2 comments about Spa Design.

1. This book was delivered within the time frame given and it was in perfect condition. I was very satisfied.



2. Gone are the days when the Spa was a bare utilitarian swimming pool or perhaps a fitness center with rows of equipment designed by the Spanish Inquisition. This is a book showing the untimate in today's Spa's from all over Europe, all over the US, and from selected locations in India, Thailand, Japan and other countries.
   
   To be sure, the Spa is still very water oriented. Here are the pools you'd expect, the hot tubs, thermal baths, but also reflecting pools, fountains -- And yes, even some of the inquisition equipment.
   
   More important though, here are the most advanced building designs, artistic but still waterproof, lighting that is a part of the design, all arranged to create an ambiance that serves to relax and invigorate the visitor. All of this is depicted with supurb photography, high quality printing on heavy weight paper, and traditional sewn binding with headbands. This is an idea book based on today's most advanced designs.

3 comments about Early Medieval Architecture (Oxford History of Art).

1. The text arrived in good shape, and was just as described. What kept this from being a 5-star review was the sluggishness of the delivery, some 3 1/2 weeks after being ordered.



2. Mr. Stalley has written an excellent piece of work by combining the architecture in the early middle ages with its historical context. The content is entertaining and informative. It starts by describing the origin of the basilicas, their evolution along time and the influence that the medieval society (either royal, secular, or religious) had on both, design and construction, of these outstanding long lasting works.



3. Published last year, this is one of the initial volumes to appear in the extremely good, new "Oxford History of Art" series, which almost outdoes even the recent "Everyman Art Library", which it resembles. Both series are an attempt to make available up-to-the-moment overviews of selected areas of the history of building, sculpture, painting, and photography. Whereas the Everyman series seems to be open-ended, Oxford have divided their survey of world art into categories by area and/or subject, although only a handful of titles have appeared to date.

   Both series are superbly well printed and illustrated; each includes maps, charts, timelines, and bibliographies. What Thames and Hudson's "World of Art" series did well for several decades, these two series are now achieving in a more strictly periodizing form, with greater emphasis on method and, in the case of Oxford, on Theory.

   In both the Oxford and Everyman series, the most fascinating volumes are those which treat subjects broken down or combined in unusual ways. Thus, Alison Cole's "Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts" (l995) seeks to compare Naples, Urbino, Milan, Ferrara, and Mantua--- bringing relative clarity to a topic that most surveys tend to gloss over. Similarly, Loren Partridge's Everyman "The Renaissance in Rome" (1996) treats the Quattrocento and Cinquecento in the Eternal City, chapter by chapter, in terms of urban planning, churches, palaces, altarpieces, chapel decorations, and halls of state--- all in a single volume.

   Before Stalley, the two Oxford volumes I had read were Jas Elsner's "Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph" and Craig Clunas's "Art in China". Both are by younger scholars and are massively imbued with new (politically correct) art history. Yet both books are filled with challenging and brilliant examples and new information. In fact, the China volume is written (like all of Clunas's work) from a perspective that is truly revolutionary in Chinese studies. At the end of the day, both Elsa and Clunas are so skilled, both as writers and historians, that even the jargon of the new art history is eclipsed by the sheer quality of the two works.

   Roger Stalley, Professor of the History of Art, at Trinity College, Dublin, writes clearly, penetratingly, and without jargon. "Early Medieval Architecture" is deftly constructed, and the author claims that his chapters may be read "in almost any order". This may indeed be the case (I read straight through and could scarcely put the book aside). It comes, of course, as no small recommendation that Stalley was a student of Peter Kidson's.

   What makes "Early Medieval Architecture" unique is the editorial decision to relegate the entire topic of "late" medieval building to a separate volume by Nicola Coldstream. Therefore, hardly a mention is made of "Gothic--- the question that Stalley addresses being: "What is Romanesque?" Like its subject the book is suitably austere, yet it is not without personality. The endnotes are unobtrusive, and there is a state- of-the-art Bibliographic Essay. All this is supplemented by some 150 varied and informative photographs and redrawn plans and building sections. There is virtually no attention to sculpture, as befits a scholar whose interests and sympathies are Cistercian; however, there is a sensitive underlying concern with the "language of architecture" itself, such that the book would give pleasure to any working architect.

   Stalley has given us ten chapters starting with "The Christian Basilica", where his subject overlaps slightly with that of the Elsner's book. Appropriately, the argument returns again and again to Rome. The next chapter is an exercise in setting forth the architecture of the Carolingian Renaissance, where light is shed in an area of architectural history that for the novice is more typically hedged with exceptions and speculation. A third chapter pursues the "iconography of architecture" in Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and Jerusalem, as well as lesser-known places.

   Chapter 4 is devoted to secular architecture and is somewhat revisionist in tone. The very fact that such an exercise is provided bodes well for the clarity of Stalley's enterprise, and there are numerous photographs throughout the book that succeed in demonstrating a relationship between ecclesiastical buildings and the architecture of feudalism.

   Chapters 5 and 6 treat, respectively, the patron-as-builder and the builder-as-engineer. In this, the architectural expertise of certain early patrons is stressed, while the engineering argument is soft peddled, in the sense that techniques of vaulting are not allowed to dominate a more all-embracing explanation of the general integrity of the building fabric. As the author reminds us, the story of vaulting has too often been permitted to get out of hand, leading the discussion of early medieval structure well beyond what is warranted by evidence and probably away from what must have been the original aims and concerns of early medieval builders themselves, whether "engineers" or not.

   Chapters 7 and 8 deal with the influences of pilgrimage and monasticism on early medieval building. Here a number of relevant statistics and medieval texts are cited that raise the discussion well above what is ordinarily expected to suffice the undergraduate reader. For example, the names of the seven major services or "offices" of Benedictine communal worship are set out and, where needed, explanation is offered. The discussion of the famous St. Gall plan is commendable in its detail, while the full-page photographic detail of the plan is printed in color to show the use of red ink on parchment. Included here is mention and illustration of the recently restored Cistercian abbey church at Fontenay, which as a caption points out, may reflect the destroyed mother house at Clairvaux.

   The final two chapters are a magisterial recapitulation of the "Language of Architecture", starting off "During the course of the eleventh century a new architectural language emerged in western Europe...", and of its subsequent diversity throughout Europe. In summary, this is an exciting book that matches some of the recent strides forward in early medieval social and political history and provides a superlative discussion of a topic that has rarely been so coherently presented and illustrated in a single volume.

   David B. Stewart, Tokyo Institute of Technology

5 comments about Southwest Style : A Home-Lover's Guide to Architecture and Design.

1. Living in Ontario, Canada and designing an adobe like home is difficult and we need lots of inspirational books. This one is highly valued in our home during this design period and we recommend this book for anyone in our circumstances. We found it inspirational and useful to our architect who has little exposure to the southwestern style. But...we need more books just like this and find it difficult to buy a book on your site without you providing additional information about the book...for exmample...peeks inside at some of the photographs. That would be so useful. But don't hesitate to order this one; it is well worth the investment.



2. Given my passion for the southwest, I expected to love this book, but I didn't. Certainly I found the photos lovely, but somehow the overall package does not convey the excitement, spirituality, and drama of the region. In other words, the book is a little flat. And what I expected to be a good read turned out to be more of an encyclopedia style rundown of facts (in other words, boring). The book comes off as a cold report on what is in fact a fabulously exciting and inspiring region.



3. The pictures are pretty but the book is a boring read.



4. Extremely beautiful and informative. Finally a substantive look at the style of the southwest.



5. I do NOT find this book limiting; when searching for decorating style of the SW; there is so FEW out there, it is refreshing to find one that covers such a broad area of the SW. I LOVE THIS book...Normal decorating books have so LITTLE of this area and for those of us who LOVE IT, the book is wonderful. REFRESHING and NOT CUTESY! At present I live in the Midwest of America and it is so limiting to NEW ideas so often. Our local library had this book, and I was searching to see how many others were out there, not many... so I MAY end having to OWN this book.

   Thank you for carrying this as well as several others pertaining to this area of the USA.

No comments about French Style and Decoration: A Sourcebook of Original Designs.

4 comments about Zaha Hadid.

1. Encontré que este material (formado por cuatro libros) es excelente para los arquitectos que estén interesados en conocer de cerca el pensamiento complejo de la arquitecta Hadid y la forma en la que desarrolla nuevas ideas para nuevos edificios.
   
   La calidad de la edición es extraordinaria. La caja de acrílico llegó en buenas condiciones (envío internacional DHL).



2. This was a gift for a friend. She loved the books, however, she and I were quite disappointed as the plastic case arrived completely broken.
   
   The case had to be discarded. Amazon should reconsider shipping design for this product.
   
   I would imagine that Ms Hadid would be disappointed to find out that her books typically arrive with broken plastic cases.



3. The books are well worth the investment, sadly the plastic with which they are encased in is brittle and prone to cracking. I received my copy in the mail today and it was already damaged due to shipping. I see it falling apart in the near future. Some of the fragments have scratched the book encased with in. Needless to say i am not happy. Maybe some foresight into the packaging design would have been nice by Rizzoli publishing. Would have given it 5 stars had the packaging been designed to be a little more durable. I understand that i am not the only one who has experienced this.
   
   aLEKs



4. This is nearly a comprehensive volume of Hadid's work. Four books are included in the case. The first is a large book that includes color pictures and computer renderings. The second is a tall thin book which includes project documentation, such as computer images and hard models. The third book is smaller still, and has text describing each project. Lastly a samller book of her sketches is included. However, plans and elevations are no where to be found. Not a one. I find this extremely strange. With such a comprhensive volume, why the publisher decided not to include drawings is beyond me. Also, the plastic box that incases all the books is cheaply made, and cracks easily. It should have been made from some type of paper board, not plastic.

No comments about Site Analysis: A Contextual Approach to Sustainable Land Planning and Site Design.

No comments about Asian Bar and Restaurant Design.

4 comments about Gertrude Jekyll's Colour Schemes for Flower Garden.

1. If you are new to gardening but want classic borders, this may not be the book for you. To understand this book, you need to have a thorough understanding of garden plants, especially those that are grown in England. This is not a "plug and play" kind of book. Here's an sample:
   "The undergrowth of such a group may be of Solomon's seal at the back, and, if the bank or border is in the sun, of a lower groundwork of Iberis and Corydalis ochroleuca, or, if it is shaded, of Tiarella, woodruff or Anemone sylvestris. With these, for the sake of their tender green foliage, there may well be Uvularia grandiflora and Epimedium pinnatum."
   If you didn't follow that sample, and understand the subtlety of composition here, imagining the composition of color, plant form, leaf texture, moisture and sun requirements, and seasonal variation, you'll need several good plant books and visits to arboreta to understand this book. There aren't photographs to illustrate the prose. It would be even more difficult to translate this into your specific garden.
   
   That being said, it is fascinating to read Jekyll's own words, and even more so to see her drawings. Each plan is augmented by watercolor which helps in understanding. Each plan could take hours of study to begin the understand the genius of Jekyll. I agree with another reviewer in that it was a mistake to eliminate the scale on the drawings.



2. A very enjoyable read Gertrude Jekyll was the great female designer who has been lost to wider public



3. For those who are truly crazy about making and playing in flower gardens, this Gertrude Jekyll book is one of the best. It's not a practical how-to book. Few gardeners will share the climate she was writing about, or have her enviable resources, like a tidy trust fund, 10 acres and a small staff of gardeners. Ms. Jekyll was the most famous garden writer of her day, producing many books in addition to writing articles and designing a lot of high-end residential flower gardens.
   
   This book is a fascinating and surprisingly relevant record of how she contrived her own flower gardens a hundred years ago. There are detailed planting plans of her gardens, drawn by her, and also some fantasy garden designs. In addition to the classic flower border (which she had a strong hand in inventing) there are designs for bulb and annual flower gardens, and many, many other ideas for landscaping. If you think the gardens of an elderly lady in England a hundred years ago would be filled with washed-out colors and fussy ornaments, you are in for a huge surprise.
   
   Like Russell Page's 'The Education of a Gardener', this is the chance to get inside the mind of a great artist: how they think, how they see, and how they tranlate their insights into garden design. As originally published (with plan drawings and photos by Ms. Jekyll) her original is an all time classic.
   
   I'm not completely enthusiastic about this edition. Some plant names are updated (fine), many color pictures are added (nice pics, but none of Ms. Jekyll's gardens), modern watercolors of plants mentioned in the copy are scattered about (OK, but more decoration than education) and a few additional Jekyll designs not included in the original book were added (very nice).
   
   Negatively, they edit her plan drawings a bit, coloring them in, and removing the original scale marking, so you can't tell how big the beds are. The coloring will help those not super-familiar with plant names to get the jist of the designs. They have also removed some of her original B&W photos. That's not good. I'm sorry I lent my original version to someone and lost it.
   
   This edition is a colorful and largely satisfying replacement, but I will probably try to hunt up a true reproduction of the original. I'd rather get a clearer version of Ms. Jekyll's voice.



4. As an Engish Gardener "displaced in Kansas" this book was a delight. Anyone who wants to plan a garden large or small should turn to this little gem written over 80 years ago. Miss Jekyll was the definitive garden planner, her ideas of colours and seasonal planting will inspire you to create a beautiful garden of your own. Quite the best of her kind.

1 comments about Havana Deco.

1. While Miami Beach is the world capitol of Art Deco, it really doesn't compare to Havana. Here are 175 pages of everything from world class, French inspired Deco to modest streamlined structures.
   
   But wait, there's more. In fact, there is so much Art Deco in neighborhoods like Vedado, that this is but a sample. And that's just Havana! Take the Autopista in either direction and you will find many Cuban cities have more Art Deco. (Also a smaller amount of beautiful Art Noveau).
   
   Professional quality photos, too. Sharp and highly detailed, with the buildings standing up straight. They sure picked a bland building for the cover though. Why not Edifico Bicardi or the Baro-Lasa house?

No comments about Perrine's Story and Structure.