4 comments about Masonry Skills, 5E (Masonry Skills).

1. I've been a mason for 15 years. And there are alot of benefits to the brick portion of the book. But the impression they leave, which is why I bought the book in the first place, lacked. Their blueprint reading section leaves much to be desired. Granted it does show some symbols, but it never explains what those symbols are or how they are used in a commercial setting. I was also under the impression that I was getting the 5th ed. and was sent the 4th edition. I don't know how much more they updated their book, but the block they use in their pictures, and the legends they use for the prints are way out of date. Perhaps they were masons in the 1950's or something. I really wouldn't recommend this book unless you know nothing about masonry, block, brick or print reading. But if you are green, this book is for you. You could build something successfully by the instructions of this book. But if you are serious about progressing in masonry as a career...find another book.



2. I am a craftsman skilled in telephone, electrical and concrete work. Masonry is a new skill that I am working to acquire.
   
   We renovate rental properties. Recently, we purchased several older properties which require substantial work. We are also adding space for bathrooms and laundry areas. The exterior of these properties is brick. We wish to use brick veneer for the addition to blend the addition into the original structure.
   
   We understand the need to do things right the first time. I also have a great love for high quality craftsmanship. This book emphasizes both.
   
   The book is well written and illustrated. The information is applicable to masons working for large contractors or mom and pop shops. The author coaches the reader and describes how to develop job skills. The author also warns the reader of potential problems and how to avoid them.
   
   The experienced masons that I work with have also learned from this book.



3. I need to build a stone wall and stone patio, stone walk way and a stone trail path, so I choose this book, but I find this book is a thorough brick textbook, even someone called a stone masonry master book. What a dispointing!! Be careful when you choose this book!



4. A text book aimed at persons studying to become professional masons. The writing is clear and readily understandable by professional and non professional alike. The technical information presented goes far beyond that found in most books in this field which are aimed at DIY and semi professional builders. It makes a wide range of tasks such as arch and fireplace construction accessible to anyone able to mix cement and position a brick.

3 comments about Sean Godsell: Works and Projects (Electaarchitecture).

1. Sean Godsell: Works
   
   The architect like his Australian contemporary Glenn Murcutt practices in the modality of a critical regionalism. The oeuvre of houses shows an architect concerned with the effects of the environment on human occupation, as his buildings are mostly formed by the skin of timbers used to manipulate light and air entering the facilities. This works are twofold giving even larger structures this almost chameleon aesthetic whilst still capturing and shading the effects of nature. Obtuse writing deters the intent of the book - becoming unnecessarily dense in conveying a simple aesthetic.



2. Sean Godsell is one of the rising stars of architecture. As most of his work is based in Australia he is perhaps not tha well known in the USA. His work is beautifully restrained and takes the local conditions into consideration without producing expected, trite or traditional responses. There is much to be learned from his elegant work.



3. Sean Godsell is a rare find. His work is both technological and refined, proving once and for all that true architecture belongs to those with an eye for design and total dedication to the discipline. Mies is present in his work, as is Le Corbusier, but also a healthy dose of traditional Australian patterns and textures. Spare modern forms meld beautifully with rich weathered materials - each work is a tribute to its unique setting in the landscape, immediately recalling the modernist elegance of Breuer and Seidler or the simple drama of the Case Study Houses. This is not to say that Godsell is stuck in the past, however. Indeed, many of the rich materials are off-the-shelf industrial items - stair treads, expanded and corrugated metal, stock pulleys and pneumatic hinges. Godsell suggests to us a modern world that is far from scary, far from cold, far from the dystopian nightmares propogated by science fiction film sets. Instead, he gives us progress - a better world, environmentally-sensitive, technologically-advanced, simply beautiful.
   This will be the first of many monographs of Sean Godsell's work. He is young and energetic - and at the beginning of a great career.

1 comments about Life between Buildings: Using Public Space.

1. Few books - if any - have had a stronger impact on Scandanavian architecture and planning in recent years than this one has had.
   
   Jan Gehl, senior lecturer in urban design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architectiur in Copenhagen, has widely and extensively studied how people use public spaces and how planning and architecture encourage or discourage social activities and public life.
   
   His strong advocacy and detailed proposals for a humanistics approach to architecture, as presented in this book, is now available for the first time in English.
   --- from book's back cover

3 comments about Stanford White's New York.

1. Now in focus: A photo-packed history of a city that once was. Part architectural retrospective, part biography, part cultural and social history, this gem is both a brilliant evocation of the noted architect's life and times, as well as a portfolio of unforgettable images of his priceless legacy to the Big Apple, such sa Madison Square Garden and the Washington Square Arch. Author David Garrard Lowe marries stunning photographs with lively prose that brings to life the glittering, and often sensational, world of New York's
   "beau mode" --- both city and country ---- in the late 19th and 20thc centuries. Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today ... to buy this book.



2. This is an excellent portrayal of Stanford White, his childhood, his education, and the brick-by-brick rise of his stellar architectural career. The narrative contains none of the rancor of Suzannah Lessard's portrayal of White, instead focusing on the myriad buildings he designed and his masterful blending of diverse architectural styles. The technical descriptions are balanced by colorful accounts of White's clients, White's personal life, and the maelstrom surrounding White's tragic death. This isn't just an architectural book, it's very readable American history. Dozens of photographs accompany the text.



3. The book business is really weird. Hundreds of people who know nothing -- the authors of those Chicken Soup and diet books come to mind -- write books that leap out of the bookstores. And scholars who spend years learning about fascinating subjects end up being the 1,456,657th best seller on Amazon.com. I was browsing in my library when I came across this retrospective of Stanford White's work and life in New York. It's a magnificent book, lovingly and intelligently written; the kind of book you can read once a year and continue to enjoy. Anybody who loves history, particularly the history of NYCity should try to get this book. The pictures are terrific. The authors should be proud of themselves.

3 comments about American Victorian Cottage Homes.

1. Dover has published a number of books on Victorian and other period homes, and this is an honest entry in the series, though not the best. This is basically a catalog of available house designs, ranging from modest cottages, to row-houses, to mansions. What I really like about this book, and what most books don't offer, is a perspective view, at least two elevations, and plans for the first two floors of each house. If you have a hard time visualizing a house from just a set of plans, or if you look at a perspective and always wonder what the back of the house looks like, you will love this book. Occasionally extra details or sections are thrown in, and there's a price quoted for each house. The descriptions are very sparse however: "the plates are intended to tell their own story." If you fell in love with one of these houses, a good architect could produce a set of plans for you, though the room arrangements would have to be modernized to fit our expectations for kitchen size, open floor plans, number of bathrooms, etc.
   
   There's a sample Specification at the end that you may find fascinating. Painstakingly laid out, it gives the minimum standard for every material used, from lumber to paint. There is also a contract for the builder and client to sign, which looks to be pretty savvy for the period.
   
   This is the best book of its kind that I know of when it comes to allowing you to visualize exactly what a house will look like, inside and out. Only a somewhat constrained range of styles, and lack of details, keep this from getting 5-stars.



2. The title of this publication is a little misleading. While it displays elevation and perspective views of many buildings along with their floor plans, the vast majority of those buildings are of the larger, mansion variety, and not the smaller cottages it refers to in its title. It is very lean in detail drawings along with descriptions, and is non-existent when it comes to sectional views. It will not help you when it comes to information on how to build one of these plans, but it will tell you what it will look like when you are done.



3. This book is full of great illustrations and plans for victorian houses of the late 1800's, many perspective views and some detail drawings. Great to look at and perfect if you plan to build a traditional victorian home or duplex and need some ideas.

1 comments about Vacation: 50 Great Holiday Homes (Architecture).

1. My biggest quibble with this book is that most of the houses did not seem like vacation homes at all; rather, they're these huge, gargantuan mansions that most of us would die to live in full time.... I guess my perception of vacation homes is that they're a little smaller than one's "regular" house, more gem-like, and maybe some of the innovative spatial efficiencies are what make the house cool and worth documenting. So if that's what you're looking for (which I was) then this book is definitely not for you. If you're just looking for a book with pretty pictures in it you'll be better off, although as with most of these types of publications a bunch of the bigger photos were really grainy and just not of very good quality.

1 comments about Berlin: Architecture & Design (Architecture & Design Guides).

1. Berlin is definetely one of the greatest cities on Earth, filled whith the remains of awesome history, along with the modern tendencies, create a wonderful city filled with great architecture.
   
   This book definetely shows all of this parts with great pictures of the prettiest places in Berlin.
   
   This book is recommended to anyone that likes modern architecture.

2 comments about Hip Interiors: Shops and Showrooms: Style Shopping (Hip Interiors).

1. Although this book is beautifully put together...it did not meet my needs. I was looking for ideas for a shop I hope to put together soon. I was better off walking through a mall. If you plan on setting up a asian style shop with a few very high end shoes or apparel this is the book for you.



2. I found this book to be full of inspirational photos , mainly from shops in Hong Kong & Singapore. It features lots of stylish & quirky interior shots on practically every page. Its a great resource to have & worth every cent, definitely a must have!

1 comments about Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office.

1. "For all of its output, the Supervising Architect's office is seldom given even a marginal place in historical assessments. Antoinette Lee's meticulously researched book may alter this situation. The contents bring to the fore a rich and engaging story of public works about which only a handful of specialists have known more than a few basic attributes. Drawing from federal archives, agency and congressional records, and architectural journals, she develops a detailed and definitive history....Lee has created an unusual and important volume that both adds a new perspective to the practice of architecture and underscores the vagarious dimensions that practice can acquire in service to the state." ---Richard Longstreth in the "Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians," Volume 60, No. 2/June 2001, pp. 231-233.

5 comments about New Orleans.

1. I have been to New Orleans millions of times and this is the best all around book. The author has really, really researched and pulled up ALL kinds of interesting tidbits.
   I think that Compass guides in general are the extra travel books one buys. I wanted more than Fodor's has because I already know all the best places to go. I think that she had good choices and you could use it as your only travel guide.
   I think some readers were disappointed because maybe they were taken back by the exorbitant prices hotels charge. Hotel-wise , you don't get much for your money unless you go in summer or during Christmas.



2. One of my all-time favorite books. The stuff of dreams and nightmares too.

   This is an utterly luscious picture book. Chock full of photos of real interiors. Real homes of artists and the creative. Homes of people who love peeling wallpaper and cracked plaster; and especially those who love living in the midst of art works, or deeply personal collections.

   The homes of people who love the humid haze, moist clay-scented New Orleans.




3. One of my all-time favorite books. The stuff of dreams and nightmares too.

   This is an utterly luscious picture book. Chock full of photos of real interiors. Real homes of artists and the creative. Homes of people who love peeling wallpaper and cracked plaster; and especially those who love living in the midst of art works, or deeply personal collections.

   The homes of people who love the humid haze, moist earth-scented New Orleans.




4. This book has great interior pictures of some glorious New Orleans homes. Unfortunately when I've been there, I didn't have the opportunity to go inside to see the many interior styles. This book gives me the opportunity to see the beauty inside, that I've only been able to view from outside. Great book for those of us who love and appreciate the city!



5. We just got back from 5 days in New Orleans, and this was the only guide we took with us. It was a mistake. It's a difficult book to navigate, has limited maps, limited selection of accomodation & restaurants. If you go outside of Madi Gras & with children (two teenagers in our case) half the book is irrelevent. The restaurant '100 best' list doesn't match Zagats (always reliable). It warns against solo visits to the cemeteries (they're not safe, go on a tour), but doesn't explain why! Pity there isn't a Michelin Green Guide.