5 comments about The Vanderbilts and the Gilded Age: Architectural Aspirations, 1879-1901.

1. I've had this book since it came out and still consider it to be peerless in capturing all that the Vanderbilt heirs attempted to build as monuments to themselves. It is a great read and the amount of research invested to unearth so many top-notch photos is amazing. I'm dismayed at the original remarks from the library reviewer who panned it!
   
   You'll never see more insightful photos as to what happened to Elm Court in Lenox, MA - the largest shingle-style manor house ever built - or even the wealth of historical photos for Shelburne Farm. The latter produced their own smaller hardcover book which pales in comparison to what "Architectural Aspirations" captures in the one chapter devoted to the estate. As an aside, Elm Court rose again with heirs to the family have restored it between 2000 and 2006.
   
   Picking up even a used copy to add to ones collection is something I strongly recommend.



2. We have a great group on Biltmore if you are interested. At Yahoo, search yahoo groups for biltmoreestate, and join the great unoffocial history.



3. I loved this book. If you are looking for a book that shows you sites deep inside the long lost mansions of 5th avenue, then this is your book. Read it from cover to cover or just skim through the pages over and over again. These photos tell a million stories, from the caen stone interiors to the triple mansions' immense proportions and details to the lives of the architects themselves. This is a great book!



4. If that Library Journal reviewer read more than just the Introduction, which contains a couple of typos, he'd have realized this book tells more about the Vanderbilts and their world than any other book on the subject. Obviously, he didn't. It's a great read.



5. This book is a great look at the stories of all the houses the Vanderbilts purchased or created with their spetacular wealth- and also some of the fascinating stories of the eccentric family members behind the houses. The book is filled with rare photographs and stories of all the Vanderbilt castles.

   I found the book to be very entertaining- a must have if you're interested in the Vanderbilt family or the Gilded Age in general.

2 comments about Construction Technology for Tall Buildings.

1. I was searching for a book regarding high-rise concrete construction and settled on this one. As I suspected, the information in this book does not represent how things are done in the US market. (NOTE: Bamboo scaffolding on page 305 and shirtless/shoeless workers on page 213). The portion of the 417 page book related to concrete frame construction is only 20 pages. The book is not entirely useless but covers all topics only very briefly.



2. This book is fairly well written. I noticed a few typos / factual errors, but that tends to be true of a lot of technical books that are published nowadays. I think the technical content of the book has been worth the purchase price. The book covers a variety of general technical issues related to the construction of tall buildings, sometimes on difficult site conditions. A good overview of the subject. Tends to focus primarily on structural engineering issues, which as a structural engineer myself, I appreciate.

No comments about Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.

No comments about Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings.

4 comments about Louisiana Plantation Homes: A Return to Splendor.

1. A well done book on Louisiana's spectacular plantations. The state is blessed with the best of these old homes and this book captures the essense of these structures quite well. All of the famous plantations are given several images and the text though not indepth is revealing. This is not quite as good as Gleasons book on the same subject, but it is close and makes a great companion book to it. If you have any interest in these singular buildings then i highly recommend this book along with Gleasons.



2. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in plantation homes. It has over 80 wonderful photographs, and tells the story of each home shown. There are even two or three victorian style homes, built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Very interesting and informative. I would recommend this book to anyone, wether your buying it for the information or the photographs!



3. the book has lovely photos and briefly tells about each home. It would have been nice if there were more photos of the interior of homes. But the book has beautiful photography and is overall: GREAT!



4. This book is hands-down one of the most beautiful picture books on Louisiana's remaining plantation homes. While most are in exquisite condition, there are a very few which aren't. The short story of each plantation home is interesting and the photographs are gorgeous! It makes one want to go out, find a plantation home, buy it and restore it! The reader will be amazed at the wealth these planters accumulated, manifested in these awesome homes. Not all of the homes are huge antebelllum mansions, though. I personally found the Creole plantations wonderful examples of a simple albeit beautiful home. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves old homes, Southern architecture or photography in general.

5 comments about Skyscrapers.

1. Great book mixing the technical and art of architecture into a very tall coffee table book. Since new skysckrapers are being built all the time this doesn't have the newest and tallest buildings, there is a newer edition and hopefully they will keep updating with time.



2. First, the good stuff: the book's photography, though a little washed-out, is stunning. It was a wonderful inspiration to make a "tall, narrow" book of pictures of skyscrapers.
   
   Then there's the text. We learn way, way too little about construction technique, advances in technology, and the men and women who backed and financed these buildings.
   
   And we learn way, way too much about what a godlike figure Philip Johnson is. He was interviewed for an introduction for the book, and many Johnson or Johnson-clone buildings are found here. But sharp contrast, way too little treatment is given to the great skyscrapers of the pre-Modernist and Modernist eras.
   
   The book is a great premise and a broken promise; its coverage is fatally flawed by a lack of balance in viewpoint.



3. I've always been a great fan of skyscrapers. Eventually I started my own website and joined a few forums where other skyscraper lovers meet. My dad bought me this book and I love it. You can tell just by looking at my near destroyed copy of it. :D. It sits near my chair covered in coffee stains and filthy for how much I've read it!
   One thing did get me. I'm from Melbourne Australia and the writer takes a bit of a shot at Melbournes Rialto Towers. I was annoyed at first, I love our tallest skyscraper, but then I realised Judith Dupre was right. Rialto could have been built anywhere. I was just biased towards my home tower.
   So yeah, great book. Opened my eyes alot to the buildings I see every day and my perception of them



4. My wife was in Chicago recently for a quilt show, and she picked up a book for me while she was there. It's called Skyscrapers by Judith Dupre, and it's an interesting coffee table book.

   To start with, the size of the book is unique. To emphasize the "tallness" of the subject matter, the book measures 18 inches by 8 inches. It definitely doesn't fit on a bookshelf too well. Each two page combination in the book examines one of the world's tallest or most unique skyscrapers. The photography is well done, and the description and history of the buildings is often interesting. If you're an architect or someone who appreciates the art of structures, you'll think this book is wonderful. The only fault I can find with it (and it's more me than the book) is that the author tends to wax lyrical about artistic details and concepts that sometimes go a bit overboard. I guess I'm not "in touch" with my inner self... I found myself thinking "It's a building! Get over it!" more than once.




5. (The following review is dedicated to the brave men and women who lost their lives on 9/11/01.)

   At first glance, the aptly titled "Skyscapers" pictorial has the guise of a tall building. With an impeccable presentation, the book faithfully maintains the original context of each building represented with beautiful black & white photos. It gives the reader a nuts-and-bolts perspective: Judith Dupre, et al, along with the enigmatic architect, Philip Johnson, the unparalled book takes the reader on an incredible journey. From the pioneering Reliance Building in Chicago to the defunct World Trade Center in New York City, from the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco to the Ulm Cathedral in Germany--it never ceases to amaze me, the enormous contributions these towering marvels have made in our behalf. They're magnificent places where people gather to work and make an honest living. And, they're magnificent places where people gather to worship and reflect upon life's mere existance. All things considered, this book will inspire any aspiring architect to reach for the sky. At home, it proudly sits atop my desk. If you're an architectural buff, this is the book for you.

No comments about Architecture and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Boston: Harvard's H. Langford Warren.

No comments about Nearest Thing to Heaven: The Empire State Building and American Dreams (Icons of America).

2 comments about Building the Book Cathedral.

1. When David Macaulay published "Cathedral" in 1973 it was an instant classic of children's literate. It has sold thousands of copies, never been out of print and has been translated into numerous languages. Macaulay followed the success of "Cathederal" with a number of highly successful books that followed the life cycles of buildings. Macaulay's pen and ink books have developed quite a dedicated following over the years.
   
   "Building the Book Cathedral" was published on the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the release of "Cathederal". The purpose of this book was to explain the creative process that went into creating "Cathedral". Not only does the book have his intial sketches, more importantly it delves into his method of writing books. This book is a must for all fans of Macaulay's craft. Highly recommended



2. No color pictures, not worth a dollor.

2 comments about Church Cats.

1. Book arrived in a timely fashion and was in aboslutely pristine condition.



2. Very sweet. I wish churches in the US all had cats.