1 comments about Courthouses of California: An Illustrated History.

1. Courthouses Of California arrived too late for holiday mention but will enjoy a year-round audience, from library collections specializing in California history to those interested in the state's architecture in general and the rise of California courthouses in particular. The tour is organized by county and covers the entire state, picking the finer of California's older courthouses and providing surveys of its history, restorations, and events which have taken place within its walls. Fine black and white photos throughout.

2 comments about Church of The Holy Sepulchre.

1. Every Christian with a sense of the sacred and also historical sense--and that should be every Christian--would benefit from this book. It is even better than I expected. The photos are as beautiful and moving as advertised. Especially good are the essays showing the continuity of understanding about the historicity of the site of Christ's tomb. The text also explains the various positions of the Christian churches with possession or rights within the Sepulchre/Resurrection complex. The book also does not shy from the embarrassing fact that ancient divisions within orthodox Christianity continue to this day. How wonderful it would be if these divisions could be put aside, especially in light of the current cultural and religious onslaught against Christians. I recommend that the book be ordered through Daedalus books (beware--Daedalus the book catalog, not the kinky publisher) because Daedalus has it in stock at a much reduced price.



2. Some day I should like very much to visit Jerusalem. Until I do, I'll probably wear this book out.

   This is a history of Christendom's holiest shrine, the church built over what was believed to be the site of Jesus' burial and resurrection. This book contains the church's complete history along with some of the most spectacular photography of the church, its various communities, and its ceremonies that I've ever seen.

   Pricey, but I've never seen a better one. If you don't think you'll ever make a Jerusalem pilgramage, click on "Add to Shopping Cart" right now.

No comments about London High: A Guide to the Past, Present and Future of London's Skyscrapers.

3 comments about English Cottage Interiors.

1. This is one of my favorite (non-fiction) books of all time. It is not your garden variety decorating book, and doesn't pretend to be. In subject matter it is a bit more about architecture rather than interior decoration, with an emphasis on traditional. I think the text is excellent: witty, charming, down-to-earth, very informative and not long-winded or padded out. The photography is superb, giving excellent and well-lit views. Most of these rooms are decorated with some antiques, and the captions give you some information on these. If you love traditional cottage architecture, and English country decorating on the somewhat modest side -- no fancy houses here, these are cottages -- you might love this book as much as I. Highly recommended.



2. I was expecting a book with pictures of english decorating style. This is certainly NOT THAT. It is on the small side, so if you're looking for nice photos, forget it. It just wasn't what the title led one to expect it would be. Dissappointing!



3. I bought this book last year and have looked through it many times. It is a true pictorial look at the REAL English cottages.

3 comments about Crystal Palaces, American Garden Conservatories.

1. Important background information on these lovely historic glass houses is matched with lovely photos. It would make an excellent book for planning travel to any of the cities where these conservatories are located. Well known properties are listed as well as ones less famous. This book is a "must" if you are a lover of gardens and plants.



2. This book contains beautiful photographs and is very well written. Ms.Cunningham has done a wonderful job.



3. Gardeners, Horticulturists , or anyone else will enjoy the beauty of this book. What struck me was the beautiful preparation and the reproduction of the Photos. The color and architectural features leap off the pages.

   The history of the development of Conservatories adds an extra dimension - and of course nearly every large city has one, open for visiting now !

   A great read, and a terrific gift for anyone.

2 comments about DesignDesign: Furniture & Lights.

1. im not an industrial designer, but i bought this book because of the price, and it has a lot of examples, ill use it as a interior background, you should buy it



2. Interior design libraries and public lending collections catering to home designers will welcome DesignDesign: Furniture & Lights, a collection of innovative works by a range of designers intended to provide a sourcebook of inspiration and redecorating options. Color photos of chairs, breeze units, light-up acrylic wall lamps in squares or rectangles, and more offer the trendiest of design options suitable for both home and business spaces and accompany design options with notes on construction and effect. A wonderful resource any design library will be happy to display.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

4 comments about Analysing Architecture.

1. In clear, precise diagrams and thoughtful text, author Simon Unwin offers an engaging methodology for the study of architecture and aesthetic systems. Time-tested buildings from classical temples to traditional Japanese homes and early modernist masterpieces, are explored in this wide ranging, but focused study. Unwin demonstrates that while architectural styles change over time, the underlying principles that organize quality designs remain remarkably consistent.
   
   This book is a must for all architectural students interested in acquiring the visual skills needed to understand a wide variety of design methodologies. My only criticism is that proportion and scale were not given enough attention, but there are many other books that cover this important topic separately.
   
   Intelligently considered, and clearly presented, `Analysing Architecture' is a refreshing counterpoint to the sort of pretentious, self-serving rubbish that Eisenman, Libeskind, Hadid, et al try to pass off as design.



2. I used this text for a architecture class I was enrolled in. The figure/ground drawings are useful.



3. This book establishes a systematic method in analyzing architecture. It explains how architectural elements are combined together to form designs that could relate an appropriate sense of 'place' specific to the programme as well as the environment surrounding it. The book is well illustrated with diagrams and examples. An extremely useful introductory guide for those who want to learn more about the basics of architecture.



4. Beginning with the root definition of architecture as its "conceptual organization, its intellectual structures"., the author makes clear its function as "identification of place", goes on to identify the basic elements and concepts, examines the use of natural features of the landscape, analyzes primitive place types, geometry in architecture, space and structure, and other key concepts.
   From the campsites of primitive man to the sophisticated structures of the late twentieth century, architecture as an essential function of human activity is explained clearly, and illustrated with the author's own excellent drawings. Highly recommended as a well-organized and readable introduction.

   (The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

2 comments about Modern Furniture Projects (Best of Fine Woodworking).

1. This book has some interesting projects and i like how it is organize. WHat i don't get are some of the projects it has, i mean it is suppose to be about modern furniture and i really don't care about wheels and some oold fashion pieces.



2. I had a number of problems with this book, which basically come down to that I wanted a book on "modern" furniture - a style developed in the 20's and 30's - but that's not what the book means by "modern", they mean "of today". Few of the projects in the book are in the "modern" style I was looking for. Many are rustic or distinctly pre-modern in style.

   The book is a collection of articles from Fine Woodworking magazine. Some of them are indeed "projects" as the title implies, but many of them read more like "a brief discussion of things you could do" instead. The ones I would call "projects" go on with the assumption that they will present a piece of furniture, show plans, and describe how it is made. The others basically show a few photos of furniture and discuss their features and a few details of their construction, without actually showing anything about what to do. I found this particularly frustrating as most of the few pieces in the book that I really liked were merely shown without much discussion.

   If you just want a book of articles about making furniture, it's a well printed book and I suppose the articles could be interesting in that context. However, if you're looking for a book about making furniture in the 20's/30's "modern" style, I don't think this is it.

No comments about The Majesty of Natchez (Majesty Architecture).

1 comments about Builder's Guide To Floors.

1. An elmentary but complete guide to the flooring industry. Covers all the main type of fooring; carpet, hard surfaces, ceramic tiles, laminates and wood. Goes into quite a lot o detial on installation techniques, equipment requires etc.

   A suitable guide for the buider or contractor not so much for somebody who wants a industry guide.