4 comments about The Four Books on Architecture.

1. I'would recommend this book to anybody who's searching for something real classical architectural mold or old type building design! #1



2. One of the most celebrated and influential of architectural texts has been republished in a highly readable version by Robert Tavernor and Richard Schofield (the first new English translation since 1738!) with facsimiles of Palladio's woodcuts, correctly placed in the text. It makes a wonderful introduction to the timeless principles of architecture and to Palladio's dazzling oeuvre. How agreeable it would be to browse this classic in the shade of the Villa Rotunda on a hot summer afternoon. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)



3. Palladio was not the first to publish a book illustrating principles of classical architecture but he was the most convincing. Palladio's finely detailed, measured wood cut illustration --reproduced at a slightly smaller scale in this translation--, made the long lost principles of Roman architecture and construction easy to understand.

   In his Four Books of Architecture of 1570, Andrea Palladio balanced illustrations of ancient Roman construction, that he had drawn from observing ruins, with brief, straightforward practical interpretations of historical descriptions of Roman architectural design and construction from Vitruvius's First Century BC Treatise on Roman And Greek architecture, which had been found a century before in a Swiss monastery. To this treatise on Roman architecture, Palladio added examples of his own imaginative designs to demonstrate how ancient principles of engineering, planning, construction and decoration could enhance public and private buildings of his day.

   Palladio's successful Four Books were published and translated many times. They became one of the most cited references for architects in the West, where they dominated architectural studies until academic training for architects became standard in the 19th century. Variations on Palladio's designs are everywhere. Thomas Jefferson's house, Montecello, is one of the best known examples in the U.S.. Jefferson owned a copy of Palladio's 1570 edition of the Four Books.

   Robert Tavernor and Richard Schofield's well written, carefully annotated scholarly, 1997 translation of Palladio's Four Books --the first new English translation since 1738-- from MIT Press is a pleasure to read for what it reveals much about both great principles and fine detail of classical design and construction practices. The text explains how Palladio organized rooms in urban palaces as well as how he arranged living, storage and work areas in his rural villas to take advantage of the climate. Practical details about construction include building foundations, sizing windows, designing classical columns as well as instructions for to selecting and harvesting timber: Cut trees only in the fall after the sap has run out. Cure the lumber, covered with excrement, under a shelter for two years to prevent rot.

   The text also details how to quarry, cut and set stone --always in place--, how to prepare cement, mortar and concrete and how to build masonry formed concrete walls, as the Romans did. The reinforced masonry used today is the same in principle as Roman walls. We have merely modified the pratice in this century with larger hollow bricks, Portland cement and steel reinforcing.

   It's not possible to understand Roman and modern architectural history in the West or building technology with without studying Palladio. Original editions of Palladio's 1570 book are available in a few rare book libraries. Occasionally a copy turns up in rare book auctions. Robert Tavernor's new English translation of the Four Books makes Palladio accessible to modern English readers.




4. This is one of the most important of architectural manuals. Palladio's influence was enormous; one magnificent example of American Palladianism is Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia Library; others can be found in the work of Philip Johnson. The design of The Four Books of Architecture is one of the reasons for this success. Drawings and plans fill the page, comments are sparing, invitations to use the eye and imagination as well as practical instructions. In this respect Palladio's book resembles that of the equally influential, equally visionary Paul Klee in his Pedagogical Sketchbooks. Seeing so much of his influence in public buildings, it is hard not to find the original sourcebook refreshing. I'd suggest looking through it alongside a general survey of the buildings themselves, like translator Robert Tavernor's Palladio and Palladianism (in Thames and Hudson's World of Art series). Tavernor has done his job very well. The english translation is neither anachronistic nor colloquial, but as lucid as the original. The book's designers have really done brilliantly in finding the most suitable typefaces to match Palladio's original woodcuts and in choosing a size and format, down to the weight and colour of the paper, that makes these ideas handsome and vivid now. An exemplary edition. Richard Bernas.

1 comments about California Beach Houses: Style, Interiors, and Architecture.

1. I bought this book several years ago & have enjoyed it many times since. Luxurious photos showing a wide range of styles of coastal houses from ultra modern to rustic to contemporary. The reader can get good interior design ideas no matter where their own home is located. Interesting descriptions of the owners of these homes as well and why they wanted to live where they live. I wrote this review as a compliment to the author and photographer...a job well done. My copy will be enjoyed for many more years.

2 comments about Minimalist Lofts.

1. what a great ide to put together in a book the two most modern trends in residential design: minimalism + lofts. the result is impressive



2. I've never seen a book repeat so many of its images. Page after page of the same photos repeated over and over. I wasn't expecting that. The book is just okay. Nothing really new.

No comments about Airports: A Century of Architecture.

No comments about Copenhagen Architecture & Design (And Guides).

No comments about Retail Therapy: Store Design Today.

No comments about Carpentry (Best of Fine Homebuilding).

3 comments about Bethlehem Steel.

1. Great photos of the now-defunct Bethlehem Steel plant in Pennsy. Photos are all shot in black-and-white format and capture the ghostly and grungy aspect of this abandoned site.



2. Andrew Garn's "Bethlehem Steel" offers a glimpse of a now-defunct steel plant, a plant once alive with power, energy and productivity. Garn's photos convey an ominous sense of the encroaching loneliness and desolation, as the mighty plant ceases production. After looking through the book I had this urge to enter the world of Bethlehem Steel, run around the grounds, and explore every mysterious alcove and dark corner. Personal favorites include "Baskets for workers' personal belongings, hung from the ceiling in the welfare room" (page 66); "The forge division at night" (page 73); "Monitor on the roof of the steel foundry," (page 79); "Open-hearth furnaces" (page 80); "Tool steel shop interior" (page 89); "Blast furnace at night with crows" (page 107).



3. This is a wonderful book of photographs of the now-closed Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, PA. The first part of the book provides a history of the company and plant. Beautiful black and white photos complete the book. If you enjoy industrial photography in general, or steel mills in particular, you will appreciate this book. My only complaint is the book format size. There are so many details in each photograph that you really need a larger page size to fully appreciate the subject matter. The book is fairly priced and well-worth owning.

No comments about Adventures in Architecture.

2 comments about Norwegian Wood: The Thoughtful Architecture of Wenche Selmer.

1. I am biased by the fact that I am so very fond of the work done by Wenche Selmer. That being said the author has done a spectacular job of showcasing Selmer's accomplishments. Beautiful photographs abound and the text is quite substantive. My only complaint is that the floor plans that are included generally have no captions or notes and often no dimensions. Those floorplans that do have notes are in norwegian and as a result I spent a fair amount of time trying to puzzle out where the photographs were taken relative to the layout of the various buildings.



2. The Norwegian contribution to mid century modern architecture is not well known - let along the contribution by a mid century woman architect. With beautiful color photographs, plans and construction details, this presentation of the work of Wenche Selmer is a visual treat and a learning experience. The collection of cabins and second homes provides an in depth look at the results of carefull attention to the details of a home environment. As we seek alternatives to big and over the top houses, the book is a must for anyone who wishes for the beauty of simplicity and anyone interested in wood architecture.