No comments about Dumbarton Oaks.

No comments about Timeless Treasures: San Diego's Victorian Heritage.

2 comments about Contemporary Home Plans: 220 Sleek Designs for Modern Lifestyles.

1. I have studied countless houseplans online and in books and magazines, looking for interesting and unusual plans. I hoped this book would show me something new, and I was quite disappointed. It had many Mediterranean style homes, which I don't consider particularly sleek or modern. Many of the other plans were outdated, as if gleaned from houseplan collections of thirty years ago. If you are a seasoned houseplan -looker, I would not recommend this book.



2. I have bought tons of home books in the past, but this is absolutely the best there is! Unlike other books that stick to one theme, this samples a lot of different flavours. There are homes ranging in design from the classics to outlandish one-of-a kinds to Frank Lloyd Wright renditions. You can mix and match from differnt plans to create a home that is uniquely yours.

5 comments about Palm Springs Confidential: Playground of the Stars!.

1. Is a complete waste of time. It reads (and looks) like a bad copy of the National Enquirer, but in a better cover.
   
   I've already recycled my copy.



2. Expensive for a softcover book with only B&W stock photos, but still a fun resource guide for Desert afficianadoes. Not-too-dishy gossip about some of the celebs and celeb wannabe's who have had residency in Palm Springs, California...both past and present.
   
   Author Johns obviously had some fun researching and writing this prosaic "Map to the Stars Homes" manual. Especially fun if you are a frequent visitor to the area or are planning a vacation there.



3. Based on other reviews, PALM SPRINGS CONFIDENTIAL seems like great dish along the lines of Kitty Kelley, with well-researched chapters about sex and scandal in Palm Springs.
   
   What Johns has produced, however, is more like a star map on steriods. Each chapter takes you house-by-house through a different old Palm Springs neighborhood, which could be interesting in the right hands. Johns does not have the right hands.
   
   The result is a choppy, schizophrenic mess of mostly trivial detail. There's nothing here that you can't find in other, better-written books on Palm Springs. Johns's bitchy barbs combined with his sophomoric prose and unnecessary commentary on stars's films, music, and addictions make slogging through this slop a real chore. I find it hard to believe that Johns could be the editor-at-large of a grocery list much less PALM SPRINGS LIFE magazine.
   
   Even more shocking is Johns's dark, homophobic tone when discussing gay celebritites, especially considering that the gay community practically runs Palm Springs. He carelessly tosses about phrases like "limp-writsed," "debauched," and "effeminate," completely oblivious to how offensive he is to anyone with a compassionate nature.
   
   Johns's nasty tone -- whether discussing gay people or not, his amateurish style, and his inability to weed out superfluous detail make PALM SPRINGS CONFIDENTIAL an enormous waste of time and money. There are much better books on Palm Springs out there. Don't make the mistake of buying this one.



4. Loved the book and it's many pictures and movie star history. Having grown up in Palm Springs, I found it especially interesting to read about the more glamorous side of a familiar town. Great book--well worth the money!



5. Howard Johns book is a great eye opener. Before reading it I had never so much as heard of Palm Springs, and now I feel like I live there. He tells you which famous people live in which house all the way down all the roads in Palm Springs, so that if you want to, you could write to them and ask them for their autographs. In a way they're vulnerable now, having their addresses published in this book but i suppose when you move to a town like Palm Springs, with its reputation for scandal and overt sexuality, you don't really care about things like that. While some residents oof the town, past and present, were religious people, often a lot of them are not religious by any means, and there are any number of free-thinkers living there. It's a beautiful city with a stunning climate, and the real estate can be pretty pricey. People who love hearing the stories of other people's bargains will enjoy Johns' account of how Charles Farrell and Ralph Bellamy bought the whole Racquet Club and dozens of surrounding acres for the equivalent of a few beaded necklaces.
   
   Some will object to Johns' continual prurience, and I was a bit taken aback when he referred to Marilyn Monroe going down on Johnny Hyde, but then again, if you pick up a book called PALM SPRINGS CONFIDENTIAL, you're just as implicated as he is, so get over it already. There isn't much of a narrative line either, just a visit to all the different houses and him telling you what old time stars and present day porn stars live in each one, but the dirt you'll hear will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It is like having someone with a wonderfully dirty mind stand behind you and whisper sexy suggestions into your ear.

1 comments about Dream of the Factory-Made House: Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann.

1. very difficult to find--chronicles walter gropius and konrad wachsmann's work in prefabricated housing, including thier joint US venture, the "general panel" house. an excellent look at a case study which highlights many of the historic, and potential future, pitfalls for factory-made/prefabricated construction.

1 comments about Elegant New York: The Builders and the Buildings 1885-1915.

1. Ever wonder what it might have been like to live amongst New York City's upper-class of society, oh say, about a century ago? Well then, you're in luck, because this book, with its very nice pictures and well-written copy, is capable of providing just such a trip back in time!

1 comments about Direct Digital Control of Building Systems: Theory and Practice.

1. Geared to a Design Engineer and not to the Technician. If you want to learn or improve your DDC skills, then look elsewhere for training.

No comments about Architecture in Existing Fabric: Planning, Design, Building.

1 comments about Ibiza: A Mediterranean Lifestyle (Art & Architecture).

1. I found this glossy hardcover book really good. It visits 28 houses on this island and shows you glimpses of their interiors and sometimes parts of the island from their respective vantage points.I really liked the colours the owners used on the inside& out (mostly white).I would never have considered white for an overall outside colour (especially in Australia), but now I really like it! Some of the swimming pool views are excellent. Overall, a not expensive, colourful book. Before I bought the book, I had no idea where Ibizia was. I would have liked some history about the island, but apart from that, well worth the buy. No regrets.

5 comments about Indian Interiors (Midsize).

1. We review a number of books and the first time we saw this one, we were very sure it was going to make to our top selections list. And we were not wrong.

   A beautifully laid out book with 500 vivid color photographs is a visual treat. Recipedelights.com gives it a "must-buy" rating for interior designers and style lovers. One of the few books that correct the injustice done by western journalists and gives a positive spin to thousands of years of culture and history. It truly reflects the grandeur of Indian style by weaving a colorful mélange that will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited India. This book explores a spectrum of interiors ranging from Palaces to Havelis to Huts. It does not bore with endless text or try to influence the judgment of the reader. Short text (In English, German and French) accompanies each photograph though the pictures speak for themselves.




2. Excellent value for the money. Beautiful photos covering a broad range of interiors.



3. This totally sumptuous book has been beautifully produced and is proof yet again that Taschen are publishing some of the most beautiful books around. Apart from being a visual delight, each picture has accompanying text on the place featured. The book covers a wide range of interiors from palaces and havelis to Rajasthani huts and everything in between. Whether you are interested in Indian style or interiors generally, you will find much to like in this book.



4. This LUSH book captivates the eye and provides such a visual feast of color, I feel saturated, then satiated, each time I dip into it. Good for hours of fun.

   I have to say, I was lucky enough to meet Deidi on her travels in Ladakh and can tell you that she is one intrepid traveler. There was a war going on in Kashmir when she went to take these photos - although you'd never know it from these pictures which paint such a beautiful image of these sumptuous settings.

   She is a great photographer, with three Taschen books to her credit (Gardens of France, and Fantasy Worlds). She also makes enormous photos of sacred trees in India which are exhibited in galleries - very dramatic and her best work yet!

   This book focuses a great deal on Rajasthan, but also includes regional coverage of key areas.

   A first of its kind and a good antidote to the predictable picture books of India. Everyone expects India photo books to show weird babas in Benares and starving people in Calcutta, so it's good for the West to see there's more to India than that.

   Glad to see that scenes from the folk and peasant traditions are included alongside the fantastic royal palaces, proving that art has no boundaries.




5. This is a gorgeous book, beautifully laid out, with good photography and a vast range of type of interiors from palaces to village huts. Having spent significant time traveling throughout India, I frankly opened this book fully expecting to be disappointed and expecting it to be one more example of journalism not being able to do justice to the breadth and scope of India. We see that failure in all manner of books about India, from cook books, design books, culture books, and travel books; any subject that trys to cover the subcontinent in one fell swoop. Remarkably, this book achieves what no others I've seen has. In addition to photography of Deco interiors, British Revival, and Native Cultural Design, INDIAN INTERIORS wisely leaves the commentary to short blocks of text detailing the background of the property and the homeowners but not forming broad judgements or attempting to endlessly characterize and embellish. I have photo books on Village India, India Rail, Indian Design, etc., and they all try to do too much and not let the material speak for itself. This book is different, very different, and from what I've seen from this publisher in other venues, Taschen is one to watch for if you like your material presented succinctly and beautifully without gushing or extraneous filler.