book is a must.

5 comments about The Portland Cement Association's Guide to Concrete Homebuilding Systems.

1. I purchased this book in 1995. It was and still is the only book of it's kind. It provides data such as time, cost, quality for a wide range of concrete construction methods. Yes there have been changes since 1994 but actual very little. I have built 12 concrete homes including my personal home of 10 years, using serveral systems covered in this excelent book



2. This is as another reviewer stated, "Advertising." Completely unpractical from either an engineer or buildler's point of view. Steer clear.



3. As we may note upon reading this tome, it is written primarily for one who is articulate with the construction trade. However it is onomonopoetic in its scope. As you read you find yourself absorbing and understanding far more than seems possible. One gets it quickly and is allowed to dream of design possibilities. I love a good book. Learning at an exponential rate is exhilerating.



4. Remember, this book is almost TEN years old because it is based on research done in 1993 and published in '95. So there have been advances and experience that go well beyond this book. Dwell magazine has often tickled me with various new building techniques and I wanted to learn more about what might be appropriate for me and the Midwestern climate. This book will give you an overview of SOME of the styles (mortarless, poured-in-place, etc.), and also indicate what might be appropriate for your situation. I'm not a builder or an architect but I wanted to design my own house, so this book did help me to recognize and comprehend the different catagories of techniques. At the same time, this topic could really use an update that you won't find from the Portland Cement Association. My advice to people like me is to keep looking and seek out small-scale builders who will familiarize you with their technique that they know best. There are dozens, and the most difficult thing is getting a crew that doesn't have to be trained for a new technique but has already completed several homes using a proven method.

   This book, even though it is somewhat old will give you a good sense of what to expect from building codes and prices, but it's just not enough, and there are no pretty pictures.




5. This book is an Ugly Duckling for now. Hopefully in the future they will put out a new edition with lots of colour photo's to show us what a finished project can look like. It does seem to cover most systems for building concrete structures. It is written for contractors, but with a little work it could be just as well suited for the potential home owner.

No comments about The Project of Autonomy: Politics and Architecture Within and Against Capitalism.