5 comments about Style and Grace: African Americans at Home.

1. I borrowed this book from my local library for decor inspiration and because the photographs were stunning. I then purchased my own copy because I fell in love with the wonderful stories of the homeowners and the gorgeous pictures. While the majority of the homes featured are in the New York area, there is a wide range of home design on display here. My favorites were the NY townhomes as I just love the look of the woodwork and the beautiful fireplaces. Well worth it and makes a fine addition to any library or showpiece for your coffee table.



2. Style and Grace: African Americans at Home is a must for anyone that is an avid collector of diverse Interior Decorating styles. Even if you are just interested in designs for creating African interiors, or decorating styles of the artistic and eclectic, this is the one book to add to your collection. African objects mixed with art deco, classical, traditional and modern styles. The Exotic and Rustic to the Modern and Streamlined are showcased-all are a mixture of what we strive to achieve in our own homes.
   
   The rooms in this book are actual, lived in rooms of everyday homes. Nothing seems staged or fussy. Masculine or Feminine...I found all these interiors very culturally urban. Comfortable, inspirational, unique and beautiful!



3. If photographer Mick Hales' work in STYLE AND GRACE: AFRICAN AMERICANS AT HOME looks familiar, that's because his work has appeared in some top national magazines, from House and Garden to Vanity Fair. When paired with architectural historian Michael Henry Adams' work, it provides a gorgeous addition to the first survey to capture the spirit of African-Americans in their home design and decoration choices. A wide range of homes receive feature here, from that of hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons to Congressman Charles Rangel: each surveys the style, intentions and outlook of the homeowner as well as the designer or architect involved.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



4. If photographer Mick Hales' work in STYLE AND GRACE: AFRICAN AMERICANS AT HOME looks familiar, that's because his work has appeared in some top national magazines, from House and Garden to Vanity Fair. When paired with architectural historian Michael Henry Adams' work, it provides a gorgeous addition to the first survey to capture the spirit of African-Americans in their home design and decoration choices. A wide range of homes receive feature here, from that of hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons to Congressman Charles Rangel: each surveys the style, intentions and outlook of the homeowner as well as the designer or architect involved.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



5. If you're looking for a beautiful, decorative coffee-table book to fill space in your living quarters, look no further. STYLE AND GRACE: AFRICAN AMERICANS AT HOME is a beautiful escape inside the home of African American celebrities. Showing a diversity of styles and tastes, the reader is given a glimpse of quiet elegance, sophisticated clutter, and even over-indulgent artifacts. Showcasing the houses of celebrities such as Russell Simmons and Gordon Parks to Nancy Lane and Michael McCollom, this book is resplendent, and quite an inspiration to those who can afford to hire someone else to fix up their house.

   Photographer Mick Hales has beautifully portrayed areas both inside and outside of each house. And, while I did think the book was beautiful, it was a bit annoying that it only focused on celebrities as if to say that other African Americans do not have style and decorating abilities too. It would've been nice to see a section devoted to those who do their own interior decorating.
   
   Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
   of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

No comments about Building with Engineered Lumber (For Pros By Pros).

3 comments about Greek and Roman Architecture in Classic Illustrations.

1. If you are interested in classical architecture and/or ornament, this is a truly spectacular work at an unbeatable price.



2. This is a great collection of classical Greek and Roman architectural reconstructions from the book - "Fragments d'Architecture Antique" - published by Hector d'Espouy (1854-1929) in 1905. The book presents some of the drawings rendered by participants in the French "Prix de Rome" art and architecture scholarship program which ran from 1663 to 1968.
   
   The printing is not excellent, but very good considering the price. The selections show a true care and attention to detail in bringing these design elements back to life. The ancient world was amazing, in a way that we often ignore today in our modern age of machinery and computer-aided design. Certainly, we're more advanced in many areas. But take a good, long look at what these earlier socieities created out of stone, with simple tools, and you'll be quite impressed.
   
   There is a more expensive book on this subject, published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, entitled "Ruins of Ancient Rome: The Drawings of French Architects Who Won the Prix De Rome 1786-1924" that manages to outdo this one in my opinion. But considering the price difference, this is understandable. In any case, I still enjoy this book, as it presents Greek elements not present in the other. You'll see studies of the Parthenon, the Precinct of Demeter at Eleusis, the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus, and so on. You'll also take a brief look outside Greece and Rome to the Mausoleum of Mausolus at Halicarnassus.
   
   Overall, this is an excellent view into the architectural world of the ancients.



3. the illustrations in this book are amazing, better than any photo.the buildings are depticted as they were when they were built (reconstructed). highly recommended for anyone interested in classical architecture (especially the architecture student).

5 comments about Wall Street.

1. i saw this book at a financial advisor's office and immediately came home and purchased it. it is a fabulous melding of text and photography, beautifully rendered. if you have visited this part of new york, you will enjoy the memories....if you have not been there yet, look at this before you go and it will greatly enrich your experience.



2. This is a holiday gift to open more than once. Beautiful! Useful! Fuses text and illustrations in a way that enriches both!



3. This book is a pleasure to read and to keep around for others to enjoy. I keep it on my desk at work so that my visitors can enjoy the incredible photography. The book also gives a unique insight in to the history of the many firms on Wall Street and how consolidation has led to our current list of players. Many find it interesting to see how certain firms came to be what they are today.

   One example of an interesting foreshadow is that the author has included a picture of the Banker's Trust building reflecting off of a Deutsche Bank conference room table. The two frims merged several years after the photo was taken.

   Since buying this book I now enjoy walking around lower Manhattan. While before I was caught up in the rat race, I know see the beauty of the arcitecture and can better appreciate the history of Wall Street. This book is full of insightful anecdotes which lead to interesting stories for me to share.

   This book is a must for anyone who works in the finacial world for its insight and to keep around for others to enjoy.

   I was happily surprised when I saw one of the authors books on Nantucket while on vacation there. I bought the book and was again happily surprised at its combination of photography and narration. I would rate Nantucket Island five stars as well.




4. with all the mega mergers going on this may be the last photographic history of the old Wall Street.



5. This book makes a wonderful gift for the person with everything. A real treasure for all those who own stocks or those who want to visit NY.

1 comments about Westminster Abbey (Wonders of the World).

1. Westminster Abbey has long been a seat of royal and ecclesial significance; certainly since the time of Edward the Confessor (before the Norman Conquest), up until the most recent times (royal weddings and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, perhaps the most watched funeral in history). According to the introduction of Jenkyns book, it is 'perhaps the most complex building of any kind'. It still bear the stamp of being a 'royal peculiar' - in that the clergy and ecclesial hierarchy of the abbey fall outside the standard patterns of the church, and instead fall under a more direct jurisdiction of the monarch.
   
   Its history is as impressive as its architecture. It has been a cathedral church and an abbey, a coronation church, a 'national church'; it houses Poets' Corner, the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, the shrine of a Roman saint, and more. The national legislature (the House of Commons) has met here, and it has been both the National Archive and the National Treasury. Still, it is not as large as the French Gothic cathedrals upon which it is based, and (Henry VII's Chapel excepted) much of the art and architecture of the building, each element taken separately, can be better represented elsewhere. However, as a package whole, Westminster Abbey is second to none.
   
   Jenkyns' book on Westminster Abbey is not a tourist guide, but rather a wholistic history of the building. Looking in detail beginning with the medieval church (there were much older structures on the site, but what we come to think of as Westminster Abbey today was really born in the medieval period), Jenkyns continues chronologically through the Renaissance, Reformation, Baroque and Victorian periods. Jenkins then explores particular aspects of the Abbey overall - as a place of ceremony, as a national cathedral or shrine, as a church in and of the city, and the church as a masoleum of sorts of the famous and historical (this last chapter is somewhat out of place, put among the chronological listings).
   
   Jenkyns draws on wonderful material for a complete picture of the spirit of the place. There are poems from the Renaissance up to the twentieth century - Betjamin's portrayal of a woman visiting the Abbey during the war time is a classic example. He has historians and royals with their own reflections of events that have taken place, and material from clergy and monastics who have lived, worked and worshiped here. 'The world changes, but as a building and as a community, the Abbey continues to do what the Benedictines called the opus Dei, the work of God, to teach and preach and praise.'
   
   Jenkyns is not shy with his opinions. For example, in discussion the change in the north transept rose window, he has little good to say about Pearson's replacement of it in the restoration of the late nineteenth century. 'Pearson was a very fine architect and it is a pity (and puzzling) that he chose to blot his escutcheon in this way.' Jenkyns similarly describes others' attempts at restoration and improvement as 'impertinent', 'controversial', and 'destructive'.
   
   The book could benefit from a few more diagrams and a few colour photographs (the only colour prints are on the sleeve on the outside of the book; the rest are black-and-white, which, while they have their own character and excellence, still do not give a sense of the glory of certain aspects, such as the Henry VII chapel). However, the text is interesting, easy to read and interesting without being simplistic or not engaging with its subject, itself a complex Gothic creation.
   
   Part of a series published in the United States by Harvard University Press, published previously in the United Kingdom by Profile Books Ltd., this volume is a joy to have.

1 comments about Public Face of Architecture.

1. This book, piecing together many uninteresting articles, is sort of cliche in architectural critism. They are not inspiring, not imaginative, not new, just words that have been repeated for thousands of times. Fortunately they are at least not wrong.

3 comments about Deconstructivist Architecture: The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

1. Architectural for all, Master site, Building Projects,education,
   find an architect,events,Architectural types,folding,deconstruction,Post Modern, Modern, Classic,
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2. i have written a persian review based on the codes given in this book in my blog: http://www.yousefi.persianblog.com/



3. Understanding deconstructivist architecture can be daunting at first. Without delving into Jacques Derrida's complicated theories on Deconstructivism, this book offers a good overview from Russian Constructivism to Peter Eisenman's and Phillip Johnson's 1988 MoMA exhit - Deconstructivist Architecture.

   The only thing lacking is an update reflecting the current use of Deconstructivist architecture. Has the perception of what conotates Deconstructivist changed in the last decade? Is it now more of an aesthetic reference than a theoretical? A follow-up with the '88 exhibit participants and a more current perspective on the practice is left to be desired.

1 comments about Practical Heating Technology.

1. Couldn't find a book that was "more used" at a lesser price, but was glad to find it just the same. And it was like new.

No comments about Restroom Design (Design Bks.).

3 comments about Paris Then and Now (Then & Now).

1. Beautifully explained and portrayal of one of the world's finest city.
   I really enjoyed learning more about places I had visited while in Paris.



2. Anyone who has come to know and love central Paris--the 'theme park' areas that capture its historical essence--will find this book charmingly evocative. In the sense of being able to revisit those places, many of them typical tourist attractions, the book is satisfying. The problem of not duplicating the precise angle and POV of the original 'then' photographs, raised by another reviewer, is relatively trivial and technical. The 'now' shots capture their subjects well. No photographer will 'see' a scene, place or person the same way and from an aesthetic standpoint the 'now' photos are satisfying and professionally executed, and book production is first rate.
   If one had to carp, and that's what a review is for in part, one might wonder why the authors did not take the opportunity to broaden their canvases slightly to include 'then' paintings--such as the paintings executed from the balloon's-eye view conceived during the 1871 siege of the city (able to be seen today at the brilliant Le Bourget Musee de L'Air et de L'Espace) vs. 'now' photographs, for example to illustrate the notable Peripherique, and to compare previously fallow pieces of the city 'then' vs. their current situations, such as, for example, the stunning La Defense structures.
   All in all, however, for what it is, the book is pleasing and will bring back many happy memories to Francophiles. Of course there are innumerable books of photos covering Paris, and naturally there are favorite places not covered in this book or not handled the way the individual reader might like, but on the whole this is a workmanlike job that captures its subject competently.
   (Apologies to readers who will note, correctly, the absence of appropriate French accents in this review--not offered by Amazon's word processing system.)



3. 
   
   Paris is, I think, the second most beautiful city in the world (full disclosure: I live in Rome, which is tops in my book) and so I was eager to take a look at this book when I saw it at a friends' house.
   
   I was already familiar with the Then and Now series after receiving the Rome edition of the book for Christmas, and after seeing this book I can only conclude that what I had chalked up as weaknesses in the Rome book may just be faults in the series.
   
   The central idea for the book is charmingly simple: the left-hand pages feature old photos of some of Paris' best-known spots, and the right-hand side of each page is made up of modern shots of the same sites.
   
   The biggest problem is hard not to notice: the angles of the photos on the right are very often not taken from the same angle as the older images. I found this to be so puzzling as to be irritating. I think it shows a lack of planning on the part of the book's editors, and it also robs the reader of being able to make a complete comparison between the way things were and the way they are -- a process that is the book's very raison d'être.
   
   I admit my patience for such sloppiness had already been tried with the Rome book, but the sins seem even greater here.
   
   I also rue the absence of a table of contents listing the photographs in order, another weakness that now appears to be a characteristic of the series.
   
   I'm not sure how likely these issues are to be solved in future editions, since by my count nearly 30 photos would have to be re-shot in order to solve the largest problems. But if the editors would like to release a book that reaches this volume's potential, they'd better get snapping.