1 comments about Fools' Paradise: Remembering the Thousand Islands.

1. The Thousand Islands. The very name inspires visions of beauty and unbridled wealth.
   Shortly after the end of the Civil War, America's rich and famous discovered the fabulous islands of the upper St. Lawrence, and over the next fifty years made them into America's premier resort area. The best and brightest architects were engaged. They designed structures which fit each individual island so well they seemed to almost grow from the granite. Castles the like of which few kings or queens could afford, elaborate summer residences, and grand hotels abounded, as did restaurants and yacht clubs.
   It was possible to step aboard a train in New York Friday evening, and arrive at the river in time for breakfast the next morning - often while aboard the launch on the way to the "cottage". Not only could one enjoy the pristine beauty of the islands in total privacy, a rich social life was also possible. The family simply boarded the yacht and traveled to the evening's soiree in style. Rarely did a weekend pass without one or two gala parties, and in fact people-watching became almost as popular as the golf, polo, tennis, boat races and fishing.
   In this fine work, Paul Malo succeeds in conveying impressions of the way life was among America's royalty. Although the device used, a dialogue between the author and one of the last of the old time residents of the area, feels contrived at times, in choosing it Malo manages to deliver a tremendous number of facts and figures without allowing the recitation to become dull.
   In addition to the interview style, Malo adds photos and memories from his own youth on the river circa 1945. By then, many of the fabulous homes had been boarded up, and others no longer existed. These nostalgic images will haunt you. What a shame to lose these wonderful places. Overall, the author's after-the-fact memories add a very nice counterpoint to those of the interviewee - a woman who lived on the fringes of Thousand Island society at the turn of the century - and who describes a time when the resort was at it's peak of popularity.
   Although this is a trade paperback. It has been produced with care and given a durable full-color cover with flyleafs to be used as placemarkers. There are a few proofreading shortfalls, but otherwise it's an excellent addition to any library and an especially valuable tool for persons writing fiction set in the area.
   Art Tirrell, author of The Secret Ever Keeps ISBN 978-1-60164-004-8, coming April 07.

3 comments about Geography of Home.

1. I found the core notion that our home designs don't fit our lives to be very interesting. But be warned that the book is a series of very personal, sometimes bordering on superficial, essays. Beyond the core notion, I didn't find much to relate to in Busch's observations about her own
   (upper class, domesticated) life. She often makes blanket statements about how "we" live that more than once made me feel like she was writing for a whole other group of people I've never met. That said, if you do feel included in her blanket statements, you might love the book.



2. This little book of essays is a fine read -- brightly written, free of the usual jargon, quick with insight. It helps the reader to understand why that expensively furnished living room lies silent while the kitchen bussles with everything but cooking. I enjoyed it immensely.



3. Bravo! Aki Busch takes us on a charming and provocative stroll both through her home and each of ours. Ever wonder why you still have a front door? Or whatever happened to the front porch? Or why your kitchen and closets and garage are so essential? READ THIS BOOK and find out!!

No comments about Archigram: Architecture without Architecture.

1 comments about Art Deco Architecture: Design, Decoration, and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties.

1. Let me state off the bat; I love Art Deco architecture. The artistry and the masonry that went into these buildings is a feast for the eyes. This book is very thorough and the vintage black and white pictures ooze sepia, some these buildings I had never seen photographed. The text is informative without being too scholarly or too grossly indepth. This is one of the better books on Art Deco, but still the book on American Art Deco is the best, it has recent color images and is just a much prettier book, but for what this is, it succeeds very well.

1 comments about House: Black Swan Theory.

1. Steven Holl's architectural work is quite interesting, although I am not as sure his ideas are the most livable. I can't comment on his writings, as I prefer to look at pictures.

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 The White House in Miniature: Based on the White House Replica by John, Jan, and the Zweifel Family.

1. If you ever wanted to see the Presidents bedroom or the First Lady's dressing room....get this book - a truly WONDERFUL treat!

No comments about Spas (ArchiDesign).

No comments about Geomatics.

5 comments about Lost New York, Expanded and Updated Edition.

1. The original version of Silver's ode to New York City's architectural ghosts was compiled almost forty years ago, so it's nice that this revised edition was released in 2000, with a ton of new photos and revised text. It definitely belongs on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in the modern history of Manhattan. That said, the book is very poorly designed and would benefit from a total makeover. The photo size and placement follow no discernable grid or system, and the text and photos often don't match up, forcing the reader to flip back and forth. More annoyingly, there's no standard system for captioning or dating the photos, except for an "Illustrations and Sources" section at the back. So, I read this book with one finger permanently stuck in the back so I could flip back and forth to get a sense of the eras I was looking at -- very cumbersome. It also would have been really nice to have a map at the front with the photos matched to it. While the photos are obviously archival, the reproductions seem curiously flat and fuzzy. This may be due to the uncoated natural paper the book was printed on, but they would benefit from the contrast a bright white paper would provide as well as new scans and some careful retouching work. So, this is a neat book, but could become something really excellent in the hands of a good designer.



2. Mr. Silver has a poetic prose style, revealing a most poetic soul, and frames his message of architectural conservation and adaptation through a highly effective personal lens of incredulity and nostalgia, articulating what most readers subconsciously knew but probably never take the time to think about: that architecture is the most accesible and inescapable reminder of urban culture at a given moment; that while culture evolves and architecture becomes artifact, these artifacts can often continue - through thoughtful planning and incentives - to live and to serve without economic detriment to their owners; and that rapacious, self-serving obliteration of our architectural past is the obliteration of cultural evolution and memory.

   I would like to see Mr. Silver now produce a companion volume to LOST NEW YORK, a book about what has been saved.




3. IF the reviewer below is really Nathan Silver, I congratulate him on the shift of gears from his 1968 version of LOST NEW YORK to this one. (Even if it's not him, I congratulate him anyway.) The first edition was heavy on the preservation/conservation debate while this one is more reflective and personal. In both instances, however, Mr. Silver has made an incredible contribution to the study of New York history--not just its architecture, but to the thinking that went into the creation of these lost structures, and the lack of thinking that destroyed them.

   Like Jane Jacobs, Mr. Silver shares a passion for the city and how its monuments, public buildings and spaces, and private residences have a direct and fortifying effect on its citizens. The photographs are stunning, as is the quality of the printing. Mr. Silver's text is equally powerful and just as relevant. At times the effect of seeing these representations of a lost time, and reading about their ends, can be upsetting; the sense of loss is very powerful. But there is a point to all of it beyond the seeming nostalgia: we had better start appreciating those gems of the past that are still rooted in the schist of Manhattan before they wind up in the next edition of LOST NEW YORK.

   One last note: As rebuilding begins on the site of the World Trade Center (a part of lost New York that wasn't our fault), this book indirectly compels New Yorkers to participate in some forward-thinking. It makes one wonder, not only what was lost to us, but what will we give to future generations?

   Rocco Dormarunno,
   author of THE FIVE POINTS




4. The book Lost New York by Nathan Silver is one of the best photo and information books ever writen. Old photos and information on land marks in New York City which have been torn down. Shows you how buitiful a city is but also how little care some people can have for it's treasures



5. This wonderful book gives wonderful pictures and descriptions of lost buildings.