No comments about Design for Ecological Democracy.

1 comments about David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings.

1. Nice book! Not as rich as 'David Adjaye houses'. This is common for a lot of effort in editing and producing a rich pallette of projects for the first publication.
   
   This book is not as rich with information as the first but examines a method and approach to public space and tectonics.
   
   I think its worth the read!

No comments about American Collection Ranch Style: 200 New House Plans (The American Collection) (The American Collection) (The American Collection).

2 comments about Dream Worlds: Architecture And Entertainment.

1. Prestel book are always excellent. DREAM WORLDS continues that trajectory. Herwig and Hoizherr, both based in Munich FRG, know their material and have provided the insightful text with very appropriate illustrations. I like their academic lite touch with useful definitions and data as well as some fascinating new historical information gathered from their worldwide sources. For the parts examing the USA, I would suggest a supplemental reading (DESERT AMERICA: TERRITORY OF PARADOX).



2. Oliver Herwig and Florian Helzherr's DREAM WORLDS: ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT offers up the concept of architecture as entertainment within itself, surveying a history of such architectural entertainments from ancient Rome to future visions. From entertainment-housing structures and malls to entire entertainment cities such as Las Vegas, chapters cover resorts, theme parks, amusement centers and more.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Barkitecture.

1. I have had this book sitting on my coffee table for about 8 years. It makes everyone laugh and rave over the ispired dog house designs. I wish there was a cat companion book. This is not a "how to" book; it is a "how cool!" book.



2. As a lifelong cat lover, I normally would not have glanced at this book, but my nephew, now a Jr. in high school, has chosen Architecture as his career. That, plus his love of dogs, caused me to have a look at the contents of this book as a possible fun gift for him. Glad I did! The imagination, the styling, the artistry, and of course, the LOVE that obviously went into the creation of this book, proved to be a great gift choice for my nephew. Even if there area no canines sharing your life, this would be a great coffee-table book to keep on display for friends and guests to enjoy.



3. This book isn't a how-to; some of these designs probably wouldn't be too practical for the average dog person to build. What it is is a fascinating and fun look at the inspired creations of some of the world's architects with the purpose of providing shelters for dogs, and even a few historical facts, figures, and photos. A terrific coffee table book, Barkitecture is valuable as something to peruse with a friend at leisure and determine which styles you like and dislike. There is a wealth of doghouses found in these pages, proving the author's committment to scouring the globe for all the most brilliant and/or puzzling ones. The photographs are excellent; some of these canine casas have exquisite detail. A couple of them look genuinely uncomfortable, I must admit, and others just make you wonder why anyone would ever even dream up such an odd mansion (or monstrosity). Others are just fun to look at. The Muttropolitan Museum features six paintings of famous dog composers and opera stars, all with clever names. Some are funky and colorful. Some are luxorious. Some defy description, and some are just remarkable; the bone-covered !!!*SIT*!!! has photos of dogs on the walls and is painted like a real house. Foreign Correspondent is notably decorated in curtains and pillows. Some houses are culturally inspired, and Red Rover even has a pool attached. How can one beat that? Truly this is a book worth flipping through at least once. You might even get a few ideas for your own dog.



4. This book contains great ideas for doghouses. They are unique and truly amazing. The photos provide great inspiration. However, the book does not contain any actual plans to build a doghouse.



5. It's a great book but most of the the dog house plans are not practical,I was looking for something like a presidential white house dog house or something like that. Good book though!

3 comments about The Art of Rockefeller Center.

1. Rockefeller Center is one of the great Art Deco set pieces. It was conceived and built at the depths of the Great Depression, at the height of Art Deco and it's importance to the nation at the time is impossible to quantify. The art of the complex is arguably the most important assemblage of Art Deco artwork in the world. This book is a fantastic tribute to Rockefeller Center and all the artists and craftsman that built it. The text is highly informative, without feeling like an academic dissertation and the images are very well presented, though frankly there could have been more. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in Rockefeller Center or Art Deco.



2. The publishers, in a neat marketing move, issued this book in two editions. The 320 page version and a much smaller pocket-sized paperback that was invaluable when I visited the Center in 2006. Without it I don't think it would have been possible to find all the exterior treasures on the twenty-two acre site or read Roussel's text about them.
   
   This Art book is a vastly expanded comprehensive look at all the exterior and interior public art contained in the fourteen buildings and spaces. It originated with Christine Roussel when her company was commissioned by the Rockefeller Center to restore all the artwork and the excellent contemporary color photos (after any restoration) are by Christine or her designer daughter Dianne. What I particularly like about the book are the historic photos of artists creating the works that you can see today. There are so many of these that I assume the Rockefeller's saw the PR potential of Fine Art in progress and arranged for as much of this as possible to be photographed.
   
   There are more than a hundred pieces of art from forty artists presented in color and the very comprehensive text puts their work in context and in case you are wondering there is a full explanation about the destruction of Diego Rivera's fresco: Man at the Crossroads, which was to be in a prominent place on the main lobby wall of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Lee Lawrie contributed most to the Center with fourteen pieces and his Wisdom (Rockefeller Plaza) and Atlas (International Building) are now world famous. There are seven interesting historical photos about the making and positioning of Atlas in the book. Missing, I thought (and maybe as an Appendix) were a few photos showing the various stages of construction of the Center, it take nine years after all and a page or two, with photos, of the various roof gardens.
   
   Rousell's book celebrates the public art of these remarkable New York buildings which are now registered as a National Historic Landmark. The book's production is first class (though unfortunately not sumptuous) with the photos in 175dpi on reasonable art paper. There is a slight editorial annoyance with a back page listing of the artists and technical details of their work, these really should have been presented on the relevant pages so the reader could avoid having to keep flipping back and forth to find out a bit of information.
   
   The perfect complement to this book is Daniel Okrent's Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center telling in great detail how the Rockefeller Center was built.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



3. Built in the middle of the depression, Rockefeller Center became a part of and a symbol of America. The buildings of Rockefeller Center were not designed as the steel and glass monoliths of today. Art from some of the best artists of the day was incorporated into virtually all aspects of the building. The most famous is the statue of Prometheus delivering fire to the mortals of the earth amidst the waters of the Plaza. But there is much much more. There are the bas-relief stone carvings on the facade, there are murals, statues, even specially designed patterns for the carpets.
   
   This book is the first comprehensive study of the art in the center. It is a large format, beautifully printed edition of the art as it is now, and in many cases historical photographs of the artists as it was being produced in the 1930's.
   
   Ms. Roussel is the Archivist of Rockefeller center. To produce the book she had unprecedented access to the records and files of the center.

1 comments about The Houses of Greenwich Village.

1. I was raised in, and lived most of my adult life in, New York's Greenwich Village. I purchased this book thinking that I might see some of the many homes I knew, both famous and infamous, as well as the streets of that neighborhood. -- Well, if that's what you hope for, too, then move on.... This book looks like ANY recent copy of Architectural Digest, showing ANY rich & well-to-do home in ANY city or town. Nothing about this picture book looks like Greenwich Village. It's strickly a high-end type of generic furniture catalog. A real waste of cash.

2 comments about Golf Architecture (Classics of Golf).

1. If you say you are a golfer and a connoiseur of fine golf courses and you haven't read this book, you stand corrected. Mackenzie was a pure genius.



2. If you didn't like the recent reprint of "Spirit of St. Andrews," take heart; this book is the one that was published during Dr. MacKenzie's lifetime for a reason.

   The book is well organized, and Dr. MacKenzie obviously used a good editor to help him. I wouldn't purchase both books, and I would choose this one rather than the over-hyped "Spirit"

No comments about Glass House: Building for Open Living.

5 comments about Bridging the World.

1. An amazing book. Great photos of bridges all over the world. Very insightful. The book has inspired me to go Bridging and I use the book as a reference handbook.



2. Bridge aficionados are lucky that Bob Cortright is alive, well, and traveling the world with his camera and lifelong, unabashed love of bridges. In this, his third magnificent volume, Cortright takes his camera further afield to bring readers stunning, full color photographs of bridges from 28 countries across six continents. His witty, succinct commentary conveys fascinating lore and trivia about each bridge. A perfect gift for travelers, students, and pontists of all ages. To see more of Cortright's bridges, visit [...].



3. If you take bridges for granted, perhaps as part of a daily commute, you likely won't again after reading Robert Cortright's lovingly assembled book.
   
   Whether it be a multi-century old stone bridge in the old world or a recently built cable-stayed structure, you can't help but pause to admire the hundreds of examples of man's handiwork in Bridging the World.
   
   Grouped by the method of construction used, these bridges are a tribute to man's ingenuity and his need to communicate. Featuring bridges from almost 30 countries and from 6 continents, the book is guaranteed to leave you wanting to see more, perhaps even in your own locale.



4. BRIDGING THE WORLD would make a wonderful gift for anyone with an interest in engineering or architecture, an armchair traveler or history buff, or anyone who just likes beautiful photography. Cortright is a retired American banker who just loves bridges. This is his third book filled with bridge photos, and he's obviously very good at his craft. The photos are gorgeous, displaying bridges from all over the world, with 306 clear, colorful photos from 28 countries and six continents.
   
   The photography is exquisite -- you can see the individual cables, the shadows on the water or canyon beneath the structure, and the texture of the stones and other materials used in the bridge construction. The book arranges the bridges more or less chronologically or by length of span. The photos are divided by method of construction used in the bridge -- beam, arch, suspension, cable-stayed, aqueducts and special bridges. The book begins with structures built in ancient times and moves on to huge, modern works of art. To see several of the photos, visit www.bridgeink.com. Strongly recommended, especially as a gift.



5. We usually see bridges as an extension of the road we're on, never realizing that every bridge is a great venture unto itself, where creativity, engineering genius and big capital all come into play.
   Mr. Cortright's book highlights the most beautiful and unusual bridges from around the world, covering a span of nearly 3000 years. They're all here, from ancient Roman arches to extravagant futuristic showpieces. Whether the locale is Buenos Aires or Shanghai, you'll find yourself daydreaming about who built these bridges and what it would be like to cross them. I picked up this book in an odd moment and found myself captivated for hours.

   Ideal for bridge fans, but even better for those who simply like to travel in their imagination. Highly recommended.