5 comments about Drywall: Professional Techniques for Great Results.

1. I noticed that the 3rd Edition of this book has a copyright date of 2008 and the cover of the book notes that it is completely revised and updated. Any review written before 2008 is almost certainly for the second edition. The 3rd edition is a reasonably hefty 210 pages of content; it is printed on nice paper, is nicely organised, and has an index.
   
   I am an experienced do-it-yourselfer and bought this book to get an update on the latest corner beads made of vinyl and some made of metal and paper. I also wanted a little more knowledge on available types of drywall and joint compounds.
   
   This book is very comprehensive and covers drywall techniques, tools, and materials. Consistent with the reviews of the earlier edition(s), this book focuses almost exclusively on drywall (which is also consistent with its title). There is a section on soundproofing which I believe is very useful.
   
   I would rate this book as a must read for anyone who wishes to learn about drywall techniques. The text is clear and there are many photographs to illustrate the points that the author is making.
   
   I would have liked it if the author covered skip troweling but this is a little tricky to learn from a book (so this omission did not bother me much).
   
   I already had a good amount of knowledge about drywall and this book has given me another step up in knowledge. I am completely satisfied with this book.



2. I found this book to be more helpful than I expected. Having done a lot of rough drywall years ago I wasn't sure how much I would learn, but I was surprised at how many useful tips I found while grazing through the book.
   
   The book is laid out in a well-organized and easy-to-read manner.
   
   The author not only explains how to hang, fasten, tape, sand and texture drywall - but provides very practical insights on how to put up and coat drywall in an efficient and effective manner. For those who do not know what tools to buy or use - the Author introduces different products throughout the book - providing practical information on to use them without turning the book into an advertisement.
   
   I think there is probably something in this book for everyone. For example: Did you know that drywall has fibers that make it stronger if fastened across wall studs than if fastened along the wall studs?
   
   It's inexpensive and informative.



3. I have zero home remodeling experience but after reading this book have done an awesome job hanging my drywall. You would never know I did the work my self. And I'm a woman. The biggest help (after reading the book) was buying a drywall hoist as well as other tools listed in the book. I was able to complete the entire job, ceilings too, completely unassisted. And I have 10' walls.



4. I bought this book because I decided I needed some insight into proper drywall installation techniques as I felt I had done a poor job repairing part of a wall. I am impressed with the amount of information it contains and found some good advice to help me re-do my repair job correctly. The section in the book on texturing wallboard was useful, as I need to repair another wall where there had once been wallpaper.



5. I just drywalled a basement with the help of this book. It was valuable at two levels. I "hung" the basement about 80% myself. I never intended to do the finishing (though this book discusses that thoroughly). I'm 63 and frankly got tired of the physical labor, so I hired the final 20% done professionally. The finishing is happening almost as we speak. The book has also been valuable in evaluating the work of those I have hired to finish the project.
   
   If you want to do a drywall project, I can't imagine a better guide.

5 comments about Working Alone: Tips & Techniques for Solo Building.

1. I have no read the entire book, however at a glance, I can see that there are many helpful ideas. Surely worth the $



2. Dobra ksiaka dla pracujacych samotnie lub dla tych, ktorych pracownicy zostawili "na lodzie". Zawiera sporo przykaldow jak dac s obie rad samemu. Autor zwraca te uwag na to, e niektóre prace powinny zostac wykonane przez podwykonawców ze wzgledu na wymagane doswiadczenie lub regulacje prawne. Polecam. Wydane pieniadze nie beda zmarnowane. Jest to dobra inwestycja.



3. This is a book I saw on store shelves for a while, then couldn't find it anywhere. So, I was very pleased to find it online. It is everything I was expecting, very informative. Lots of useful information for doing carpentry work, that may need a helper for a short time. A great deal of help if you don't need the helper longer than a few minutes.



4. If you have never done any type of construction, buy this book. Even if you have only visited a construction site once in your life this book is below your expectations. The majority of the book is showing that taking two pieces of wood nailed at 90 degrees with a triangle placed perpendicular to the joint in different jobs. I thought I would learn something new but I was wrong. I would have returned it but it would cost just as much to ship it back as it cost in the first place.



5. I just sold a used copy of this book on Amazon as a favor for a friend. Before I shipped it out, I decided to read it. Because of time, I had to skim parts of it, but I found this book full of excellent insights and ideas for tackling home building or renovation--and I scanned off several pages to save for my own personal use before packing it.
   
   The book contains lots of practical advice for how to approach several different kinds of basic construction tasks. It also contains plans for some excellent tools that can be built with scrap from the construction site. Besides all this, the author gives some excellent suggestions for approaches or tools that are contrary to that used by the average person--and I can see how these alternate suggestions could really save time and frustration to anyone who takes his advice. I highly recommend this book.
   
   I worked in the construction biz for a couple of years and a significant part of that time I was a one-man team (besides numerous personal projects), so I know the some of the challenges. More importantly, I have a dream to build my own home in a few years and I will probably have to buy another copy of this book before that time comes!

5 comments about Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan.

1. While "Delirious" has its fair share of archispeak, Mr. Koolhaas pulls off an intelligent, fun and thought-provoking take on the early 20th century building culture of New York.
   
   One of the quirkier aspects of "Delirious" is Mr. Koolhaas's analysis of Coney Island: an "incubator for Manhattan's incipient themes." As a reader, one initially questions the inclusion of such a trashy place in such a lofty manifesto. However, as the chapter progresses, you start to see Mr. Koolhaas's iconoclastic brilliance. He pays an amazing homage to "the laboratory" that was Coney Island, illuminating the vital role it played in the building philosophies that would emerge later in Manhattan.
   
   Scattered throughout "Delirious," also, are compelling supporting images that Mr. Koolhaas clearly spent a lot of time digging up. In fact, flipping through the book for the images alone makes for a near-equivalent, and fun, learning experience.
   
   However, unlike his tasteful use of images, Mr. Koolhaaas's flamboyant use of scholarly English makes his writing difficult to digest at times:
   
   "It is probably inevitable that a doctrine based on the continual simulation of pragmatism, on a self-imposed amnesia that allows the continuous reenactment of the same subconscious themes in ever new reincarnations and on inarticulateness systematically cultivated in order to operate more effectively..."
   
   Given Mr. Koolhaas's journalism background (and assumed mastery of writing), I suspect he made the conscious decision to remain somewhat inaccessible to preserve his "lofty" image. While such a decision may be understandable, his brilliance as a writer often gets overshadowed by the sheer irritation of trying to understand him.
   
   Ultimately, "Delirious" proves itself to be a very intelligent synopsis---just as delirious and congested the themes Mr. Koolhaas puts forth. For the most part, it's a pleasure to read, and it also reflects the exhaustive research on Mr. Koolhaas's end. Much like Mr. Koolhaas's buildings, "Delirious" is on the cusp of being as grand as it intends to be.



2. through the exhaustive historiography of the phases of congestion coney island brought to manhattan, koolhaas provides a rather cynical view of the Grid as being an ulimatley neutral zoning system of constraining ideas that represent the continual decline of a phantastically realistic civilization, represented as mutated symbols of architecture in the "void" of repeated "pregnancies."
   
   it's really well written. funny. uses, like above, a somewhat inefficient vocabulary but remains in the same vein throughout. it is also a graphic design hubris consuming every page, even the left-justified text, showing off koolhaas's interpretation of the importance to combine scholarship and marketing.
   
   buy it. it's a very good book.



3. A very inventive concept of New York's "culture of congestion" and how people are affected by the architecture they create. It is heavily researched and exhaustive, and after pretty much the third page I agreed with his concept of NY being "totally fabricated by man". What could of been a fascinating article becomes a spastic, heavy-handed read with a sledgehammer effect to your brain. (However,for those of us reading it for school, there are plenty of pictures that fill up the almost devastatingly vast 300+pages quickly.) It will scramble your brain with its thousands of nearly bumper-stickerish statements ("It hides life." "The Mountain MUST become architecture.") written with pretentious glee. However, I believe an independent scientific study has concluded that when pretending to read this book on the train people around you will assume your IQ is 40% higher than truth.



4. koolhaas is a bit over-the-top for me, but this I think is is best work. it's worth checking out if only for the story of coney island. once you get past blisteringly pretentious phrases like "coney island is a fetal manhattan", you'll find it gloriously entertaining as both a narrative and theoretical work.



5. This is by far Koolhaas's most accessible work, as it is rooted so clearly in detail from the city's past. Further, the book is simply brilliant. His take on urban history is to Jane Jacobs what Socrates is to common sense. New York is a special case of modernism that sprang from a special constellation of poltiical and technological forces that collectively create a cultural "big-bang" at the turn of the century. Read it. Blow your mind.

5 comments about The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture.

1. The order was processed and shipped very quickly. The product is just as it was described. Excellent purchase experience!



2. Well designed and easy to use Layout on this Book for People interested in modern & green architecture. I recommend this book without any doubt. A very good source of inspiration!



3. Very nice book if you are interested in sustainbility and green architecture.



4. The book focuses on very modern designs, which are frequently stark or very heavy on the glass and steel. There are some ideas for creating a "greener" house, but most of the examples ignore the most basic green principle of minimizing the square footage of the house. Also, with a few exceptions, most of the examples appear to be very pricey.



5. I liked this book and I think the other reviews have summed this book up well.

5 comments about Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods.

1. This book has alot of information in it both on the actual materials properties and production and on the structural methods and forms



2. I am still using my 1985 Edition! It is a resource you will want to keep around. The technical background and drawings are great! It has some of everything - residential and nonresidential. Thanks Edward Allen-great book.



3. I am a construction engineering major and we used this textbook in our construction materials class, and I must say that it is fantastic. It covers a wide array of materials and methods used throughout the construction industry and it gives history lessons on said materials and processes. *This is a definite MUST HAVE for any architects, civil/structural engineers, construction managers/engineers, as well as M.E.P. engineers and applied engineering designers/ET's.* -M.



4. I found this book to be very good. The materials and methods used in construction are vast and constantly changing. This book does well at giving the reader a good working knowledge of both. There may be better sources, but this one is good enough.



5. this book is an excellent overview of construction materials and practices. i really recommend this book to beginning structural/civil engineers who want to know more about construction. I would absolutely recommend this to architects because it's very practical.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright The Houses.

1. This is a lovely coffee table book with mostly spectacular color photos of most of Wrights houses, including many interior shots. There is not much historical information but this is covered in other books.



2. This book was a wonderful eye opener. It will appeal to the reader for crisp pictures in beautiful settings and landscapes as well as the various style phases Wright went through architecturally. For Wright aficionados, there is a detailed, but not too intense history of his style, works and personal history as he changes design elememts during his career. Grand interior shots only enhance the overall attraction. The book will add diversity to anyone's collection.



3. 
   This is a necessary book for all who study architecture. Why? Because the photography conveys something close to the reality of Mr. Wright's works, especially so when it comes to the interiors.
   
   When I was studying architecture in college in the 1970s, the BEST photography books about Wright's oeuvre were "In the Nature of Materials" and the very expensive Wendingen Edition. Both are presented in black and white and while that kind of pared-down quality may have suited the age in which the International Style was still in its ascendancy, it did nothing whatsoever to convey the true sense of a Wright space--specifically interior space. The intimately human scale of these spaces was missed.
   
   And color is so much a part of Wright's aesthetic, and without it, one is in dreary Kansas instead of Oz.
   
   Living in the northeast, it was not possible to see many Wright buildings first hand, until that trip to Chicago... and then what a revelation! These spaces were not cold grays but marvels of ochres and greens and wood tones and conveyed so much more serenity than those older photos could suggest.
   
   Happily, future years placed me in conjunction with many of the Midwestern buildings, and a day trip could take me to Wisconsin or Michigan or other less-frequently visited residential and commercial works by F L W. Friendships with original Wright clients or owners of Wright houses opened other doors--I have experienced about one third of the places in this book, so--trust me--the photos do them justice and are almost as good as being there.
   
   I would guess that anyone who has been in these places will tell you that this book gives a very fine representation of these spaces. And thankfully, more and more of these spaces are open on a regular or annual basis for the student or admirer of Wright to visit. Some residences are even now B&Bs. Wow!
   
   The fine articles that accompany the photographs are also most helpful and enjoyable.
   
   If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.



4. There are many different aspects to highlight when studying the work of one of Americas' greatest architects. The part of his work that is probably the most accesible, are his private houses. It was great to see all these houses together in one beautiful volume. The photographs are stunning, and it is great to see so much attention paid to the interior of these houses, as Wright was responsible for most interior design too.
   As a professional or just a fan, when you love Wrights' work and want to visually enjoy it to the fullest, this book is a must have. The only thing better is to buy one of his houses...



5. One beautiful and well done book. Look, read and indulge yourself in Wright. Wonderful photography and ineresting writing by many authors that all to the lore of Wright.
   
   A great gift for someone who has on interest in FLLW.

5 comments about Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid.

1. I would have to say this is by far THE best book I have found for designing authentic traditional style homes. Say goodbye to cookie cutter - every designer should have a copy of this book beside them when they design, or else memorize it!
   I am not a HUGE reader, but I was so enthralled with this book, that I read about 125 pages in my first and second sitting. Ok, it has a lot of pictures, but still that is pretty good for me. I usually lose interest quickly. :)
   Don't hesitate to buy this book. It is a deal at any price. It WILL help you "Get Your House Right", save money and increase the value of your home tremendously in the process.
   This should be standard issue at all technical schools, colleges and anywhere that teaches how to design good quality authentic buildings that are pleasing to the general public.



2. This book is a refreshing antidote to the sea of mediocrity being built all around us. It fuses classical design principles, so long lost by architects and the building industry, with practical applications to everyday home design and construction. It's easy to understand by layman and architects alike and is a fundamental primer to building your new home.
   
   I've purchased additional copies and sent them to friends about to build their new homes to share with their architects. It has become one of my book shelf treasures.



3. This may be the best handbook on traditional design published since the 1920s, informative for both layman and professional alike.
   
   If you wonder what makes today's so-called "traditional" houses look so ugly, Marianne Cusato provides answers in a guidebook that walks you through "how things go wrong" (avoid) and "how to do it right" (use). In meticulously-drawn illustrations, she charts the course of design from first concepts to fine details, providing pearls of wisdom on things that can make or break the authenticity of a new old house. Notations accompany each drawing, describing essential building elements and how they go together.
   
   Never before have I seen a more comprehensive or practical guide through the minefield of traditional design. Clear, insightful directions make "Get Your House Right" the perfect learning tool for builders at all levels, whether novices or those needing a refresher course. This book should become the primary text to teach architects the fundamental building blocks of the classical tradition.



4. I live in Naperville, IL, the McMansion capital of the Midwest. I have watched new multi-million dollar houses go up, and I thought most of them were just plain ugly. Over-done, or pompous, or something. Yet they sell, even now, and they keep going up.
   
   I started to think maybe it was just me.
   
   Then I picked up this book, and there, just above the AVOID label that adorns many of the design examples in the book, was a pencil sketch of what could be a typical new-construction Naperville street.
   
   Having read the book through -- and several parts twice -- I now understand what it was that was causing the rejection of this architecture by my inner voice: bad design. I have nailed down the specific elements in many actual houses that hurt the appearance of the house, that make it less -- much less -- than it could be.
   
   And -- surprise! -- I found that the few houses I did like of the newer construction were properly designed to classical principles.
   
   The book is an incredible achievement. Well-written, accessible, and with hundreds and hundreds of beautiful pencil sketches that clearly demonstrate the principles. Marianne Cusato is a young, brilliant and well-educated designer whose vision has been shaking the architecture world for several years. And she's all of 33 years old!
   
   So get this book, read it through, and then have some fun. Start scanning front elevation drawings on house plan sites and see if you can spot the issues that keep each from being as welcoming, as home-y, as they could be.
   
   We are embarking now on designing our own new home, and this book is by far the most important acquisition in our burgeoning design library.
   
   Thanks, Marianne. We all owe you.



5. I have struggled for years with design issues in the buildings I renovate and (sometimes) modify. It is the "just doesn't look right" syndrome where you spend money and time on what you think is a good idea, but when it's done you can tell it looks goofy, or backwards, or convoluted or something.
   
   Well this book is exactly addressed to people like me - indoctrinating the reader to the (seemingly) rigid rules of traditional architecture that have evolved over the centuries since we emerged from caves. It's like getting an abbreviated overview of the lessons learned by earlier generations of builders, condensed into a readable book. Probably the most notable lesson I gleaned from it is the importance of details on the overall look and feel of a building.
   
   I know I'm not going to necessarily follow every rule on every decision I make - economics play an important role too - but at least now I have a little better understanding of where I can cut corners, and where spending a little more on the right details will be crucial. It's like having the wisdom of the ages at your back when making design decisions.
   
   One thing that attracts me to traditional architecture is that it comes from times where buildings were much more monumental accomplishments than they are today. With our concrete and steel, equipment and technological advances, buildings go up in a matter of days rather than years, and will be replaced just as quickly if we decide we don't like them. Sometimes the way they look reflects this lack of thought necessary for their contstruction.
   
   If you follow the guidance provided by this book, you building will at least look like an accomplishment worth celebrating.

5 comments about Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable....

1. An excellent reference for those who are interested in Earth Bermed and Earth Sheltered houses. His attention to detail in the excavation and foundation chapters is worth the price of the book alone. Especially when there is a lack of in depth internet resources available for those wishing to build their own earth sheltered house. Although this book deserves the 5 stars for fulfilling its basic promise, I wish he had devoted some time to discussing plumbing for a simple structure. But overall, he gives this reader 90% of the information necessary to start a small sized earth bermed house.
   
   If you are looking to have an earth roof, you will need to purchase his other book "Timber Framing" where he goes into rich detail the structural engineering requirements of load and tension and compression. With these 2 books, you should be able to complete rough plans for a structural engineer to review and stamp with little or none modifications.
   
   Also, for those searching for energy efficient stoves, I recommend aprovecho.org's institutional rocket stove or Ianto Evans Rocket Stove which are both 300% more efficient than traditional wood stoves.
   
   On a conclusionary note. I priced out timber framing members for the roof section of a square 30'x30' roof and it came out to over $9000 in timber alone ( not including the tongue & groove planking). Compare that to a traditional 8/12 pitch roof somewhere in the $3000 price range for rafters, ridge, and plywood. Put a metal roof on that and you should be good for over 30 years atleast. Sure the earth roof is better for the ecosystem and eye but a regular roof allows placement of rainwater collection, solartubes and solar heaters/panels as well. For the cost conscious, I have come to the conclusion that a traditional roof that is superinsulated along with the earth berming techniques in this book will allow people to have their own energy efficient house for less than they think.



2. This is where I started when I began exploring of building my house underground. What bothers me is so much cement. I like Mike Oehler better. Check him out too and decide for yourself.



3. This is the so called "holy book" for building an earth sheltered home. Definitely should have started 20 years ago but it is needed for today's building needs. Energy efficient - low cost ( pretty labor intensive ) Awesome to build. Have a five year plan.



4. I thought the book was a very informative and practical account as well as very well produced and edited.
   
   Thanks!



5. This is a great book! If you really wanted to build your own earth-sheltered home you could certainly do it using the information presented here (though a wiser course would be to pick up more sources). Thanks to this book and "The New Ecological Home", building our own home with environmentally conscious materials and possibly earth bermed or sheltered is high on our list of priorities. There is only one complaint I have about many books of this variety. They tend to cover difficulties with things like building code and location very lightly.
   
   Building code and location are going to be huge factors in building an earth sheltered structure, especially one made with fewer traditional modern building materials. Difficulties with local regulations or inflexible inspectors/building comissions may prevent you from being able to build in the area you want. This may drive an individual to build in locations further away from urban centers where they might work. Commuting is no fun; and if you wanted to look at it from an environmental standpoint commuting a greater distance to work, grocery market or schools has just raised your carbon footprint and negated some of the savings your earth sheltered home has created.
   
   I would highly recommend that individuals check local code thoroughly and choose a location suitable to their daily needs such as work or other social necessities before building. One need not build out of logs and plaster to have an earth sheltered home, though I understand that the point of this book is to have an affordable home and avoiding expensive modern materials. Take a bigger picture of what you are trying to accomplish; if you are purchasing this book it is somewhat safe to assume you are concerned about the environment. Please also consider materials used. Rob Roy's excellent use of modern materials such as rubber membranes and concrete block are high in initial cost to produce, environmentally speaking, but last longer and provide more benefit to long term savings such as insulative qualities and maintenance costs than lesser materials might. A lot of other earth-sheltered builders advocate natural materials to a fault, they have people using composting toilets and straw-bale homes. While effective in an environmental sense, they are not attractive to the average person. Rob Roy's book moves in a positive direction by using modern materials with environmentally conscious construction to create a home that just about anybody would like to live in.

5 comments about A Field Guide to American Houses.

1. I bought this book as reference material on the advice of an architect friend. He told me "If you need help figuring out the style of a house then buy this book" and he showed me his copy. He was right. The book is well organized which helps compare styles quickly and the many black and white pictures of houses that the author uses as examples are great because the b&w contrast helps your eye focus on details. This a great book to have in any architectural office. Its great for novices and experienced alike.



2. As a writer, you need lots of details to keep the reader interested, and this book has details on houses most people wouldn't know. Of course, if you give no details the story is not interesting, and if you give wrong details, some reader will know it and be disapointed. A book like this can be invaluable.



3. After some introductory chapters on the history and theory of homebuilding, the McAlesters commence with descriptions of the different styles. Each major style is described with a large stylized diagram with its identifying features labeled, a description of the major subtypes, descriptions of the style's unique elements, a paragraph on the frequency and locations of its occurrence, some historical comments, and then dozens of black and white photographs. The styles are ordered roughly chronologically, from native dwellings and colonial houses in 1600 to the neoeclectric houses of the 1970s and 1980s. (Even my 2006 printing ended with the 1980s.)
   
   I read the field guide cover to cover - something I never before done with a field guide. By the end, it seemed repetitive, but overall I was impressed with almost everything about this book from the introductions to the last diagrams. Every time I travel though a historical neighborhood, I am glad that I read this book.



4. Great book!!! I'm using for my company to get a true representation of many styles for many of the house I'm designing. A great resource for any firm!!!



5. great at housing history
   great describe for the house component
   good picture to show handy book to show at real estate

5 comments about A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder.

1. Wonderful, wonderful book. I am inspired to find some land and build my own little haven... I guess that makes this the most expensive book I've ever bought.



2. I love this book because Michael allowed me to feel I could build a place of my own, and because I experienced the process so thoroughly and vicariously through him, I probably won't. I loved reading of the balancing of reality and desire, of architect, builder, and setting. I am amazed at what Michael is able to do, and I savor and share his rightful pride in being able to do so. I appreciate my own home more and view other structures with more curiosity as a result of reading this book. Michael entertains, and makes the process of home-building accessible to any one of us. I sit and look at the cover, wanting a little home of my own, and, as I say, I feel satisfied with what he has built, and the creation of my own little nest within a home that is already mine. And if I change my mind, he is here as guide.



3. First, I enjoyed reading this book. I'm a carpenter turned cabinetmaker that aspires to build spec homes per my own designs, from bottom to top. Given my existing interest in the field, I most enjoyed his discussion of the various architectural movements and the philosophies thereof. It provides a broad overview of different theories of design and how they result in pleasing (or not so pleasing) structures.
   
   However, he definitely goes overboard - especially with the obnoxious use of esoteric vocabulary. Synecdoche? I'm pretty well read and I don't think I've ever even seen that word written before. It goes on and on like that, and it's unfortunate because it really distracts you from what's otherwise a pretty interesting read. He also seems to slip into a bit of stream of consciousness about the theory behind some detail of construction or another (like muntins). Be prepared.
   
   It was also tiring to read about the conflict between the architect and the builder. If it was indeed as tense as he claims, then he's probably in large part to blame, getting wrapped up in the drama (which I believe he does).
   
   Overall I gave it a 3, because it definitely provided a lot of good information. But I was dragging by the end, and it really felt like once he hit his quota of pages he just stopped. He takes you all the way through the process of construction, but doesn't tell you how it ends. How's the building feel? What worked and what didn't? Is it great in the spring with the windows open, or is it too buggy? Freezing in the winter? By dropping 30 pages of theory and putting in an equal amount of reality it would have made this book a real winner.



4. ... this book is much too wordy and self-consciously "word-crafted." A Place of My Own: 3 stars.
   
   I have loved his other books: The Botany of Desire in particular. He is an excellent writer and great to listen to in a radio interview. However, this book, it seems to me, was written for his former colleagues in the "word industry" as a proof that he can write more intricately structured sentences, more erudite vocabulary, more commas generally THAN YOU CAN!!
   
   I began reading the book with great hopes, and I hate to rate any of his books less than a 5; but I immediately bogged down. It has overly complicated, assertively complicated, prose. It has an immensity of nested clauses delimited by a blizzard of commas. I started looking for a sentence without a comma. I couldn't find one for at least a page and a half. Immensely long, self-consciously crafted sentences. Nothing is just a thing: It's possibly the strangest, most meaningful thing, except that his wife, when in the kitchen, though not generally not on Tuesdays, used to enunciate, with a wry expression on her lips -- a rather inappropriate expression I thought, that it was the opposite of the physical object, in spite of Plato and Aristotle, because her cabalistic, pernicious, atavism. (You get the style?) I think he was trying impress himself that his life, decision to write full time and his little studio were worthwhile. To me, it's navel-gazing at its worst.
   
   If you like the kind of sentence I parodied above (though trust me, it's not that much of a parody) you will like this book. Otherwise, not. As noted, I like Michael Pollan. I could not read this. Thank goodness for his more recent books.
   
   [edited for spelling and grammar 28FEB08]



5. this book is elegantly written, erudite and entertaining. I'd recommend it highly both to the carpenter who would like to know more about the ancient roots of construction and to the armchair traveller types. It examines the dynamic between builder, client and architect in a manner reminicient of but definitely different from the classic Tracy Kidder "House".