5 comments about The Arts & Crafts Cabin.

1. Beautiful pictures of a variety of houses that offer ideas for decorating for log cabins. It helps to allow thinking outside of the box. It shows that the feel of a log cabin does not just have to be the typical rustic decor.



2. I purchased The Arts & Crafts Cabin for my wife for Christmas, as we are building a new home this year. The book is chock-full of beautiful photographs by Roger Wade, who is the preeminent "log cabin" photographer, whose work graces most of the timber-frame and log-cabin oriented publications. The text is well-written but not particularly memorable. You buy this book because it looks lovely, and it is a favorite flipper on our coffee-table this summer.
   
   There are a great many more interior images than exterior elevations -- a minor disappointment because we were at least as interested in gleening good ideas for exterior design. This book has many more yellow stickies marking pages than any other in our collection, so that tells you something.



3. Great photos and alot of great info ; I don't want to blow my own horn , but, toot, toot!!!!
   I have two of my stained glass creations in this publication. I was very surprized my work was included in this great book. Thanks to all involved .
   David Fjeld . Big Sky Stained Glass Art Inc.



4. This is an incredible book! This book reminded me of my trip to the Canadian Rockies - but not because of the architecture. There, every time I drove around a curve, the scenery was more beautiful than before. The same is true about this book. Every time I turned the page, the photos were more inspiring. And it wasn't just the photos. The book itself captured the spirit of the Arts & Crafts style. The quality of the photos, the layout of the pages, the selection of fonts, even the binding of the book showed craftsman-level attention to detail.
   
   The book begins with the history and concepts of the Arts & Crafts movement and then shows and discusses new interpretations of the philosophy. The next section discusses ideas for incorporating key elements of the style such as sheltered porches, built-ins, and much more.
   
   Note that this book does differ from some of Robbin Obomsawin's other books. Most notably, she does not fully explore a single house in each chapter. You will not find floor plans of the houses discussed - something I missed but that didn't fit this layout. Also, remember this book is titled The Arts & Crafts CABIN. That does not necessarily mean log cabin. There are several examples of log homes but with a stronger focus on log-element homes with more of a timber-frame feel. But many of the ideas can work in a pure log home - at least we hope to incorporate many of them in our log home.



5. Being familiar with some of Robbin Obomsawin's other books, I bought this book expecting detailed house plans and handcrafted log architecture. After all, it's called "The Arts and Crafts ***Cabin***," right? And the picture on the front of that beautiful stained-glass door shows logs, doesn't it?
   
   Well, this book is beautiful. You'll drool over the pictures. but a planbook it's not. And a log-building book it's not. And none of the residences here would qualify as a "cabin," most are opulent estates. There's nary a plan in the entire book. And almost none of the houses shown are built with logs as a primary element. Most are timberframes; many pictures show no log elements at all!
   
   If you want to learn a bit about Arts and Crafts architecture or decorating, you may find some ideas here. But if you are designing a floorplan for a handcrafted log home and want it to have an Arts and Crafts feel, unfortunately, this isn't the right book.

2 comments about Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design.

1. I like this book which I though is the best one to describe the urban situation.



2. An interesting and practical book that will fire the imagination of anyone engaged in the design of public space.

   This book identifies the problem of 'lost space'--the left over and unstructured spaces of our cities. It then goes on to identify how to redesign these spaces for more interesting and humane cities.

   It finishes with some specific principles for the design of spaces and design processes.

2 comments about House Form and Culture (Foundations of Cultural Geography Series).

1. This book ties together many ideas from the fields of anthropology and architecture. Rapoport methodically builds an argument for his hypothesis that "The different forms taken by dwellings are a complex phenomenon for which no single explanation will suffice." He supports his arguments with hundreds of examples drawn from the literature, as in the style of a review article. I was struck by parallelism between Rapoport's evidence that houses can vary tremendously, even given similar environmental or cultural factors, and the old structural linguistics adage that languages can vary in innumerable ways. Some of Rapoport's terminology is now outdated (e.g. "primitive societies,"), but these terms were standard at the time when the book was written so he shouldn't be singled out for using them. The ideas presented in the book are well worth studying and the book includes numerous reference citations for further investigation.



2. The book -House Form and Culture - is a precious source of information on the cross cultural aspects of the house form. It is an exploration into the virtually unknown in the field of housing. The author was extremely successful (nothing new considering Amos Rapoport) in editing the availabe scattered sources to weave them into one extensive work that is priceless. The anthropologist, environmental behavior researcher, and the architect are only some of the ones who will appreciate this book. Especially interesting is the effect of the deteriminant of the house on shaping the house form. Rapoports own interpretation of the determinants of house form just brings it all together. The book is well written and very interesting even to the novice as it sheds light on the cultural diversities of the most insignificant tribe and the city dwellers.

1 comments about Mathematics for Carpentry and the Construction Trades (2nd Edition).

1. Book came when told it would. In great shape - would order again.

4 comments about Long Beach Architecture: The Unexpected Metropolis (California Architecture and Architects).

1. This work provides a thorough look at the architecture of Long Beach's past, including many sites that no longer exist. It's an historical yet fresh perspective on a city I've visited several times and on a city I now see in a completely different way.
   
   Although I don't live in Long Beach I would think that this would be especially facinating for anybody who does.



2. This book has a ton of buildings in Long Beach. Some of them aren't very pretty buldings to begin with, but the prose explains their significance well, making up for it. However, the layout, photography, and design of the bok are seriously lacking. While, I think whoever published this book did themselves a huge disservice by not putting some effort into making the work presentable, it is a great collection of information about interesting places in Long Beach.



3. A very long over due look at Long Beach. My only complaint is that the address is not listed for buildings no longer there- just "demolished". For those of us who were not around when some of the buildings were, it would be nice to have the former address to to see what has taken the former buildings place. Other than that a great book.



4. And the way it's shown and told by the authors keeps all senses open and curious. The only thing I can't decide is if it's a coffee table book, a book to read and shelve or a book to explore with. Whichever way, it's full of history, current and future information regarding the LBC and its strong stance as Los Angeles' right hand wo(man).
   
   Visually, the homes, businesses, halls, bridges, centers, theaters, lofts, apartments and high rises chosen are the book's draw. Stunning architechture from all sorts of times. Each place chosen gets a spread.
   
   Textually, probably one of the strongest points made in the book (from my slant, at least) is the city's ability to survive and prosper. Without this, forward motion seems like it would have been limited to that of a typical metroville. The book points to all sorts of drama the city went through and is still playing with. From it's hay-day to its current hardcore stance, I learned about its cash and about why its diversity is. I'm not a writer but it seems written very well and flows nicely. They even got some props from some big architect heads in the beginning pages.
   
   And talk about drama, the authors even school the city (and give it love, too!) regarding a number of directions that it has taken architecturally in recent years. "All-deco" got heckled. Good, because I live (t)here and we need more chaos. More modernity. More of everything. Not just one style. The authors will have had a hand on this steering wheel if we see change in the city's direction over the coming years.
   
   Aside from its well placed critical stance is a writen attitude of optimisim and growth. A book supporting a city whose ability will soon shine. A little peek into the past allowing us as readers a glimps of the obvious future. A new west coast giant.
   
   There are tons of photos and the text on each page per photo is a quick read. Lots of historical imagery in the beginning that keep a person turning pages. There's this one shot of a loft in the Walker Building that's amazing!!! bah ha!
   
   I suppose the two women who wrote this thick book are vacationing somewhere in Europe sipping chi tea, cause they must have sold a grip. At least in Strong Beach.
   
   But I have one question: Where is Snoop's crib?

2 comments about Florida Modern.

1. Jan Hochstim has clearly done a lot of research for this book and it will probably be regarded as the definitive study of the Modern house in Florida. As with many historical architectural studies it is obviously very visual but unfortunately the presentation of the copy and photos are pretty hopeless. Many of the pages give the impression that amateurs designed them.
   
   In the fascinating first chapter: The roots of Modernism, Hochstim explains that the advent of air conditioning more or less ended the run of Modernism in Florida. Admittedly there were not a huge number of Modern houses built since 1945 (and this book probably features the best of them) but those that were had to be designed to take advantage of the cooling breezes in the extreme heat and humidity for several months each year and don't forget the bugs. Another interesting challenge for the local architects was cost. Many of the houses in the book are small and to increase the apparent size extensive use of glass (adjustable for breeze control) brought the outside inside. Air conditioning finished these interesting design problems.
   
   The work of about forty architects is featured. They each get a brief introduction followed by photos and floor plans of their main work. It is these pages where I think the book goes seriously wrong. Frequently photos are completely obscured by white or black type. Floor plans have been reduced to mere decorative elements, made too small and appear in white on many photos. Hochstim writes very informative descriptions of the houses, frequently several hundred words long and amazingly many of these are presented as one long paragraph printed on an exterior photo of the house. All this is made even more annoying because the designers have left plenty of empty page space, either as white or colored panels.
   
   There are so many pages completely ruined by thoughtless design that I think the book is seriously flawed, which is unfortunate because if the words and photos had been handled professionally it could have looked really wonderful. These lovely homes certainly deserve better.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
   
   
   



2. This book describes and illustrates almost a hundred homes built from 1945 to 1970 in Florida. The homes selected for this book represent the modern architecture that was developing in other parts of the country, especially California. The difference is that Florida architects were being influenced by other aspects such as Southern culture, the tropical vegetation found nearby, and aspects of cooling in the hot southern weathers. This resulted in more of an indoor-outdoor lifestyle than found in much of the rest of the country.
   
   The format of the book is broken down by the region in which the house is located and then by architect doing the design. In addition, the description of the houses is written by Mr. Hochstim. As a professor and a practicing architect he presents a much more interesting commentary than usually found. He often traces aspects of the design or construction techniques from one house to another illustrating how these techniques were developed and perfected.

1 comments about William Morris and Morris & Co..

1. I did not purchase this book, but I did check it out from my library. I have to say that this is a great book displaying William Morris' textile and wallpaper designs in contemporary settings.
   
   I have seen books that use William Morris' designs and the rooms are not fresh, but look dated. You won't find that in this book. The photos are rich in detail and gives readers great decorating ideas.
   
   If you are a collector of William Morris' wallpapers or fabrics, or if you love beautiful interiors that blend contemporary with traditional, then I think you will enjoy this book.

5 comments about Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream.

1. There are only two things to say about this book on Gruen the Mall Maker: 1) The writing must be overlooked, and 2) the substance of the book is crucial to understanding American cities and American culture as we know it today. It made me want to read more about architecture, city planning and economic trends as market forces redesigning neighborhoods, towns, cities and, ultimately, our country. It made me want to go back to school and get a degree in Urban Planning. It made me want to petition the school board to include the study of commerical design and the rise of malls in every high school American history class. It made me want to recommend it to all of my friends who live in cities, love cities, love their malls, live near malls and who shop at malls. The subject matter fascinated me; the writing - not so much so.



2. This is an excellent book about a single, fascinating individual and about American culture in the twentieth century. There is an irony here: Gruen was very idealistic about the mall's potential to improve society, but he didn't realize that, ultimately, his creation would cause the "malling of America." And he DID build the first mall...the first ENCLOSED mall (rather than an outdoor arcade), which was copied all over the country and is now the dominate type.



3. Mr. Gruen developed and expanded the concept, but no, he did not originate it - he and the automobile made it more successful and widespread, enriching us all.
   
   1956 the first mall? Er, no, not really: not by a century. Google "Arcade+Providence"

   The Arcade Building building by J.C. Bucklin & Russell Warren, 1827-1829
   
   The shopping arcade started here. While not called "shopping mall" the arcades were the start of having multiple shops under a single roof. The shopping mall is the same, with addition of parking and not usually urban but sub-urban or even rural.




4. My first true mall shopping was done in a Gruen mall, although I was quite unaware at the time of the fascinating story behind this complex man and his vision for America's public spaces.

   Thanks to this engaging work by Hardwick, I feel now feel enlightened as I prowl the mall that Gruen built. You don't need to be an architect or a social scientist to enjoy this book because the author makes the subject approachable for the inner shopper in everyone.




5. A great read and remarkable that no one has written about Gruen before now. if American retail and architecture is your thing, this is a must have. Hardwick captures Gruen in an objective light, in his time, for the reader to judge. can't wait for the next Hardwick bio.

4 comments about Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications.

1. Clearly explained wetland designations and issues. Good in preparation for the LARE exams part B.



2. This may be one of the best introductions to environmental planning for geography students interested in the application of physical geographic techniques. When inquiring minds ask how a Geography major like myself ended up doing septic plan review as a county Environmental Health Specialist I simply point to Marsh's chapter on waste disposal and describe the necessary physical parameters familiar to physical geographers (soil types and percolation rates, groundwater levels, slopes and topography, surface water, geohazards, mapping, etc). There is something for everybody in this book and you don't have to be a geography major to benefit. A very practical text.



3. I am a student in environmental planning and have found this book to be extremely useful. It address a variey of things such as watershed, storm discharge, streamflow, etc. It really gives the reader an idea of how to design with nature.



4. This book was a great tool for the beginning landscape architect. Many great tools for land planning including equations and tables and charts to determine various things like water runoff, erosion, sun exposure, and much more.

1 comments about The Way We Live Alfresco.

1. The Way We Live Alfresco I was very disappointed in this book. With the cover picture and the inability to look through the book online, I was hoping it was about Alfresco landscapes, like from Italy or Provance. The cover is misleading and so is the title. Maybe one picture fit the name of the book and everything else was very contemporary and all over the world outdoor landscape that to me was not Alfresco at all. Sure wish that Amazon would provide more access to see what is in books like these, so many of them that I looked at I was not able to look inside. It is frustrating.