5 comments about Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory.

1. Judith Dupre's book is a keeper, a volume to be read and treasured for generations. It's for those with a relative who fought in World War II, and those who have visited Gettysburg, seen the Liberty Bell and marveled at Mount Rushmore.
   Ms. Dupre infuses major historical events with glowing new life. She fills her pages with interesting facts and profound truths, explaining, for instance, why the triumphant Indian Americans were not commemorated in the first 120 years after the Little Bighorn Battle in Montana. Other battles -- from Gettysburg, World War II, Korea -- yield important cemeteries. Ms. Dupre's presentations range from the familiar (Statue of Liberty) to the unfathomable (Saint-Gaudens's monument to Clover Adams in Washington's Rock Creek Cemetery.) In a book that easily stirs emotions her description of New York City prisoners burying the unclaimed bodies of convicts at Hart Island ("the marginalized are interred by the marginalized with dignity") is especially poignant.
   The book will be valued by those with connections to these sacred sites, but it belongs in the collections of all who are tuned into American history.



2. Bravo! MUCH MORE than a "coffee table" book! Dupré's thoroughly researched and cogently presented text outshines the fascinating graphics. "Monuments" taught me more than I had intended to learn about the subject, and made me realize memorials talk about history in an unique way. I would recommend this book to any and all readers, especially those interested in getting a new and intriguing take on presidential and military history.



3. What impressed me of this work is how well it was researched. It has many side stories. Names and dates are carefully reported. The linkages to similar memorials or concepts are included in shaded boxes as ancillary threads. Was also impressed on the timeline, that reveals how the event that is memorialized eventually came into fruition of an actual memorial.
   
   My only criticism is not clarifying the geographical location of the monument (it assumes the reader knows where it is).
   
   The bonus is including ample space on the mass-conscious inpromptu memorials, such as leaving teddy bears, flowers, notes on the side of a tragedy or catastrophic event. I would add to that the silent and passive solitary memorials left by people along roadsides, memorializing a traffic accident. Or even the placement of a geocache, a box in the woods containing a logbook, such as the one in Western Pennsylvania in remembrance of two teenagers killed ["In Memory Of Clairenda and Loretta" GCQHZP]
   
   On the discussion of people mourning by leaving items at places such as the Vietnam Memorial, Oklahoma City, Columbine, the author however missed to mention that the same people that visit such memorials can actually take an object that is laying there. The items left are considered as abbandoned property by the National Park Service for 30 days, and only thereafter picked up and inventorized into the national museum system. In the meantime, the same item can be picked up by visitors, and the memorial acts as an exchange place. ... very much like a geocache.



4. This fascinating and unusual book is beautifully produced- it would make an excellent gift. It's a kind of treasury of richly detailed visits to a wide variety of different kinds of monuments. Dupre describes each one historically, evoking the powerful emotions behind the monument or memorial so that the original need can be felt and understood. The book gives us access to the people who created these monuments, and for whom they were created. Scholarly and also profoundly intuitive, Judith Dupre understands that a monument is by definition a labor of love, and has given us one.



5. Judith's books are always enjoyable but there is something especially wonderful about this one. It isn't just history or architecture, she finds the heart of why we remember, the purpose of these places. The histories are told with sensitivity and care, and the dozens of people that inhabit the book are portrayed colorfully and with close observation of their humanity, something usual lacking in ordinary history books. Having been to Manzanar several times and wandered over its acres myself, her narrative touched me and brought alive the people and the time.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in the human side of history.

No comments about Bloomsbury Rooms: Modernism, Subculture, and Domesticity.

1 comments about Mastering Math for The Building Trades.

1. This OK for a partimer or as a guide for someone just learning. there is too much missing to complete a job.

2 comments about The Victorian Home in America: With Over 250 Illustrations.

1. 15 years before this book appeared, the author, born in Austria but converted to a love of Victorian architecture upon his arrival in the US, produced "The Gingerbread Age," the first popular volume that dared to express admiration for a period in building then considered the nadir of the art. In his Foreword to this work he talks of the "torrent of fan mail" that followed. It's not saying too much to maintain that his work was responsible for the eventual revival in Victorian architecture which began with the hippies creating Painted Ladies in '70's San Francisco and swept the nation in the mid-'80's. Having established the true quality of post-Greek-Revival, pre-World-War-I houses, he turns here to a deeper analysis and description of the different major styles--Gothic, Italianate, octagons, Mansards, Queen Anne, Richardson Romanesque. Lavishly illustrated with bw photographs, floor plans, and reproductions of period pictures, its text written in everyday language with little specialized jargon, and provided with a large appendix listing where to view existing Victorians and a sound list of books to go on to, the book concentrates chiefly on exteriors, though some views of notable rooms are included. If you're looking for good basic overviews of domestic building of the era, Maass's two books are indispensable to your collection. As a social historian, I consult them often.



2. Over two hundred black and white illustrations blends an architectural survey with a history of Victorian times from 1840-1900, examining the many styles of town and country homes of the times and describing both interiors and exteriors. The Victorian Home In America presents fascinating architectural coverage.

3 comments about Victorian City and Country Houses: Plans and Details.

1. From Basement to Attic this book gives the reader full coverage on the structures it covers. All floors and all sides Plus.
   
   A must have for any interested in the homes of this period.
   
   No library of the subject of Victorian architecture is complete with out it.



2. "Victorian City and Country Houses: Plans and Details," by Geo. E. Woodward, is a visually rich window into the architecture of the late 19th century. This book is an unabridged reprint of a volume originally published in 1877 under the title "Woodward's National Architect, Vol. II."

   This book contains floor plans and elevations (both front and side) for both row houses and stand-alone houses. One fascinating aspect of this book is the inclusion of plans for the basements and attics, in addition to those for the primary floors. Also included are designs for gazebos and other structures.

   You will see many of your favorite Victorian era architectural elements in this book: towers, covered porches, mansard roofs, and more. A series of detail pages focus on some specific decorative elements: dormer windows, balusters, finials, roof cresting, etc. Overall, an excellent book.




3. has led me to this facinating and compelling book. Although I'm certain there are simmilar books out on the market, this was the one that I first picked up. Prior to this time, I had been looking at home planning magazines in a vain attempt for needed inspiration. Even if you do not own a home or are planning in the near future, this book is too good to pass up.

3 comments about 500 Small Houses of the Twenties.

1. Architects featured most frequently are George W. Repp, Frederick L. Ackerman, Whitman S. Wick, William Carver, Charles F. White, Jr., George H. Schwan, and R.C. Hunter & Bro.; designs also contributed by Verna Cook Salomonsky (the only woman architect represented at the 1939 New York World's Fair's World of Tomorrow), African-American architect Paul Williams, Claude Bragdon, James Dwight Baum, and others noted below.
   
   Perspective drawings, floor plans, and descriptions of principal features of outstanding 1920s designs, many by leading architects of the period.
   Reprinted from the major 1923 architectural publication, The Books of a Thousand Homes. Includes perspective drawings, floor plans and descriptions of the principal features of outstanding 1920's small homes, many by leading architects of the period, most inspired by colonial architecture and the bungalow concept.
   
   1,135 b/w line illustrations, 262 b/w photographs and tone drawings.
   Vast treasury of floor plans, descriptions, and perspective drawings and photographs. Bungalows, colonials, semi-bungalows, other styles presented. Concise descriptions outline special features of each house, details of construction, siting, materials, more. Also, essays with practical advice on house building. Architects, architectural and social historians, students and enthusiasts of architecture and design will find in these pages a rich selection of small-home concepts that once set the standard for a new era in American home design, and that still form an integral part of our landscape many decades after their first inspiration.
   
   Henry Atterbury Smith's compilation provides an accurate and intriguing reference to the historical development of the modern suburban environment. This book represents a set of ideals aspired to by the Arts and Crafts movement, ideals which should be appreciated and emulated by the architects and builders of the twenty-first century.



2. If you like old houses, (or at least early 20th Century houses) or you want to get a feel for some of the social history of the period, this is a wonderful book. I think it complements nicely the other house catalog reprints from Dover. While the illustrations and plans are smaller than those in some of the other books such as the Sears 1926 house catalog or the Aladdin built in a day catalog, it does show 500 houses. It also has some interesting articles concerning the state of domestic architecture circa 1925 or so.



3. Did you ever find yourself stopping your car to oggle and old brick or stucco bungalow, now a bit run down but free from "modernization"? Ever wonder how they were designed or what kind of floor plan they might have? For the amateur or the professional architect, Henry Atterbury Smith's compilation provides an accurate and intriguing reference to the historical developement of the modern suburban environment. For those of us who enjoy dreaming of one day designing and building our own bungalows, this book is pure delight. The house plans are displayed with the information which would have been available at the time of their initial distribution which can be quite amusing as well as historically informative. This book represents a set of ideals aspired to by the Arts and Crafts movement, ideals which should be appreciated and emulated by the architects and builders of the twenty-first century. Do plan on a long, leisurely perusal of this book if you enjoy history, architecture and craftsmanship as much as I do!

5 comments about Sunset Building Birdhouses.

1. There are some decent basic designs, the instructions are fair. I've looked at several different books on birdhouses and they all seem to be mediocre. A couple of good designs and a bunch that don't appeal to me.



2. i bought the book to make this incredible guitar birdhouse. when i gathered all the stuff and went to copy the pattern part was missing. i contacted sunset ,thye cant help me because that one was outsourced and not available, i was told it was left out intentionally to make me use my imagination/it was not a simple piece. it was the part where the keys and strings attach.i think i wasted my money. it was for a charity.



3. please ...please before you start your laying out....im sure it won't take long to figure out the dimensions on the plans...on your own none of the dimensions add up
   ...take the lighthouse for example..pg 106-109 the octogons are all messed up
   pg. 108 add up the bottom octogondimensions . 1 3/4..+ 1 3/4..+ 2 1/2..does NOT add up to 6 1/16 ..did this book HAVE an editor?
   a comment from anyone who feels this way would be welcome



4. While I have not yet built any of the birdhouses found within this book, some of the design concepts are excellent! I've got to build some of these birdhouses!!! A truly unique castle-type birdhouse is found within this book......eye-catching indeed! I like how the book explains that what's attractive for humans isn't always so terribly appealing for birds......wherein the author proceeds to provide plans for "plain" birdhouses all the way up to cosmetically appealing birdhouses. Worth your money!



5. This nifty book has the plans for making 26 birdhouses (and many more, with a little imagination). Each birdhouse project includes lists of materials and tools needed, patterns (when needed), step-by-step instructions and excellent exploded diagrams. The book is chocked full of color pictures, which go a long way towards showing how birdhouses can be used in decorating!

   This is an excellent birdhouse book, perhaps the best I've ever seen! If you are interested in making colorful birdhouses, either for use or for decoration, then I cannot recommend this book enough. Buy it!

5 comments about Seaside Style.

1. You need to know this is just about the place, Seaside, in Florida-which is fabulous. I really enjoyed the book.



2. although the book is lovely to look at, the houses are quite similar and very typical of that particular part of Florida, which I did not realize in the description. My intent was to view houses that would fit in all seaside areas and the book therefore was a disapppointment.



3. When one thinks of Seaside, Florida, images of white picket fences, quaint beach cottages painted in pastel colors and tin roofs are evoked. From classic Greek Revival to urban contemporary, the mix of interior and exterior styles fascinate and capture the reader. In Seaside Style, Nesmith allows readers not only to experience the broad range of architectural styles but also tour the interiors of these amazing spaces. Highly recommended for coffee tables from Maine to California and Alabama to Illinois.



4. As a Seaside neighbor in Old Seagrove I have a special interest in Seaside, but I found the book to be much more than the chance to get inside houses of people I know and others I see every day. While the writing in the style of architectural magazines might be called "gushing," Eleanor Lynn Nesmith subtly focuses her seasoned critical eye on the people who brought more than their money to the "New Urbanism" community. The result is the story of how Seaside got its soul. The somewhat dark--almost broody--photos of Steven Brooke suited my taste, though maybe not everyone's.



5. The new Seaside Style book through the pictures of Steven Brooke and the words of Eleanor Lynn Nesmith takes us on a tour inside some of the homes of Seaside. A small town along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Seaside gained world fame as the birthplace of New Urbanism.
   With humor and insight, the author walks us through 23 houses and gives us a glimpse of both the homeowners and their personal style.
   The photographer takes us there with his stunning images.
   A must buy for anyone with an interest in New Urbanisn or viewing the individual styles and the pleasures of living at the beach.

5 comments about Bungalow Nation.

1. Generously adorned throughout this book are beautiful photographs of classic Bungalow homes from across the nation. I flipped through this book at Borders, in the hopes of getting it at Amazon later, but fell in love with it too much to wait for the cheaper internet price. The cover, of course, is eye-catching, with all the rich fall colors, and that same craftsmanship is consistent throughout the book. Job well done!



2. The bungalow is uniquely suited to the homeowner of today: solidly built of good natural materials, unpretentious, yet capable of modification and expansion; usually set in a pleasant and roomy yard, and big enough for the "typical family of four" to inhabit without getting in one another's faces. For these reasons, many cities have seen a "bungalow boom" that has driven up the price of these cozy houses. If you're thinking about a bungalow but aren't sure you want to invest all that money, this book may help you decide. Chock full of all-color photographs, it shows the variations in style and modification possible to the type, the lovingly created details typically found in it, and the ways in which many bungalow owners have contrived to furnish their homes authentically. With a book or two about Craftsman or Stickley furniture, it should provide you with ideas galore about what's possible to a bungalow. And if you simply enjoy looking at pictures of small, simple, yet well-made American houses, it's a volume you're sure to enjoy. For restorationists, decorators, historians, and architecture buffs, it's a beautiful and indispensable volume.



3. When I bought a 1920's bungalow a year ago, I checked out every arts and crafts and bungalow book I could get my hands on. This one rose to the top. Perhaps I'm a little biased because a good portion of the homes featured in the book are located in the Twin Cities, where I live. But the thing I really like about Bungalow Nation, besides the lovely quality of the photograhps, is that it provides excellent inspiration for the interior decoration of arts and crafts style homes.
   
   If you have a bungalow, or just love the style, you will adore this book.



4. Bungalow Nation is a truly sumptuous and detailed look at American bungalows.With color pictures on every page, this book is a wonderful balance of text and graphics. The author's text and the photographs by Alexander Vertikoff together present a well-rounded introduction to bungalow style through brief looks at over 75 specific examples of bungalow architecture.
   
   In a chapter called "In The Land Of The Bungalow" the book starts with a brief history of the origins and growth of the architectural style and its place in American history. This chapter is followed by brief treatments of specific aspects of bungalow style: the outside, porches, the inside, fireplaces, built-ins, and furnishings.
   
   Then the author and photographer take us to five different cities to look at examples of bungalows in each. Sample bungalows in Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Washington DC are highlighted in two to four page spreads. Each house has a description and history of the house and some information on the current owners. This is followed by some photographs of specific features with captions describing each.
   
   The book ends with a bibliography and lists of organizations and architects in each of the five areas highlighted.
   
   This is a lovely book. The bugalows are beautifully photographed. The endpapers are sheet music for the song "In The Land Of the Bungalow" by George F. Devereaux. The cover has a color print of a crewel embroidery of dragonflies. It is a labor of love that is a delight to read and a treat to the eyes. If you love bungalows, this is the book for you.
   
   I got this book because I am planning to remodel the kitchen and bath of my 1930 bungalow and was looking for ways to do so while retaining the original integrity of the house. This book has given me the ideas I need to move forward with confidence.



5. I live in a California Craftsman bungalow and therefore gravitated immediately to this book when I saw it in Builders Booksource in Berkeley, CA. It's absolutely lovely: the story of 75 bungalows in LA, Seattle, Chicago, DC, and Minneapolis. I was surprised that Berkeley wasn't included, but the homes shows epitomize America's love affair with these cozy, well-built structures. Included are features on porches, fireplaces, numerous built-ins, furnishings, landscaping, and interior/exterior decoration. You'll love this book, as I do.

1 comments about Treehouses.

1. Absolutely wonderful book. A gift for my daughter, who has loved tree houses since she was a toddler. She says it is one of the best she has ever seen! It's worth buying, just for the concept.