1 comments about Victorian: American Restoration Style.

1. Wow, was I suprised when I finially read this book. I had looked at all the pretty pictures, (one on nearly every page) but with all the books I read, this one took a back seat for awhile. I must say that in reading the book, what I liked best, is that they kept it down to just five major houses. Ms. Brierton not gives a good discription for each house, she also included how it was aquired, what was done to it and what is yet to be done to it. The people who restore these homes are just like you and me. They are all trying to save money and still have the finest restored "Victorian" home around. It was very helpful knowing that the homes didn't necessary start out nice, but were appartments houses or sometimes just very run down. This give me HOPE in restoring my home. I like how she presents the homes as a restored yet liveable addition to the neighborhood. Her reviewing different eras of homes helped also. Mine is a very late victorian . I would like to see a bit more information on the "how to's" but she really has done a fine job. I heartily recommend the book to anyone restoring an old "Victorian" home.

4 comments about Pompeii.

1. This book is great for anyone planning a trip to Pompeii. The maps and pictures are great. The guide is organized around 3 itineraries so that you can more easily plan your time to maximize what you can see. Pompeii looks vast, so that organization like this could be important in spending your time at the site wisely before you can't walk anymore. I wish there was a book like this for when I visited Ostia last year. The maps are great and accurate enough so that you can mark in extra sites that you might want to visit that you get off the web and integrate then into the planned itinerary for that day.
   
   later after the trip to Pompeii
   It's a good idea to buy this book becaseu it has all kinds of pictures of the interiors of houses you won't be able to see when you go to Pompeii. The pictures inside are exquiste. What you don't know is that a lot of the houses that are described in the book on the 3 walks that are outlined are either not open to the public, being 'restored", or are only open on Saturday and Sunday and you have to make an appointment online to be able to see to see them. Once you get to the gates of Pompeii (even on sat or Sunday), you can't get into either the House of the Gilded Cupids or the House of Menander. The House of the Vetti, lupanare, and the House of Julius Polybius are also being restored and god know when that will be done. The House of the tragic Poet can't be entered and you have to view the mosaic from the other side of a gate. You can't see the frescoes of Vestorius Priscus either; they were locked up and unable to be viewed. i can say the same about several other houses that Dr Guzzo did not mentione in the book, but could have been substitutes fo what was being restored. In fact a lot of the houses were locked up and the interesting stuff that you could view form 10 feet away can be more easily viewed in books (and at considerably less cost).



2. This book is an excellent visitor's guide. It is full of high quality pictures and maps that will guide you to the important sights. The text is rather dry, but this is only of concern in the somewhat long introduction that deals with the history of Pompeii. After that the book follows a pattern of a photograph or other picture on each page with a detailed legend explaining what is being shown. Even if you don't visit Pompeii you will know what you would have seen if you did.



3. I purchased this book as a gift for friends who were going to Pompeii. I wanted them to be prepared to really understand what they would be seeing. The book seemed very complete and contained pictures to further help them get a glimpse into the history of the city. They were very pleased and used the book to enjoy their tour.



4. This is a great book to take along if you have a day to spend in Pompeii and prefer self-guided tours or want to explore the ruins unaccompanied. It describes three routes through the city, each covering different sections. We were easily able to identify each stop described in the book, and to identify important artifacts from the photographs in the book. The book also provides concise historical information for each artifact - it was easy to read a little interesting background information about the artifact and then move on to the next.

No comments about 50 Buildings You Should Know.

No comments about Restaurant Design.

5 comments about Naked Airport: A Cultural History of the World's Most Revolutionary Structure.

1. In its early years, air travel was a thrill for the rich. Today, it is boring, necessary and commonplace. Through well-written stories and narrative history, this easy read gives a history of air travel from the perspective of the architectural structures that support it. As our understanding of air travel has changed, airport architecture has changed as well. There is now more glass and more security, painfully long passageways, more roadway than runway and, of course, acres of parking. One thing has not changed: the airport has always been a portal to somewhere else. Airports are the waiting rooms of adventure and freedom. Naked Airport gives insight into the challenge of making these waiting rooms less purgatorial.
   
   I share the opinion of the other reviewer who says that the last part of the book is not as strong as the first. For example, there is no discussion of important recent developments such e-ticket kiosks and wireless networks. Even with this shortcoming, I still recommend this one.



2. As an Architect, I found Mr. Gordon's book to be a very accessible read. This is not a coffee table book with glossy photographs and difficult to comprehend architectural theory. Instead he gives a very clear overview of the development of the airport building type, much like The Architecture of Diplomacy by Jane Loeffler does. He uses simple and tasteful photographs and graphics pared with a well written history. I would give this book a high mark and recommend it for both architects and non-architect. Thank you, Alastair Gordon for a nicely written book.
   
   Gregory Knoop
   Oudens + Knoop Architects



3. Alastair Gordon is at his best describing airport construction from the mid-1930s WPA era through the early 1960s. At one point, in fact, he says, "It would be nice to imagine a brief period, a golden moment, somewhere between say 1958 and 1963 ... when advanced technology and American-style marketing produced a perfect, jet-setting age of travel." Instead of devoting energy to a new preservationist movement for airports built during that period (for example, Saarinen's TWA terminal at JFK), Gordon bathes in reverie from this point of the book all the way to the end.
   
   We are doomed to anonymous, repetitive styles in airports, he says, and promptly contradicts this assertion with descriptions of attempts to humanize airports constructed or refitted within the past five years. I can understand him being in love with airports of the late 50s and early 60s, since I am too. But this should not preclude his being fair with the newest efforts to make airports wonderful today. And some of these efforts are really impressive.
   
   Be fair, Alastair! We keep flying; new passenger planes are more comfortable and more efficient (like the 777). Airports are improving, too. Don't lose your sense of wonder and leave your readers dehydrated...the best is yet to come.



4. Even for the most expert traveler, the Naked Airport will shed light on many facets of airports domestically and abroad. For instance, did you know that there are over 200 old bank safes in the landfill at Newark (EWR)? The history is layed out cronologically, but woven with social, political, economic and business history, such that it is any interesting narrative rather than a dry recitation of facts.



5. Through the pages of Naked Airport, Alastair Gordon examines the history of the world's most diverse structures. Going well beyond the architecture, this book explores airports in their historical and cultural context, defining well known edifices by identifying their place in the 20th century timeline.
   
   I really enjoyed this book. Through a vivid and compelling narrative, Gordon manages to transport the reader to key points in time. Imagine attending the dedication of the New York Municipal Airport on October 15, 1939, where three skywriting planes circle overhead spelling out the words "NAME IT LA GUARDIA AIRPORT." The audience bursts into applause. Or picture being one of the first New York passengers in the early 1970s to walk through an electromagnetic gateway, a newly installed anti-terrorist device.
   
   Naked Airport is perhaps the most comprehensive statement on airport architecture, history and culture to date. It is a must-read for history buffs and casual readers alike.

No comments about The Museum Transformed: Design and Culture in the Post-Pompidou Age.

No comments about Mantelpieces of the Old South: Lost Architecture in Southern Culture.

1 comments about The Designs of William E. Poole: 100 Classic House Plans.

1. William Poole has some wonderful house plans and this book is a great collection of them. The book is heavier in weight than a magazine and the pages are a nice thickness. It is a nice quality book of house plans.

2 comments about Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture.

1. This book, quite simply, changed my life. After picking this little gem up off a bargain rack in an Albuquerque book store in 1987, I soon found myself enraptured with the imagery I had all but forgotten growing up in the late 50s and early 60s. Not a me-too bandwagon chaser of retro themes, I have since become quite a collector of my era's decor, automobiles and publications... even started my own small castings/sculptural studio that has produced and sold a number of designs that have been well-received by the collectors who know my work.

   I moved to Los Angeles in 1989, largely motivated by what I read in this book, and my obsession in finding the remaining treasures Hess listed. I was ecstatic to find my then-new digs 2 blocks away from the hallowed glass walls of Chips Coffee Shop in Hawthorne, CA! And thankfully it is still intact as of this writing (June 2002). May Googie live forever! And now, the search is on for another copy of the book, as I lost mine years ago. Nothing could please me more than to have the new copy signed by the author himself.




2. Alan Hess has produced a significant analysis of 50s architecture and design. The title suggests that Hess' focus lies in coffee shop architecture; however, the book is in fact much more diverse. Social trends in post-war Los Angeles, such as automobile and housing design, do much to provide context for Hess' assertions and observations. This is the true value of Hess' work. He does not provide a simple nostalgic or anecdotal look at the overly-regurgitated 50s; rather, he seeks to provide a thoughtful analysis of an indigenous American architectural style. Ultimately, Hess seeks to defend a style that remains either maligned by proponents of "higher" architechtural forms, or reduced to simple nostalgia and trivialization. Hess succeeds admirably in this pursuit. This book is recommended for all who require a more thoughtful and contextual analysis of American popular culture, history, and design.

No comments about Construction Methods and Planning.