4 comments about California Modern: The Architecture of Craig Ellwood.

1. Excellent value for money,hard cover,gloss paper,good graphics and photos.
   Text covers Caig Ellwoods full career and life.



2. Based on Jeff Ellwood's assessment, I'm upgrading my rating for this book by a full star as blood is likely thicker than admiration.



3. This is an excellent and comprehensive book about Craig Ellwood's life, both professional and personal. It is thoroughly researched, well laid out and fascinating in its detail.

   In sharp contrast to Rob Davis' review of this book, I have to say that from my point of view as Craig Ellwood's eldest son, Neil Jackson's book presents a very accurate and honest depiction of my father's work and life. There is no "prejudicial attitude" on Jackson's part. While it is true that the words of my father's former employees should be taken with a grain of salt (obviously!), I can attest that much of what they have to say is correct. Not all of it, but they are not totally off-base. Jackson leaves it up to reader to arrive at his or her own conclusions.

   I also take issue with Davis' assertion that Jackson was "rankled" at Craig Ellwood's lack of a license. To the contrary, Jackson allows the irony of Ellwood's being an "architect" (with quotation marks around the term) to speak for itself: license or no license, his work was significant and important. Jackson's book is far more accurate than Meredith Clausen's "concise" hatchet job. Jackson actually took the time to get his facts straight. Clausen's "exposé" was riddled with gross errors and based on mis- (and dis-)information, with little discernible attempt to do the research to get it right. Her article was self-serving rubbish. It is clearly Clausen who wrote from a prejudiced attitude, not Jackson. Without an axe to grind or some personal agenda, Jackson provides an honest look at Craig Ellwood the person. The book is impressive for its extensive research, for the balanced presentation of Ellwood's life and body of work, for the depth of information provided and for the choice of illustrations included.

   My only disappointment was with the cover photograph, which is not the most representative of Ellwood's work. This was the US publisher's choice, however. The UK publication has a much better, more visually pleasing cover.

   For anyone who wants the most complete and balanced work on Craig Ellwood, this is the book. It is neither a whitewash nor a hatchet job. Rather, it is the best attempt so far to capture and record the spirit of an imperfect, perfectionist designer whose work influenced his associates and American architecture itself for decades.




4. This book is reminiscent of the Paramount Pictures executive that wrote of Fred Astaire "Can't act. Can't sing. Balding. Can dance a little."

   The book is spottily written and makes too much of Ellwood's humble family background, that he changed his name, and is reported not to have been able to draw. It follows University of Washington Professor Meredith Clausen's exposé of a couple years back, which tread on the same subject matter, though more concisely.

   Once much published in the architectural press, Ellwood had until recently been fairly well forgotten, which is a shame in that modern design would have been poorer without his undeniable contribution. The central precept of Neil Jackson's book seems to hinge on whether Ellwood was a designer that communicated via graphic means or an exponent and impresario of modernist design. That he wasn't licensed seems to rankle the writer (and the architectural profession) perhaps mostly in that his office continuously produced award-winning work from its inception to Ellwood's retirement.

   A series of verbatim interviews with several of Ellwood's past associates' paints a generally unflattering picture of both Ellwood and in the process, the interviewees themselves. Much is made of Ellwood's high living style but in the end the reader learns very little of how he lived except for the foibles of his mid-life crisis. While the reader is regaled with carefully researched minutia like Ellwood's business telephone listings in the late 1940's, there are significant gaps in the story.

   Missing entirely is any description of Ellwood's sense of humor, his visual sensibility, his methods of communication within his office or personal details like whether or not he lived in a house of his own design.

   More than his associates and most of the architectural profession, Craig Ellwood knew how to create opportunities for good design and this is the critical distinction between those that rise to prominence and the 98+ percent of practitioners licensed (or unlicensed) that don't. In his pursuit of demeaning Craig's generally enviable career, the author has even stooped to suggest that publisher John Entenza's homosexuality might have been a factor in the consistent publication of Ellwood's work in Arts & Architecture magazine, as Craig was a strikingly handsome fellow.

   A more logical explanation of the Jackson's seemingly prejudicial attitude may come from embarrassment at having devoted the predominately laudatory Chapters 5 & 6 in his previous book (The Modern Steel House. Van Nostrand Reinhold. New York. 1996.) to Ellwood's work as a designer, only to later discover that the technical design of many of the projects could, well after the fact be attributed, in part or whole, to others.

   Typographically this book is hard to read having been set in too light and too grey a typeface. It is poorly illustrated, the pictures being generally too small and lacking in descriptive quality.

   This book is worth reading but should be taken with a grain of salt as the melancholy accounts of Ellwood's former employees, now claiming full responsibility for his genius, come more than 10 years after Ellwood's death.

   Perhaps like Fred Astaire history will be kinder to Craig Ellwood.

2 comments about Making Mechanical Marvels In Wood.

1. I ordered this book for my dad last Christmas, and he has used all of the patterns at least once. He is constantly telling me how well-planned the book is. I'm not a woodworker, but my dad is, and he rates this book top notch!



2. This is a book filled with projects for machines that are fun to play with. Over the years I have built more than half of them. (And given them all away as Christmas presents.) The machines are unique and really fun to watch work. A relatively high level of woodworking skill is required.

No comments about Spas: Beauty, Health & Design.

No comments about HVAC Instant Answers.

1 comments about Dream Homes Southwest (Dream Homes).

1. Dream Homes Southwest is a wonderful publication. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves the look of homes in the Desert Southwest. Your eyes will have a feast and it is truly full of ideas.
   Isis Primus
   Scottsdale, AZ

5 comments about Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings: (Building Basics Series).

1. This book will not give you all of the information required to build any staircase - anytime. But if you're interested in building stairs down to your basement or up to your 2nd floor addition, this is a very good source of information on the lay-out and space requirements. I felt like I was an o.k. stair builder(I'm a contractor/carpenter} and this book confirmed it. Professionals looking for new and interesting ideas will more than likely be disappointed. But if you're looking for a teaching aid for your guys, or a good book of examples of stairs, to show to your customers, then this book is a good buy.
   
   Don't EVER take the book A Treatise On Staircases And Handrails to show to your customers unless your planning to move in with them. It takes that long build those old antique designs with all of the decorative achitectural mouldings and ornamental handrailings. This book will get your guys to using phrases like newell post and quarter turn landing just as fluently as the redneck phrase "jooseeHER??".
   
   For the non-professional,, this is a good resource for the basics.
   
   "Mayonaise some good advice in air."



2. I purchased every book I could find on staircase building including _Basic Stairbuilding_ (usefull but not as straightforward as this one) and _Stair Builders Handbook_ (absolutely useless - don't waste your money).

   This book (Constructing Staircases...) contained the clearest diagrams and language that was easy for someone with no construction background to understand. I've used it exclusively to plan the construction of my staircase and am ready to begin building.

   Most of the reviews of this book are negative. I don't really understand why. If you want to build a staircase and have very little construction experience, this is the book you need. Building a staircase isn't rocket science but is reasonably complex as far as construction goes. Good luck!




3. I purchased the "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings" book after getting frustrated by the lack of details in the general purpose books out there, reguarding stairs.

   The book is GREAT! I learned a LOT about the basics in just the first two chapters. At under [$$], this book is a steal if you are looking for info on making your own staircase!




4. Like the photograph on the cover, this book is not what it seems. The text is simplistic, skimming the surface of a topic that people can devote a rich lifetime to studying.

   I bought it on the price and the strength of the cover photograph, because I'm Scottish (i.e. cheap), felt ambitious, and wanted to build a circular staircase from scratch.

   The book doesn't touch on that subject at all. The cover "photograph" is actually a poorly-rendered computer graphic, and the text inside matches it well.

   (By the way: DO NOT attempt to build a circular staircase from scratch unless you have years of woodworking under your belt, a very complete workshop at your disposal, are completely comfortable with extremely complex geometry, and have a source of income that allows you infinite free time :-)




5. I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a stair railing. I used information from instructions the stair parts manufacturers produce and help from a stair parts salesman to figure out the parts I would need but needed some additional help in actually installing it. I found this book at a woodworking show and thought I was set. Unfortunately almost all it covers is the design and constructions of the stairs themselves. The design and construction of the railing is barely touched on. I got more information from the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions that came with some of the installation hardware.

   I can't really comment on how good the stair construction information is since that's not what I was interested in, but I can't recommend this at all if your looking for information on stair railing design and construction.

   If you're looking for railing information I would recommend the book "Stairs: The Best of Fine Homebuiling". (ISBN 1561581313)

1 comments about A Pride of Place: Rural Residences of Fauquier County, Virginia.

1. This is a must have for any owner of a home built in Fauquier county in the 18th or early 19th century. It is also appealing to general historians and residents of the county and of Virginia.
   
   While I was disappointed that my 150 year old home was not listed or its carpenter discussed (he was after all a Yankee transplant after the war between the states) the historical information was fascinating and is a very good reference for both County history and Architecture.

1 comments about 225 Hillside Homes (Smart Design) (Smart Design Series).

1. Profusely illustrated with color photographs and blueprints, "225 Hillside Home Plans" is part of the Hanley Wood 'Smart Design Series'. Showcasing 225 home designs adaptable to the sloped landscape of hillside lots, "225 Hillside Home Plans" offers sound architectural ideas in a variety of sizes and styles, each of which take excellent advantage of the benefits of a sloped lot (including a walkout basement that adds living space and saves money), as well as design tips and techniques that make the most of a hillside home. Based on real-life solutions drawn from actually constructed architectural models, "225 Hillside Home Plans" is an excellent, 'user friendly', and inexpensive resource for anyone contemplating constructing a house on a hillside lot. Also some additional Hanley Wood titles which are very highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library Architectural Studies reference collections are: "DHS: 350 Vacation and 2nd Homes"; "Big Book of Traditional House Plans; "American Collection: Ranch Style RPK22"; and "Smart Design Series: 350 Narrow Lot Home Plans".

2 comments about Construction Technology for Tall Buildings.

1. I was searching for a book regarding high-rise concrete construction and settled on this one. As I suspected, the information in this book does not represent how things are done in the US market. (NOTE: Bamboo scaffolding on page 305 and shirtless/shoeless workers on page 213). The portion of the 417 page book related to concrete frame construction is only 20 pages. The book is not entirely useless but covers all topics only very briefly.



2. This book is fairly well written. I noticed a few typos / factual errors, but that tends to be true of a lot of technical books that are published nowadays. I think the technical content of the book has been worth the purchase price. The book covers a variety of general technical issues related to the construction of tall buildings, sometimes on difficult site conditions. A good overview of the subject. Tends to focus primarily on structural engineering issues, which as a structural engineer myself, I appreciate.

4 comments about Reflections on the Pool: California Designs for Swimming.

1. Detailed analysis of a few each of several different types of pools: lap pools, "natural" pools, indoor pools, famous pools, etc., all in California. Not a construction manual, but full of details worth considering when designing a pool. A must for anyone considering getting a pool on a difficult or very special piece of land.



2. This excelent book is focused exclusively on design. Very inspiring and unique. Do not expect to find anything about maintenance, it is a book meant for designers. A must for landscape designers and architects.



3. The photography is fabulous. Many of the pools were designed by the author, but this does not detract from the book. It is well balanced. The chapters include: the natural pool, lap pools, infinity edges, indoor pools, historical pools, among others.



4. A lovely book, plenty of inspirational photography and sufficient detail to inspire the intended pool builder or professional. Coffee table interest