3 comments about Rustic Revisited: Innovative Design for Cabin, Camp, and Lodge.

1. Many design ideas can be obtained from this book if you are remodeling or building a cabin.



2. This book portrays a vast amount of information on lodge-camp- and cabin style.
   
   Ann O'Leary identifies the historical as well as specific decorating details necessary to achieve these fabulous lodge and camp looks. This is a very in-depth, extensively well researched and beautifully written book! Well done!



3. What a great book! I bought it to give as a gift and ended up keeping it for myself. It's filled with beautiful photos of rustic style in all its forms: including Adirondack camps, lake houses in Wisconsin, Western lodges and Southern cottages just to name a few. I got many good ideas from it, and will be buying more copies to give to friends. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Robert Venturi: Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.

1. "I like complexity and contradiction in architecture." That's how Robert Venturi starts this superb book. No great proclamation. It was an age tired of great proclamations. Instead, Venturi takes us through an impressively learned tour of his favorite things, a grand overview of great architecture, with acute formal analysis of facade and plan composition, sectional variety, and an accumulating realization that complexity is an inevitable force in the tumult of human, urban life.
   Postmodernism has come and gone, but modernism looks as it does today because of this book.



2. this book impacted the field of architecture during its time as much as LeCorbusier did with his book. Its extreme in its area of covering the world of architecture and how Venturi studies each theory on how the world of architecture has changed and is changing. Definately a must read for any architecture student or anyone associated in this long term field. the history of this book is more important than anything. Although alittle complex it is a must for those mentioned.



3. Now that the bottom of postmodernism has actually fallen out and is being dragged along the street by the chains of American capitalism, it's "alright" for students of architecture to return to that misjudged canonical textbook of post-modernism, C+C by Venturi. While not as engaging as his other main work "Learning from Las Vegas", this book still leads the reader into a meticulous analysis of the physical composition of major pieces of architecture, and the composition of the thoughts that made them. After reading it, I found myself unconciously applying it's main dichtomy of complexity and contradiction to much of the architecture around me, if that is any testament to its power.



4. I had to read this book for a class specifically regarding Robert Venturi and the postmodernism movement that he became a leading proponent of. However, this book is NOT a manifesto for a postmodern vacabulary- rather, this book looks at all architecture from the Parthenon to the common family home. Let me say that I have read many architectural theory books, but nothing that really inspired me to look at a building and really see what the architect intended like Complexity and Contradiction. This book really focused my attention on the possibilities for great architecture on any level- from museum to treehouse. I feel that anyone with an interest in appreciating architecture should certainly read this book. Because of my studies of Robert Venturi and his contemporaries, I have pursued a degree in architecture and certainly plan to incorperate his ideas and philosophies into my work.



5. venturi's book highlights the inherent complexity in today's post-modern society, coupled with the depth of comprehension often mistaken by critics. A must buy for Architecture students!

5 comments about Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment.

1. This is basically just a coffee table book - plenty of nice pictures but light on substance. If you want detailed (even semi detailed) information on compact design, space saving ideas and the like than look elsewhere.



2. As a member of the Small House Society I love this book. The houses are small and to the point without all the clutter some small houses tend to have. And as the title says its Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment. And in an era of McMansions its so refreshing to see small homes that use small lots to make the best use of the land and provide for the most open and airy feeling home. Or for those who like myself love the idea of a 500-800 square foot home in an open field that is environmentally sound but also simple and minimalist this is a great book.



3. I enjoyed the wide variety of projects presented. I'm a visual person, so thought there could have been more photos per home to orientate oneself with the accompanying floor plans.
   
   Overall, I return to this book (amongst others of its genre in my collection) because of the celebration of small project design.
   
   This is not for those who dislike modern, minimilistic elevations.



4. Empty square boxes; cold and modern. The flat roofs would never work in the northern climate.



5. I review a lot of architecture books, and this one more than most makes me want to go out and build a new house. The subject of the book is small houses. It consists of pictures and the story of some fifty houses, all of which are less than 1,300 square feet. Many of them are much less than 1,300 feet, indeed down into the 300-400 square foot size.
   
   I live in a small house -- 900 square feet or so -- that's about a hundred years old. But compared to the layout, the beauty the simplicity of design, mine's a dump. I'm getting the urge to go visit a realtor friend. One thing about these houses is that many of them are on what would be considered hard to build on lots. And such lots tend to be cheap. There's a new architect in town that's fresh out of school and may have more originality than the older guys. Maybe if I give her this book, with a few houses marked. Hmmmmm!
   
   One thing I didn't like, most of the bed rooms are on the second floor. I was in a house once that had a fire. The amount of smoke generated in just a minute or two was incredible. I don't want a bed room upstairs, if necessary I want to be able to close the door to keep the smoke out and get out through a wondow or emergency door.
   
   Other than that, this is a great idea book. The pictures are beautiful. There's not as much detail as I would like, but adding detail would have to mean either fewer houses or bigger book, so I guess it's a nice balance.

4 comments about The Chicago World's Fair of 1893: A Photographic Record (Dover Architectural Series).

1. this book by far is my favorite book on the worlds fair the detail and quality of the book is amazing. this is a great buy



2. Beautiful photos and thoughtful text. This book does a nice job of condensing the story and mood of the fair into a quick and easy to read format. I own several books about the fair and while some have more photos, this is still my favorite. A must have for those interested in the Columbian Exposition, Chicago history and architecture. The vastness of the White City is something I can scarcely imagine. I especially appreciated that the author details the fates of many of the fair's artistic treasures as well as discussing the changed landscape of the geographical site of the fair.



3. A beautiful collection of images, showing the wonders of the 1893 fair. A great look back.



4. One book leads to another. After reading The Devil in the White City, I wanted to see the Exposition described in the book. It definitely was an amazing sight to see and this book satisfied most of that curiosity. To go one better, I might look for a book that goes even further into that time in life. The city is every bit the accomplishment as described in the afore mentioned book. Where is the America of that artful integrity, that is, to do the best that can be accomplished? Gone to disposable products including much of architecture.

5 comments about Villa Decor: Decidedly French and Italian Style.

1. Sadly only three out of nearly 200 pages of photos inspired me. The few pictures that caught my attention had nothing to do with interior design. The style of the rooms were so bland. Though Philips showcased many homes throughout Texas, most shown had the same color scheme and no personality. I felt as though I were looking at the same home page after page. If you're looking for authentic French and Italian decor, you won't find it here.
   
   However this may be the perfect book for someone who lives in Texas (numerous resources listed in the back) and if your design aesthetic includes yellow painted walls with rooms furnished in dark mahogany wood.



2. Nice book that inspires you to use ideas from it, for your own client design projects



3. I really loved the this book for trying to copy nicely decorated rooms. I also used it as a guide when selecting new furniture to buy. I didn't like the comments on the French/Italian eras but the pictures of the rooms the decorator has done are beautiful. I love it and am looking for more like this one.



4. Although I have a much smaller home, I am using much of the design elements by Ms. Phillips in the renovation of my home.



5. So many lovely pictures! I am using many of the design ideas in decorating my new kitchen and breakfast room in the Country French style. I would recommend this book to everyone who is a visual learner.

No comments about Leisurama Now: The Beach House for Everyone 1964-.

5 comments about 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die: The World's Architectural Masterpieces (Quintessence Books).

1. I was one of the contributing authors to this book. The reviews so far are spot on. Even though I worked on this book I find it difficult to find even my own entries as the index is inadequate. I also wrote the Elrod entry - and yes, the photo is wrong - and I would have known that if I'd seen page proofs. But on a positive note, I believe this book is definitely worth buying (I don't get royalties!) if only because I know it contains entries (like mine) that are not rewrites of existing viewpoints, but original, fresh perspectives. The next book in the series is "1001 Houses" and I've been asked to be the General Editor. I intend to take these comments on board and ensure a good index and good geographic spread for 1001 Houses. The publishers have indicated they want a website to go with the book, and that will also be a priority for me, assuming they ok costs. So buy this book as its assets outweigh its faults, and keep an eye out for 1001 Houses! http://www.dennajones.com



2. 1001 Buildings is a resource that you need. That said, it has some drawbacks. It has a strong English focus; perhaps London emphasis is better as a describer. Many English buildings. Almost all the written parts which are signed were by experts from London. Thought it missed some very important Western Hemisphere and Asian buildings, although it did have a lot for Cuba. Seemed to miss a number of outstanding American architects. Do not assume you will find a picture of each site as there are numerous pages with only written text. Variety of types of buildings (churches, factories, temples, and public use structures) was excellent. Indexing was poor, but the arrangement by year brought an interesting awareness of buildings in different parts of the world built at the same time.



3. We purchased this book in preparation for a world wide tour. It is quite extensive and has been helpful. Unfortunately there are quite a few page number errors in the index making looking up specific buildings a challenge. The book is arranged by periods and style, so if traveling, you need to use the index and look by country. The index does have building list by country. This country list does not always specify what cities the building is in and this is where I find the page number errors. So when planning a trip it is much more difficult than need be to locate what building you may want to see in the city you are going to. I was disappointed that there is not a picture for every building. Although the book has these user issues, it is a nice reference and my son is excited that he has already seen 10% of the buildings and plans to get to 25% before returning.



4. I love this book but I am giving it one star because I am so infuriated by the lack of a useful index. There is no index that lists which cities the buildings are in -- they are only arranged by country. Why? Many of us would like to visit buildings that are near us or in cities that we travel to. This bizarre lack of information in the index makes that virtually impossible.
   
   This is perhaps the most foolish indexing decision I have ever seen in my entire life, perhaps the most foolish indexing decision in the history of the written word.
   
   Also: why don't they give addresses of the buildings anywhere?
   
   Please correct this in the next edition. Maybe create a website where we can look this stuff up.
   
   Clearly, a lot of time was spent on this book. It's unfortunate that strange indexing decisions have rendered it almost useless.



5. Some of the buildings do not have corresponding photos with the descriptions but that can be understandable because the book runs almost 1000 pages.
   But I did find two errors:
   First Error - Page 523 has Case Study House No.22 but the photo is of Case Study House No.21 both are by Pierre Koneig and they are both in the Los Angeles area.
   Second error - Page 565 has Elrod House but the photo is of the Sheats/Goldstein House which is in Beverly Hills will the Elrod House is in Palm Springs. The Elrod House is famous for its location in the film Diamonds Are Forever and its circular in design.
   Overall the book is a very good reference book with a photo and a short description of the building.

3 comments about Toilets of the World.

1. This books is worth it for the pictures alone. It will bring back memories for anyone who has every encounterd a toilet that they just weren't sure how to use.



2. for anyone interested in architecture this gives a great overview of a much overlooked subject--the toilet. educational as well as humorous.



3. Although the title (Toilets of the World) may not grab you, it is one of the more interesting little travel books I've seen in some time. The photos are terrific and the information is invaluable. If you are planning an overseas trip and want to experience the true local flavors, you should consult this book so as to avoid what could be some unpleasant culture shock before you get there. Remember the 'Seinfeld' episode where Geroge would not use a bathroom during the trip to India? This book will help you understand why he had a problem with that. This book also contains some terrific snapshots of worldwide culture that my high school students find fascinating - an impetus for them to take a closer look at the different areas of the world.

5 comments about 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building.

1. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in the most beautiful apartment building in NYC, read this book, it's fascinating. *****



2. It's a great book to read if you are interested in the History of New York that most people don't know about. I could not put it down and after reading it I actually went to the building to see what it looked like.



3. I'm on pg 184, and vow to get to the end, but I don't expect it to be easy. Like the other comments, I agree that pictures would have been wonderful to include, just so I could attempt to keep some of these people straight. This book gets so weighed down with names, and they've become a blur. Junior Rockefeller was interesting, but all the names of each and every lawyer and law firm and decorators and whatnot it just bogs it all down.
   I'm doing Google searches on the main people, just so I can try to paint a better mental picture.
   
   **edited - I didn't make it through the book. It's not worth my time.



4. Michael Gross has been living in New York City his entire life. That's a nice way of saying that he comes by his real estate obsesssion naturally. All New Yorkers seem to talk about these days is where they live, where they want to live and how much it costs.
   
   That makes 740 Park is a natural subject for Gross who's got a sharp wit and fine sense of what makes his native city's power brokers tick. 740 Park is a great read for anyone wanting a history of one of the city's big name building, one of those places that almost everyone in towns wants to own but only a few - very few - even get to visit.
   
   I liked this book both for its dish and its perpective and that's a hard act to pull off successfully. Gross does a fine job.



5. I lived in NY from 1989-1994, worked around the corner at Ralph Lauren and have always had a strong interest in architecture and New York history. I bought this book with enthusiasm.
   
   I couldn't believe how much information is packed into it. There are over 500 pages! About page 20, I began to get lost. I simply couldn't read it. It is packed with so much minutae and tedious history of each and every tenant that it became absurd.
   
   Here is what (my version) of his writing is. Imagine 500 pages of:
   
   "Lucretia Davis was the widow of Malcom Dodge Davis, the same Dodges who came over on the Mayflower and began to buy up land outside of Dodgeville, MS. The old Mississippi Dodges met the Fish family when wintering in Jekyll Island and they began a friendship that cultimated in Betsy Fish's marriage to Dennis Davis and the birth of their daughter Emily Davis in 1911. In that year, the entire Davis clan, and the Fish family formed a corporation, known as Dodge Fish which eventually became the F. Dodge Fish Financial Bank. This bank began serving customers on July 21, 1921 but not before a terrible fire at 5 Wall Street which began on the night of July 20, 1921 and severely burned Mrs. Fish Davis so that she was forced to recuperate in Oyster Bay, NY where she met her next husband Dr. Leonard Foxhound Koop."
   
   This book should not be read in bed or on a full stomach.

5 comments about Natural Swimming Pools: Inspiration For Harmony With Nature (Schiffer Design Book).

1. THIS BOOK IS REALLY GOOD BUT IT DOES NOT GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY WANTING DIRECTION.



2. Great book for all aspects of creating a variety of green/natural pools. Beautiful pictures and good illustrations and copy to help in decision making.



3. Simply put this book is a MUST READ for anyone intersted in any aspect of Sustainable and Ecological Design. It should be read right along with Permaculture by Mollison, the Passive Solar Handbook by Mazria, Rainwater Harvesting by Lancaster, and ecocities to Living Machines by Todd. Even if you aren't specifically interested in making a swimming pool (which you will be after reading it) the insights into the workings of hydro-ecologies and how to design natural systems are invaluable!
   
   If you aren't interested in the whole range of sustainability but just this particular topic of pool design then this book is STILL A MUST READ. If you're an ecologist who wants to make a pool, or a pool designer who wants to do something ecological this book provides an excellent layman's understanding of ecological design, with good technical and artistic advice for how to do it, and good technical and artistic advice for swimming pool construction.
   
   I would still advise you to also purchase the book Poolscaping as a companion to this one.
   
   This is an all around excellent book buy it now.



4. Thumbing through the book will make you want to move to Austria or Germany where beautiful "natural" pools are somehat established. Why is the U. S. so environmentally backward? Unfortunately, the text is awkwardly translated at times such that one has to struggle to figure out what is meant with limited success.The assumption is that one is swimming only in the summer, but in California we may want to swim year round. Useful especially since so little information is available. Can't understand why the publisher didn't insist on professional proofreading.Buy it for inspiration, or wait for the next edition, or wait for one more applicable to your area. It does provide info in the back about two U.S resources, one in CA.



5. Is the book i need for learning on natural swimming pool. Now i can make my own pool