No comments about Quick Guide: Stairs & Railings: Step-by-Step Construction Methods (Quick Guide).

5 comments about The Mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast: Revised and Expanded.

1. This was a great book. The pictures and written information were even better than I expected.



2. This book presents a unique photographic material of some still existing as well as buildings that has now been torn down. As other has written before me the printing quality in this book is not what it could have been. The colors in some images are really bad. The artistic value of the photographs could also be questioned (most of the images are not taken by a professional photographer). In spite of all this the book succeds in describing "a lost world" and leaves the reader with a feeling of emptiness and with many questions: How could all this disappear? The buildings and their architecture are in most cases of local interest, but combined with the description of the people and the money that built the "Gold Coast" Monica Randall depicts a history that are of common interest in more senses than one.



3. It is a shame that the publisher decided to save some money and have this book printed in China. The quality of the photos is horrible. Some are blurred, some are dark. It makes the book cheap and cheesy. Anything to save a buck. When will American businessmen learn ? We get tainted food from China, shoes and clothes that don't fit and fall apart, and now badly produced books. Once again, Americans have lowered their standards just to make a buck.........go figure....



4. This is an intimate and thorough glimpse into the mansions of America's Gold Coast, a region of Long Island where such wealth and extravaganze accumulated in the late 1800's-mid 1900s as to boggle the modern mind. In an era before government taxes became a hindrance to such spending by the wealthy, the Gold Coast mansions rival even the most exquisite mansions, chateaux, castles and estates of Europe.
   I purchased this book because I had just finshed reading "Gold Coast" by Nelson Demille, a modern day "Great Gatsby"-esque look at the decline of the Gold Coast culture. This book was phenomenal (and I highly recommend it), but I had trouble picturing the locales discussed in the book, because the scale and scope of grandeur is almost beyond imagination.
   Mansion's of Long Island's Gold Coast has hundreds of pictures, some old some new. With well written descriptions on each locale, it carefully reconstructs a visual aid to understanding that region. Some of the photos are not as modern as you might want, but that is a product of photos being used of mansions before they were torn down, as have many, many of these glorious homes.
   This book is a must read for anyone interested in the architecture, culture, and social mores of a bygone era. You could also use it as a reading aid to "Great Gatsby", as there are pictures of the mansions that Fitzgerald used as inspirations for Gatsby's estate, among others. Fascinating!



5. As a admirer of historical older homes across Amrica, and a recent returnee to college at age 49 for a second career in interior architecture, this book is a welcome site. I have a collection of architectual books of Mansions in every grouping or by an architect or designer. The one minor flaw that I and other reviewers have had is that while the original black & white photos of the manisions with update written information on the current condition is great, we never see photos (if possible) of the homes as they look today. This one actually shows on occasion a current photo of the house as possible. Example is of Zog Ruins just off of Highway 106. Zog was abandoned by its owner in the early 1950's and the gatekeeper left it in 1959. The house was vandilized in the 60's. The photos of the house are as the house as it sat in ruins during the 60's and the last photo is dated 1968.
   The books photos are not done in the slick style other books on mansions are done, but rather in a personal photo scrap book sort of way. One can actually feel the way M. Randall felt as she assemblied this book. Ms. Randall pours her heart into her personal scrap with love and care and it is seen thru out the marvelious book. Photos are in B&W and color.....while the color ones appear to be Poloariod style, it is refreshing to see them presented this way. Text is simple and straight forward. This would be a great learning tool in architecture and interior design schools as a reference or teaching book on preservation & restoration.
   
   This book is a must for lovers of Long Island, New York or great mansions of anykind.

5 comments about Home: A Short History of an Idea.

1. May be of interest to househunters trying to envision what their happy home to be might want to be. It's basically a selective history of the concepts of home and comfort, related to changing forms of the family, over the last four or five hundred years. It's full of interesting factoids, probably ultimately of less significance than Rybczynski had hoped, but he's a good writer and charming (a hair too warm and fuzzy for me). It's a light, easy and pleasant read. It didn't leave me with anything of substance that stuck in my memory, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. It's the type of book you curl up with next to a fire with a skim mocha nutmeg and cinnamon whatever when you need to give your brain a break but can't quite stoop to watching American Idol. Okay, sorry - it's a much better book than that. And it's fun - and we all probably need to have a little fun now and then (in between reading all these serious books and growing our big, fat brains). But in the end it's not really substantial.



2. You probably have notions about what "home" means, and those notions probably revolve around your immediate family, domestic comfort and convenience, with a dash of nostalgia. Most likely you share my sense that home has been thus for a long time, subject to the whims of fashion and demands of social hierarchy. What I learned from Witold Rybczynski is that those are very near-sighted suppositions. The modern (Western) idea of a home is very new, historically. Even the notion of "family" that occupies so much of modern political cant, and seems so central to our social organization, goes back no further than the early 18th Century. Households before that time were comprised of groups of working adults, house owners and employees and servants, plus infants. Children were farmed out as apprentices at a tender age -- even in the wealthiest households where fortunate youngsters were placed as servants to courtiers and nobles in order to learn the ropes of oligarchy. Privacy was rare. Beds were built to handle 6-8 adults and work tables often tripled as dining boards and sleeping platforms. Rybczynski artfully traces the development of the modern household, decor and furnishing, to enable a deep understanding of why we live as we do, what works and what doesn't. As an architect he reserves some of his harshest criticism for his fellows, and neatly shoots down such icons as Le Corbusier and Wright who were too hung on their brilliance to notice that things weren't working. (As I reported in my review of Stewart Brand's excellent HOW BUILDINGS LEARN, Viking, 1994, most -- if not all -- of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses leaked, badly. HOME reports that they didn't work as living quarters either.) This author's highest praise falls to the women who invented household engineering in the late 1800s, stepping into the architectural void, inventing home economics, and shaping the modern home to suit the needs of a servantless woman charged with housekeeping and child rearing. Catherine E. Beecher and Ellen Richards come in for particular commendation. Modern furniture also falls under the author's verbal axe. Designed for style instead of comfort, he describes its advent as a foolish embrace of creativity above function, and offers the detailed research in France under the Louises (Louies?), which erupted as Chippendale and Hepplewhite designs: templates which carefully noted dimensions and proportions that actually fit a human body and allowed for the constant movement necessary to ongoing comfort. The only modern chairs which come near to the standard set in those classic designs are found in the best mechanical chairs, made to be adjusted to the user's body and to flex with movement. (More often to be found in office furniture than in a home.) Altogether an illuminating look at the circumstances of our lives. For this reviewer, who spent 20 years inventing an "alternative" house from scratch, it is greatly amusing to learn that I have spent a lot of hours reinventing wheels rounded out a hundred years ago. Talk about being forced to repeat history one has failed to learn! Been there. And so it goes.



3. Home is an articulate, rapid reading book about the developements leading to the current concept of "home". Tying history, architecture, sociology and technology together the emerging concept of home and comfort developes in clear visualizations.
   After reading this book I now appreciate the evolution of the contradictory outlooks over time and how they affect our current drives in creating our personal living spaces.



4. Witold Rybczynski's Home: A Short History Of An Idea, is an historical and informational text following the devlopment of the concept of home and discusses the psychological effects of different types of dwellings and personal space, architecture, and society. Home is a well-structured and planned tracing of society's development of the concepts of home and comfort and relates to today's audiences with a new perspective on where and how they live. One of Mr. Rybczynski's strengths as a writer is his conversational writing style and the flow of the organization of his main ideas.
   Home instantly dives into the development of society's ideas of comfort and home with an almost staggering jump into a strong comparison and analysis of the four style lines of the Ralph Lauren collection. Mr. Rybczynski highlights the different aspects of the setting that Lauren creates to entice the public and the different props he uses to create this feeling of home. Home utilizes the time line approach, begining in the medieval era, to explain Ralph Lauren's heightend understanding of the public's ideas of comfort. Mr. Rybczynski also examines the work of Le Corbusier and relates the modernist movement with current modern trends.
   Mr. Rybczynski's book remeinds architects and interior designers that even in today's society it is easy to get caught up in what is in style or what would make a statement rather than what is comfertable for occupants to inhabit. I recommend Mr. Rybczynski's book to anyone who would appreciate seeing their home in a whole new way.



5. So, I am predisposed to like Rybczynski -- his biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, "A Clearing in the Distance," is one of my favorites.
   
   Sure enough, I liked "Home" as well. It describes the invention of the concepts of "home" and "comfort" and "domesticity." Those are not things I ever thought of as having been invented; but if Rybczynski is right, they were, and relatively recently at that.
   
   Worth noting: My favorite chapter was the one on the Netherlands in the 1600s -- a really, really interesting society, it turns out, for a lot of different reasons.
   
   Also: The book has lots of interesting notes on the history of furniture, especially the chair.
   
   Finally: Above all this is a book that makes you look at familiar surroundings with new eyes.

2 comments about Robert A. M. Stern: Houses and Gardens.

1. I thoroughly loved his first residential book "Houses." With the amount of work he has done I expected this book to focus on new work but many of the same projects and pictures from the first book were used in this one.



2. This book on Robert Stern, the latest in a series, is very well executed. Mr. Stern really has a knack for anachronistic grand homes, they are a throw back to another time, but with all the modern luxuries money can buy. Stern has a real feel for the kind of gardens that complement each type of home, and the interaction between the two is often quite breathtaking. The images in this book are first rate and the homes are amazing. If you appreciate excellent photography, elegant architecture, and spectacular homes and gardens then you will love this book

4 comments about Birdfeeders, Shelters and Baths (The Weekend Workshop Collection).

1. In three short pages of Introduction, the author (Edward Baldwin) highlights some Essential Info for all of us home-based bird lovers: what the birds really need and how to provide it as well & efficiently as possible--and not only with home-made feeders & shelters. In those few pages there is a rich summary of insights on birds' daily needs; how we can help them in their lives; as well as how to lure them into our vicinity--and our viewing range--with various sources of food and shelter.
   
   Then: on the book goes to show us various forms of feeding & sheltering stations that are quite make-able by a careful adult with some kind of "craft-making" skill. I, for example, had only sewing and fabric-construction types of skills to bring to the Roosting Box I made (see pg. 87). But, the skills were transferable to the wooden pieces that had to be cut and assembled (parallel functions to what one does w/cloth for a slip-cover, for example).
   
   A number of projects and their plans are set up to use the simplest of household objects (plastic and glass jars or bottles once empty of foodstuffs, and even an 8 oz. milk carton). So, carpentry is not necessary in all of the projects. Some of the feeders look "do-able" by small children's hands with scissors and glue -- all with the encouragement & supervision an adult might lend.
   
   The photos and illustrations of feeders/shelters and their parts as they get assembled are nice and clear. If you don't often take to carpentry and other forms of hand-crafting of items, it might be good to read through the instructions and examine drawings & photos a couple of times before the day you plan to start the actual "making" steps. You might also make a list of items you will want to purchase or borrow while pre-reading & getting prepared. That way, anything confusing can be cleared up ahead of time and you can be truly "ready" to start-in on schedule.
   
   The book was thoughtfully organized for me as a bird-loving "enthusiast" with only basic manual skills and basic tools at home. It helped me produce something well-built for our backyard birds. There were tasks new to me, but the small size of the end-product and the fact that I could do all the steps on one work-table kept it manageable.
   
   I'm planning to make a Squirrel-Feeder in a couple of months (to launch next autumn)--as a variation of one of the bottle-feeders in the book. I'd like to divert the squirrels' attention to Their Own feeder and away from the part of the yard where we keep birdfeeders (one of the ideas I picked up in the Intro). AND: I'm pleased w/the book; glad to have it at home and available "as needed."



2. The book has a lot of great ideas for birdfeeders and shelters. It on had once birdbath that you could construct but was simple to construct.



3. I bought this for my husband 2 years ago and he has made all the large feeders. He really enjoyed building them and I enjoy showing them off. I'm currently looking for another book with different designs but so far this is the best one.



4. An excellent book that illustrates how to make some very nice birdhouses that vary from the easy to the complex like the one on the cover. I'm building the one on the cover and am having a lot of fun! The best birdfeeder book I've seen so far.

4 comments about Electricity for Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning.

1. Item came quicker than expected and in new packaging. It was exactly as described.



2. This book cost $108.00 and is full of errors. The instructor of my Intro To Control Class has contacted the publisher but to no avail. I am struggling in a course that I have always wanted to take and although my instructor is fanstastic this book gets a big fat F- from me. This book has failed and I hope that anyone who is forced to pay for this book isn't stuck paying full price. It's just not worth it!



3. This book was used in my "Fundamentals of Electricity" course in a technical college air-conditioning (AC) program. It was selected because it was the only text specifically for AC. We used the first third of the book. I'm an older student, have two years of university credits, and have seen a lot of technical and vocational training material. This book is simply awful. I have never had to struggle with a textbook so hard as with this one. Grammatical errors were abundant. The review questions were poorly written. Illustrations were occasionally mis-labeled, out of sequence or just plain wrong. Where the material raised a question, it was often left unanswered, but unasked questions were answered in excruciating detail. I had to use 4 other books to fill gaps left by this one. Most insulting was the price: $108. There are better books that cover basic electricity, some aimed at HVAC. I used Proctor & Mazur's books from ATP to fill some gaps. Additionally, ARI's "Refrigeration and Air Conditioning" has a good treatment, which is clearly written.



4. I love the way the author set this book up. You gradually build on what you learn and never really feel that you are being thrown in to hard. The writing is fantastic. Not to difficult in technological terms for the novice and yet levels with the seasoned veteran just right. When you complete a chapter , you are introduced to a " In the field scenario" service call. You imagine yourself at the call working out the problem in the component. You see how to step by step, use the common sense approach to troubleshooting and gain good skills in those procedures. The calls vary from simple to very complex. One thing is for very certain. You will enjoy having this book in your professional HVAC/R library.

5 comments about Shigeru Ban.

1. The fact that this book comes with real explanation and plans of the proyects is why it was chosen above all others... arquitects don't read pictures, they read plans...



2. the work of this interessant japanese architect, it's a demonstration of a continuated and progressive developmente of an architecture beautifull and deep.



3. Excellent book,interesting, useful not only for architectors but for anybody. good print quality.



4. Shigeru Ban is famous for his innovative use of building materials, structural rigor and pureness. This book captures all these quintessential attributes of this ingenious architect.
   
   The editor did a great job of organizing Ban's projects according to the building materials (i.e., paper, wood, bamboo, prefab, and skin). Multiple projects in each chapter form a coherent and articulated presentation of how Ban took advantage of the uniquessness of certain material and incorporated it into his architectural philosophy and aesthetics.
   
   The text is technical oriented which often includes the characteristics of the materials and the issues concerning structural engineering. At the end of most chapters, you can find detailed technical information and test statistics of the building materials used in the featured projects. Moreover, at the beginning of the book, Ban also contributed an article on the whole building process of building his classic work: Japanese Pavillion, which is very informative and instructive.
   
   Another noteworthy strength of this book is that it reveals the connectness of Ban's different projects and shows how the architect developed and built his own architectural style programmatically (e.g., How he developed, refined, and matured the paper architecture, the furniture house idea, the ivy structure, and the universal floor plan through several dozens of projects).
   
   Put together, this is a well-organized, thoughtful, and informative book about Ban's contribution to the international architectural community. Bravo!



5. The book itself is almost the perfect monograph. Each project is described concisely, and it has all the drawings and photos to orient the reader to the site, the program and the idea. The drawings and photos range from the finest detail to the biggest gestures, and doesn't isolate the projects like they're pristine objects. The photos often emphasize the construction or assembly of the work, though the finished photos and model shots are expressive and informative too. The pages with experimental and test calculations are well-organized and relate back to specific projects and details, using graphs, tables and pictures or drawings of the elements or details in question. For a non-engineer, it's all rather clear and convincing. I've never seen ideas and processes presented so rationally and convincingly. Nothing here seems superfluous and Ban reveals his process and interests completely to the reader.
   
   Of course, the projects themselves are fantastic. John Hedjuk's influence is all over the work, and I dare say that Ban's actualized projects are now richer, have reached greater depth and are more expressive and informative than his mentor's. On one level, you could imagine that Ban's preoccupation with wood products, "green" construction and sustainable design started as a bad pun that served as the basis of his student thesis. ("Paper Architecture." Ha-ha.) But the rigor and depth that he brings to each project break through any temptation to show self-conscious irony or superficiality. At the end of the day, he's an architect's architect who controls proportion and light, defines space and considers human scale in all his work. He makes Calatrava look like "just" an engineer. And his works aren't just formal exercises with nine square grids and such. His ideas and works begin to touch on politics without seeming pretentious or partisan with his refugeee shelters and other more recent work (although those private houses do present a counterpoint to the socially-oriented work in more ways than one).
   
   Anyway, great book, great work. I'm totally convinced of Ban's skills and talent.

2 comments about Building with Bamboo: A Handbook.

1. If you plan to build structures with bamboo, this book is a must. It is the only one I have found that has construction details.



2. Technology is great, but sometimes building methods of native people are "better" than our scientific methods. From an engineering standpoint it was a great book but as a book for someone curious about many ways of building things I was a little disappointed.

5 comments about Building a Multi-Use Barn: For Garage, Animals, Workshop, Studio.

1. While the sections on planning and construction are quite helpful, I was disappointed in the section on electricity. A barn is considered an outbuilding, and local electrical codes may be different for residences and outbuildings. Barns are often used to house livestock or poultry, but the book does not address the different requirements for farm wiring.
   
   Residential wiring usually requires NM (non-metallic) cable, but in a building may be subjected to high moisture like that in a livestock barn, NMC or UF (Underground Feed) wiring is required. In addition, the boxes for outlets and fixtures must usually be sealed against moisture and dust.
   
   Author John Wagner does say that it is important to work with the local electrical inspector and know the local code requirments as they vary greatly.



2. References to buil an audio studio in the simplest fom me by home archetitural process.



3. A useful book on the various practical aspects of building a simple (or not so simple) barn. Useful to a do-it-yourselfer, or as a reference to someone using contractors. Recommended.



4. Builder John Wagner shows the versatility that's possible with one good barn. Using a 24' by 30' plan and simple framing, Wagner alters the interior layout to create a tractor garage and garden shed, a studio, a workshop and office, and a stable. His ideas should be considered by anyone looking for practical uses for old barns. Besides being a design guide, this book covers all the basics of light frame construction with easy-to-read text, photos and great illustrations.



5. Boy, I couldn't believe it when I got this book. It covers everything from ground prep, foundation, framing, configuring the building to fit it's use.....on and on and on! It blocks everything out, so if you are not comfy with doing that one piece yourself, you can contract that piece out and pick up from there. I can't wait to get my hands dirty! Read the whole thing first.

3 comments about Private Newport: At Home and In the Garden.

1. .
   This is an exquisite look at Newport Rhode Island by Betty Barden Pardee, a contributing editor to Bon Appetit, who, with her husband is a year-around resident of Newport. Ms. Pardee takes the reader inside the mansions for a private look at the interiors and gardens of this community from a bygone era.
   
   Photographer Mick Hales, whose work has appeared in House and Garden, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, and Town and Country does an extraordinary job capturing the light, mood and character of Newport.
   
   Designers, decorative artists, and landscape designers will especially enjoy these pages.



2. I used to live in Newport and I recognize many of the houses in this book. You will not see these private interiors and gardens any other way. The photography and writing are excellent.



3. Private Newport features page after page of gorgeous homes--those that only we mere mortals can only dream about! The photography is spectacular and I love the way the exterior of the homes and their grounds are included, as well as the amazing interiors. This is a great gift for anyone who has visited Newport or who desires to. You won't see these homes on the mansion tour as they are privately owned and not open to the public.