4 comments about Classic English Interiors.

1. A book of grace and perfect taste. A good book to come back to when you need another idea... end tables, curtains, carpets, furniture placement...... lovely ideas...ideas that can work in a small apartment, modest colonial or grand house..... it's the 1 book in my collection of 50 or more interior design books that I would NOT sell... it is my favorite....



2. A must have reference for any professional or amature decorator. But be warned, if this is your first book by Lady Henrietta you will be hooked and will soon order her entire body of work.



3. Very beautiful book, I enjoy looking at it, lovely (mostly formal) drapery ideas, but for the money, I wish I could have checked it out at the library.



4. Classic English Interiors is a great book depicting the more upper-scale homes/interiors of England. The photos are exceptionally good too. If you are contemplating using English style in your decorating scheme, this is surely a good book of information and photos.

1 comments about Lakeside Living: Waterfront Houses, Cottages, and Cabins of the Great Lakes.

1. This book features many great pictures of homes on or near the Great Lakes. It covers several types of building styles and architectures. Every home looks like a sublime dream. One critique though is that most of the homes are of the spare-no-expense ultra wealthy variety. Even the cabins would be out-of-reach for most people.

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.

5 comments about Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company.

1. This book is amazing - actual floor plans, and Sears would send you absolutely everything you need to build whatever house you choose.



2. I have had this book since it first came out and am now on my fourth copy of it as I have totally abused the others in my search for Sears Homes and while doing research for my book. This book is a valuable source of information and no true Sears Home Lover should be without it. This is the first book ever written about Sears Homes and it is still the one I turn to when I have a question. The author and I have been in many of the same interviews and videos but have never met, I have to rectify this. Let's meet Katherine!!!



3. This book is a great collection of designs and illustrations but what disappointed me most was that some houses did not have floor plans at all while some only had a downstairs and no upstairs floor plan illustrated. I was especially disappointed about those without any floorplans since I have seen floorplans elsewhere on the internet on various archive lists, the same goes for interior illustrations which I really expected to be many more of. I hoped it would be a 'Bible' or ultimate reference book to Sears homes but I guess I need to complement it with my own internet research.
   I am not sure if I would recommend it to somebody who has high expectations and such a great love for these old homes like me.



4. I found Houses by Mail to be very helpful and informative.



5. This book probably provides useful information for persons otherwise unfamiliar with this genre of house and architecture, but personally I found two things about it particularly annoying: first, its small size. Many plans are reduced to the point where they might just as well be heavy line diagrams, and second, I find direct reproduction of original text to be far preferable to the uniform re-typing found here. Original text tends to be just as legible and lets the reader know with no uncertainty what is, in fact, original text. In all fairness, I have to say that since I am an architect and very familiar with house plans in general, my review may not apply to all readers. I much prefer the direct reproductions, and without a doubt favor a larger format.

5 comments about Bricklaying.

1. I have done quite a bit of tile work and am not a foreigner to trowel trades. When I decided to put in my first brick hearth and wall I looked for a book to give me the basics. This was not it. I feel it is poorly outlined and organized and lacked some basic information I sought. There are some cool projects in it, but start with another book if you're new to the trade.



2. Some reviews claim this isn't a book for a 'do-it-yourselfer'. This may be true if your abilities to think and to build are of a limited capacity. This book has excelent illustrations and explainations that walk you through many forms of building with brick though simple explaination. I would recomend this to the 'able' 'do-it-yourselfer' and I can imagine there are things profesionals could gleam from this book as well.



3. I checked the book out from the library first to get a feel for it, though the illustrations are good, I found the method of instruction haphazard and very much lacking.

   In addition the author is Australian and many of the terms used are not US specific. No attempt is made to explain many of the techniques

   Go for a time life book, or the following used text "AUDEL'S MASONS AND BUILDERS LIBRARY," by Louis Dezettel (look for volume 2 bricklaying, plastering...) is exceptionally written in regards to detail and very easy to understand.




4. A disapointment. Confusing, full of obscure terms and "inside" tips that are useless to the do-it-yourselfer. Seems like a book written by an expert for other experts. After purchasing this book I picked up a used Time-Life book on masonary that had more good info in 10 pages than this 320 page turkey.



5. If you are a mason of any background, you will love this book. Really well illustrated, diagrams done nicely. Easy to understand. From beginer type work to extreame arch wk & much more. Last point if you want to build a outside grill out of brick check out the 10 brick grill layouts in this book.
   Good Stuff!

5 comments about The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection.

1. The only book written on how to build a cathedral. Very informative and helpful to a novice.



2. Good introduction to medieval building techniques. Being a devoted admirer of Gothic cathedrals, this was one of the first books I red about the subject and it served well. If you wish to know why was pointed arch so important, or procedures used to erect butresses or types of scaffoldings used at that times... you will find the answers here. There is one drawback - it seems to me that author was repeating some ideas from the first half of the book in the second one, but still, it deserves 5 stars. Kind regards, Mario.



3. If you want to know about the details of building a Gothic Cathedral this is IT! I only wish the type front was a little bigger and some of the drawings were enlarged. Some of the construction details are pretty much what we are still doing today.



4. The builders of Gothic vaults left few clues (written or pictorial) about their actual construction methods. John Fitchen employs induction as well as the skills of a detective to figure out how the vaults were designed and built. Nevertheless, he fails the inquisitive reader at one critical point.

   Fitchen states that the stone ribs supporting the Gothic vaults conform to a curve called, in mathematics, a catenary. The mathematics of catenary curves was first described by Robert Hooke in the late 1600s. This was no less than 150 years *after* the Gothic builders completed their last work.

   In the absence of a knowledge of the mathematics of catenaries, how did the Gothic builders discover the *only* rib curvature that was self-supporting?

   (It's not good enough to say the Gothic builders arrived at the correct catenary curve empirically, that is, by trial and error. There was simply no room for error. All would have come tumbling down.)

   How did they do it?




5. In this book, originally published in 1961, John Fitchen describes and explains the falsework (i.e. scaffolding) that was used to build Gothic Cathedrals. The main focus is on the construction and use of the centering (which is the formwork used to build arcs and vaults). The chapters: 1. Sources of information - 2. Constructional means - 3. Medieval types of vaulting - 4. Gothic formwork - 5. Gothic centering - 6. Erection of rib vaulting without formwork. The text is clearly written and accompanied by excellent drawings, a very good glossary and an extensive bibliography. For everyone interested in medieval building techniques this book is a must.

2 comments about Plumber's licensing Study Guide (Plumber's Licensing Study Guide).

1. This book won't be used till winter so can't review at this time. Thank you
   
   
   Should be able to enter ? or 0 on your scale if necessary



2. The book is very comprehensive and gives a very accurate picture of what to expect on your plumbing exam. It makes learning the code fun and you will find out what you don't know quickly. Use it in conjuction with your code book to look up areas you are weak in. If you can answer eighty percent of the questions in the "Study Guide" correctly you will probably pass your test. It's the best book of its kind. FIVE STARS.

5 comments about Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister, The.

1. If you love the architecture of post-war America, then this is the book for you. I am a huge fan of Wayne McAllister's work and this book gives you the lens with which to view the progression of his buildings which began early on and literally exploded in the 1950's.
   
   We all remember restaurants and hotels and some homes with this man's 'signature' all over them: rock exteriors, large sheets of glass, inset lighting, and brick planters. Some decry this look as cheap and tasteless. But in reality it wed form and function with a certain aesthetic quality that will never be duplicated.
   
   Today, everything from buildings to cars all look alike. That 'certain something' is missing. Still, it is great to look back to a time when restaurants, hotels, motels, and cars looked cool. This book is a walk down memory lane and I return to it often. Well done, Chris Nichols!



2. This book was a delight to read. The illustrations are beautifull and informative. The research that has been put into this book is of great value. This book is of great lasting value for Baja California history as well as California and Nevada.



3. If you are into architecture books, books about Vegas, 1950s car culture, or anything retro, this book will be one you enjoy. I really like it as a coffee table book, because it has great pictures, but it is also a great read and seems well researched.



4. Nichols presents an interesting look at many of the historic landmarks of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, painting the picture of times since forgotten. Being in my 20s, many of the landmarks I knew in name only, although I have seen and been to some, but in both cases, Nichols' book manages to evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing. The book is obviously painstakingly researched, and the sheer number of rare and hard-to-find photographs are enough to make any architecture or food history buff go ga-ga.



5. Nichols gives a nostalgic retrospective on the long live and prodigious output of Wayne McAllister. In no small part, the book walks the reader back through the last 60 years of urban commercial architecture in the southern California region. McAllister lived a very long time, and he was responsible for designing iconic landmarks that at least in the hazy afterglow of memory, epitomise a classic time.
   
   The book is replete with many photos and illustrations, the cover being an example of the latter. The most common image, if not exactly the most enduring, is Bob's Big Boy. I remember in the early 80s, when I arrived in Los Angeles, how these fast food restaurants and their mascots were everywhere. Even getting a cameo role in Terminator. Alas, as the years wore on, the Bob's Big Boys got steadily deprecated. Not many left.
   
   Another type of McAllister's work has also fallen into the tar pits of history. He designed many of the drive-ins that dotted Los Angeles. And which were an indelible part of many teenagers' experiences. Sadly, most are long gone, brought down by the VCR and its successors. At least in the book, you can see several as they once were, at the peak of their glory. Actually, no matter how pretty the architecture, the sound was often bad, the food dreadful, the movies second rate and the nearby cars often had loudmouths.
   
   Great book. But for some readers old enough, there is a certain bittersweet tinge to all this.

5 comments about Building Stairs (For Pros by Pros).

1. They must work perfectly every time they are used for the life of the house because someone can be horribly injured or worse, including the builder. Not for a DIY project and I was alarmed by what this volume left out. A DIY stairs project would be painting trimming an interior staircase, or tacking down some mats. I do not feel the book is unsafe, just grossly incomplete.
   
   Sorry, I have to rate the book at 1 star. Zero wasn't an option.
   
   Hire a licensed builder with time in rate.



2. The book addressed building stair-related structures that were just not relevant to standard stair building needs...



3. So I don't know why I bought this book without reading the previous reviews. I usually check those first and avoid books like this. It had too many types of stairs to be documented and not enough detail for each one. I would have rather had just three basic types of stairs covered in detail than all of the types in here. The writer appeared to be showing off.
   
   Still, it did show me what I needed to purchase (bending rail) and had about two pages worth of useful information. I finished my curved baluster, but I see flaws in my work. I am a pretty ambitious DIYer and I would not recommend that anyone try doing this but a professional. This book did not give enough detail or complete instructions to help me through the rough spots.



4. As an installer by trade, I urge anyone interested in learning the construction of stairs to consult another book. I wish I had read the other readers comments before I wasted my money on this book.



5. I have a large amount of admiration for the Taunton Press. Fine Homebuilding is quality magazine and the For Pros books have been worth the money. This book is a poor collection of disjointed FH articles that have no cogent flow to them. I should know better than to buy books by "Editors," but I made a mistake here. William Spence's "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings," while not a perfect book, is much better than this collection.
   
   Taunton's "For Pros" books on Electrical (Caldwell) and Plumbing (Hemp) are well worth the money, particularly Caldwell's offering.

No comments about Toward an Architecture (Texts & Documents).