1 comments about Choosing Blue: Color You Can Live With.

1. Choosing Blue: Color You Can Live With discusses how to decorate with blue and complimentary combinations to create distinct home styles without experimenting. Success is guaranteed with an approach which pairs design tips with overall insights on mixing and matching complimentary colors. Organized by shades of blue, Choosing Blue provides color photos throughout and plenty of lovely decoration ideas for incorporating blue into an overall home scheme.

No comments about Modern Architecture, Vol. 2 (History of World Architecture).

1 comments about Tennessee's New Deal Landscape: A Guidebook.

1. President Franklin Roosevelt, confronted with the hardship of millions of unemployed Americans and radical political ideas blossoming around the world, put millions of unemployed Americans to work building bridges, roads, buildings and other elements of America's infrastructure. These fine work projects are seen across America and represent a hard period in American history, and a period of hope and achievement.

   I found this H-Net review of this book on the Internet.

   "Carroll Van West. Tennessee's New Deal Landscape: A Guidebook.
   Reviewed by Edward Salo, Geo-Marine, Inc.
   Published by H-Tennessee (September, 2002)

   "Creating a Modern Tennessee through the New Deal
   When most people think of the New Deal's impact on Tennessee, the concrete dams of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) are the image that comes to mind. However, like many states, Tennessee's public landscape was drastically affected in other ways by a variety of New Deal projects. In Tennessee's New Deal Landscape, Dr. Carroll Van West, project director for the Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University, examines over 250 of Tennessee's historic sites constructed during the New Deal and uses that information to catalogue how Depression-era federal government work changed the built environment of the state. West's book serves both as a heritage tourism guidebook and as a scholarly work. It also succeeds in illustrating how "New Deal agencies transformed the state's public landscape, leaving in their wake the infrastructure for the emergence of a modern--and different--Tennessee" (p. xii).

   "Students of Tennessee's cultural landscapes and historic preservation will be familiar with West's earlier scholarship. Because of his work at the Center for Historic Preservation, West has either written about or is familiar with most of the New Deal historic properties in the state. His previous book, Tennessee's Historic Landscapes, is the definitive study on the different historic landscapes across the state. West's new contribution focuses exclusively on the historic properties that were constructed during the New Deal era in Tennessee. He has mined both primary and secondary sources on Tennessee's New Deal experience, including TVA records, the WPA guidebook on Tennessee, cultural resource reports, and National Register of Historic Properties nominations to produce a similarly authoritative examination of the state during the 1930s.

   "In his first chapter, West presents a short thematic history of the New Deal, identifying the ten major New Deal agencies that worked in Tennessee. Unlike his previous book, which looked at the state's regions, he divides New Deal Landscapes into chapters based on the resource's property type. The next seven chapters include discussions of state offices and county courthouses; federal courthouses and post offices; community buildings and institutions; schools; housing; parks, memorials, and museums; and infrastructure. Each chapter contains a short narrative focusing on political, cultural, and social patterns that influenced the resources, as well as individual descriptions of other examples across the state, organized alphabetically by county. By not designating the properties as belonging to West, Middle, and East Tennessee, West makes his information accessible to those unfamiliar with Tennessee's traditional geographic divisions. A bibliographical essay also directs readers to important sources for further research.
   
   "West makes it clear in his preface that the book is not comprehensive. The examples he uses are fairly divided between the rural and urban sections of the state. Many of the properties discussed in the chapters are representative and are not the only examples in the state. The identification and description of New Deal property types, however, is one of the book's strengths, making it easier for local historians to examine Depression-era landscape and distinguish significant buildings.

   "The examples that West uses illustrate two interpretations of the New Deal in Tennessee: construction and destruction. Although many projects created new buildings, some, such as the TVA dams, also destroyed rural areas and displaced people from their traditional homes. Additionally, the construction of TVA lakes disrupted rural life, while also laying the groundwork for Tennessee's economic growth during World War II and the Cold War. This dichotomy shaped many Tennesseans' attitude toward the federal government both during and after the New Deal years.

   "Although the book's only problems are cosmetic in nature, a few changes would have helped the reader. First, all of the pictures in the book are modern, but many readers would appreciate historic views of some of the buildings. Additionally, sidebars with brief descriptions of architectural elements or styles (for example, WPA Moderne style) would have made the book more accessible to laymen. Also, with the growing interest in environmental history, West's discussion of the creation of state parks and soil conservation only begs for more study.

   "The study of New Deal landscape has bloomed during the 1990s. Many state historic preservation offices have developed New Deal theme studies to assist in placing 1930s properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Although these theme studies are helpful for historic preservation planning, they are not easily accessible to the public. Public historians should use West's book as an example on how better to communicate historic landscapes to the general public. The book takes "gray literature" and presents it in a manner that is useful. The framework that West has developed also lends itself to other possible historic themes, such as railroads, military, agriculture, industrial, and ethnic landscapes. This book should be read by public historians not only for the content but also for the methodology."

No comments about Green Woodwork: Working With Wood the Natural Way.

5 comments about Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (The Museum of Modern Art papers on architecture).

1. "I like complexity and contradiction in architecture." That's how Robert Venturi starts this superb book. No great proclamation. It was an age tired of great proclamations. Instead, Venturi takes us through an impressively learned tour of his favorite things, a grand overview of great architecture, with acute formal analysis of facade and plan composition, sectional variety, and an accumulating realization that complexity is an inevitable force in the tumult of human, urban life.
   Postmodernism has come and gone, but modernism looks as it does today because of this book.



2. this book impacted the field of architecture during its time as much as LeCorbusier did with his book. Its extreme in its area of covering the world of architecture and how Venturi studies each theory on how the world of architecture has changed and is changing. Definately a must read for any architecture student or anyone associated in this long term field. the history of this book is more important than anything. Although alittle complex it is a must for those mentioned.



3. Now that the bottom of postmodernism has actually fallen out and is being dragged along the street by the chains of American capitalism, it's "alright" for students of architecture to return to that misjudged canonical textbook of post-modernism, C+C by Venturi. While not as engaging as his other main work "Learning from Las Vegas", this book still leads the reader into a meticulous analysis of the physical composition of major pieces of architecture, and the composition of the thoughts that made them. After reading it, I found myself unconciously applying it's main dichtomy of complexity and contradiction to much of the architecture around me, if that is any testament to its power.



4. I had to read this book for a class specifically regarding Robert Venturi and the postmodernism movement that he became a leading proponent of. However, this book is NOT a manifesto for a postmodern vacabulary- rather, this book looks at all architecture from the Parthenon to the common family home. Let me say that I have read many architectural theory books, but nothing that really inspired me to look at a building and really see what the architect intended like Complexity and Contradiction. This book really focused my attention on the possibilities for great architecture on any level- from museum to treehouse. I feel that anyone with an interest in appreciating architecture should certainly read this book. Because of my studies of Robert Venturi and his contemporaries, I have pursued a degree in architecture and certainly plan to incorperate his ideas and philosophies into my work.



5. venturi's book highlights the inherent complexity in today's post-modern society, coupled with the depth of comprehension often mistaken by critics. A must buy for Architecture students!

2 comments about The Octagon House: A Home for All.

1. My husband wanted to build an octagon house. Besides just not being above to visualize one, I just couldn't agree to it, it just sounded too weird. But after reading this book I am thoroughly convinced this is the way for us to go! The text is great, though the reading seemed a little difficult at times. Some photos (b&w) included, those helping me picture what our home might look like.
   
   Primarily, the comparisons of the differences in square footage of a typical house and octagon houses of the same circumference showed me the efficiency for building. And the layout of the rooms as shown in the book make it easy to see that the octagon is much more roomy and spacious.



2. I found this book in the architecture library at my alma mater after searching for it for quite some time. It was everything I hoped it would be. The Octagon House: A Home for All contains everything you ever wanted to know about octagon houses and then some. It even contains some sample plans to help you design your own octagonal house. This book is a must read for anyone considering building a new home. An octagonal design will increase your square footage for the same cost. Its true. Read the book.

1 comments about Luxury Houses Country (Luxury Houses).

1. With room to spread out; often a view of the ocean, valley, mountain or lake; fewer restrictions on things like building codes, the opportunity to develop fantastic houses away from city life has long been popular. At one end of the scale is a crowded campground or small house in a crowded area. At the other end are the houses shown here.
   
   In this book the author has selected twenty-two houses that I believe any of us would call luxurious. From a 16,000 square foot house in upstate New York overlooking a valley to homes with a view of the sea in Hawaii, Italy and other places, the homes here are fantastic. Each house is profusely illustrated with color pictures.
   
   This book is produced by teNeues. The teNeues books are truly beautiful. The company is headquartered in Germany and they bring a sense of quality to their books that is not common. The books are printed on heavy paper using very high quality printing techniques. While this is essentially a coffee table picture book, or perhaps an idea book for the house you are planning, it is beautifully done, almost a work of art.

5 comments about Great Cathedrals.

1. Schutz's photographic tour in "Great Cathedrals" is one of the most superb "coffee table" books on the market. The volume is massive in size and tips the scales at a number of pounds, but one glance is all it takes to be hooked. This is professional photography with results that only a seasoned photographer can produce, and then reproduced in the highest quality with splendid detail and high gloss, heavy weight paper. Browsing through these monumental pictures that pay homage to the monumental cathedrals, we forget all about the technical details of how the great Gothic structures were built and simply enjoy the fantastic beauty and immense impact the medieval architects planned all along. There are surprisingly few of these types of books in the American market (a plethora of them exist in France, England, and Germany), but Schutz's book fills the bill, and makes a splendid addition to the genre. From what I can see from the other posted reviews, it seems there is 100% agreement on the beauty of this book.



2. I got this book as an Xmas gift for my Dad who is a self confessed cathedral "junkie". He loved it and spent most of Xmas day and boxing day with his head buried in it.
   
   He is a photographer and he commented on the great quality of the images, so I'm assuming that they must be good as he's really fussy about that sort of thing.



3. Awesome and great selection. Text provides enough information about the buildings. One of my favourite books.



4. This book has been around for at least 3 decades; I'm 43 and remember looking over an earlier edition with awe and reverence in the town library when I was a teenager.
   
   The current edition has some nice updates, including added coverage of the great eastern European cathedrals, such as St. Vitus in Prague. The photography is splendid, and gives a feel of the look and scale of each building, as well as for the smaller details like sculpture and stained glass that makes each great cathedral a triumph of Western civilization.
   
   If you are looking for a book that covers the major cathedrals of Europe in a thorough, satisfying way via photographs and a text providing the history of each building, a discussion of its style, and so forth, search no more. This is EASILY the best book out there that provides what you want.



5. Magnificent photography, both general views and close-ups of architectural details and stained glass. The book covers France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy. UIt contains a useful glossary of architectural terms and floor-plans of each cathedral. The "Crazy Vaults" of Lincoln Cathedral are not to be missed! I wanted this book to study cathedral design in general, and it more than met my expectations.

4 comments about Build Like a Pro: Painting and Finishing.

1. The Taunton Pro books are usually quite good, but this one is an exception. Even the bullet points on the front are misleading "Painting the interior and exterior of a house." When I think interior, I think walls, but evidently they mean every other surface EXCEPT walls! LOL.
   
   I also wondered if the author had a contract with BIN. I don't mind if you mention that you like BIN products the best, but to waste valuable photography space on showing a BIN display and cans of paint seems a bit of a waste to me.
   
   The section on floors had several diagrams with arrows going in various directions to show sanding patterns (page 74-75). There was not a clear explanation of which sanding pattern you should use and I came away from reading that section even more confused. The section on Kitchens and Bathrooms was also incomplete. It started out telling you how to prepare the old cabinet surface, how to choose the right primer, then "next to painting, the easiest way to change the look of kitchen cabinets is to recolor them" and goes into staining. It NEVER talks about painting the kitchen cabinets! (page 24-27).
   
   Even the "In Detail" callouts were incomplete! On page 27, there is a short paragraph on Mixing Glazes. It talks about clear, water based glaze base, then talks about getting a paint chip and having the store make up a quart. The mixing instructions are "When mixed with enough glaze base, one quart of paint makes 3-4 quarts of glaze." That's it!
   
   I found the instructions incomplete and not up to the regular Taunton level of quality in their books. Do not waste your money on this book.



2. I like Tauntons press books alot. So when I went to find a book on painting I looked for thier book on painting.
   Most of Tauntons Press books go into more advanced aspects of what ever they are refering to. This book is more suited for the slow 2nd grader. It mostly deals with outside painting and staining.
   nothing at all on how to roll inside walls. This is the WORST book that I have ever bought. This book does not even come close to Tauntons Press normal quality, Shame on you Tauntons...



3. The title is misleading. Interior painting is barely touched upon, exterior painting content is basic at best. Staining and finishing sections are rather rudimentary.

   Typos abound. Some sidebars are repeated three times.

   I've never been disappointed by a Taunton book until this one.




4. When you look at the cover of this book, what does the largest photo show? A man painting an interior wall of a room. And what is the book title? Painting and Finishing. And the first bulleted caption line on the cover is "Painting the interior or exterior of a house." The second bulleted caption line is "Choosing finishes for kitchens and bathrooms." So, does this book discuss strategies and techniques for efficiently painting a home's entire interiors, including walls and ceilings? No. Does it discuss the new paints for painting plastic laminates or stains and paints for concrete floors and counters? No. Does it discuss scaffolding if you are "blessed" with exceedingly high ceilings in large rooms or address when it makes sense to spray paint rather than roll walls and ceilings? No. This book is devoted exclusively to discussion of painting or finishing wood, that is, solid and composite woods or wood veneers used in moldings, cabinets, furniture, siding, decking, and decorative items.

   While a great deal of interior and exterior decor in better homes is composed of wood, this book is marketed as a general painting and finish book for the home, not as a book for one material in the home. Nowhere on the front or back cover, is this book labeled as what it is: how to paint and stain new or old wood surfaces. And although I already know how to use a paint roller, I bought the book to help me plan how to paint two complete home interiors. Not just the trim and the cabinets. The professional advice I expected to find simply is not there because this book is being presented, in my opinion, as something it is not.

   If what you need is advice on painting wood, I think there are better, meaning more detailed and more creative, books available. For instance, "The Painted Kitchen", by Henny Donovan (Firefly Books, 2000) demonstrates a wide range of styles and techniques for painting kitchen cabinets and Annie Sloan's "Inspirations In Painted Furniture," (Collins and Brown, 1999) is both inspiring and an excellent technical reference for painted furniture.

   Michael Dresdner's book delivers a great deal of solid, basic, technical information, it is well written, and it is well illustrated, but it is also very limited in scope. He covers tools of the trade, oil-based versus water-based products, work area preparation, clean up, and safety thoroughly. He provides some nifty tips on preparing wood for finishing as well. Unless that's just what you need, however, I recommend you keep browsing.

2 comments about Living In New England.

1. What a wonderful book! Both the prose and photos are terrific. The authors have truly captured the essence of New England and country life. As a new owner of one of the 25 profiled homes, I can honestly say (o.k., I am a little biased) that this is a book worth buying. SRS



2. I was browsing among the impoverished English-language section in a local bookstore and this immediately caught my eye with both title and jacket photo. I grew up and went to college in New England and it will always be called home-thus the nostalgia. This lovely and evocative book combines photography that you can drink in (and be transported by) with a very readable text...I find very often in "coffee-table" photo books the accompanying text is either boring or excessively esoteric. This is neither. Dos Santos' impeccable technical skill is obvious, although there is a slight bias toward a stereotypical New England simple-and-spartan ethic as far as subject choice goes. Overlook it and give this book a once-through. You won't regret it.