2 comments about Architecture in the United States (Contemprary Architecture By Country).

1. After having tried a number of different publishers and autors on modern architecture I always come back to Philip Jobidio amd Taschen. Very tasteful selection, great pictures, helpful CAD drawings, best optical appearance. And best of all: great price.



2. Splendid overview of contemporary American architecture featuring the work of 17 architects including my husband, Michael Jantzen!

3 comments about Another 100 of the World's Best Houses (Architecture).

1. This is a great book for resedential design. This book surpass its predecessor. This book is must buy.



2. This book is great for someone who is curious about the different styles of houses throughout world, regardless of one particular style (ie. modern, minimal, etc.) The pictures are very well scaled and the project desciption featured in the index is informative although they are missing the essential date of completion. The title of the book is subjective so it is up to the reader to determine if these really are the "best" houses in the world, but they do give a introduction to the different style of residential designs realized throughout the world.
   
   www.hjlbookreview.com



3. Not just another object for the coffee table, this book takes architecture seriously. The descriptions are clear and concise and the photographs illustrate each home in fine detail. For anyone who enjoys learning about great contemporary residential architecture, this is a very fine book.

No comments about 1001 Ideas for Decks (1001 Ideas).

2 comments about Finding Form: Towards an Architecture of the Minimal.

1. This book takes a closer look at the forms in nature, and deriving architectural design from it.

   It is a valuable book for designers who wish to stimulate their creativity through visual inspiration, drawn from nature.

   Be inspired by the the source of designers' products.. not their final product...

   ON THE SURFACE OF THINGS by Whitesides and Frankel, is another book with extraordinary images; though it doesn't refer to architecture and design, it is very inspirational.




2. This is a beautiful book. Beautiful not in the sense of our usual architectural books that show you Mr. or Ms. Who-and-Who just made another billion dollar project that has a golden ball on top. This book belongs to another category.

   This is a book that gets you thinking.

   In a way summarized Frei Otto's life-long quest of looking in mother nature for inspirations. The images are stunning. And you do not see them in architectural books. But why do we go only to Corbu or Wright or Calatrava for inspirations while leaving out the world?

   Architects are always looking for ways to get out of the box. In terms of inspirations, I think it doesn't get too much better than this.

2 comments about Natural Baskets: Create over 20 Unique Baskets With Materials Gathered in Gardens, Fields, and Woods.

1. I have been creating rustic woodsy baskets as well as teaching classes for fifteen years.Im always looking for new good quality books to learn from as well as share with my students. Natural baskets shows supplies easily collectable from your own backyard or near by woods, no matter where you live. This book has many clear and precise illustrations covering open work, twining coiling as well as rib style creations. Lots of good information for basket weavers of all skill levels. I enjoy mine very much.



2. I have been creating rustic woodsy baskets as well as teaching classes for Fifteen years.Im always looking for new good quality books to learn from as well as share with my students. Natural baskets shows supplies easily collectable from your own backyard or near by woods, no matter where you live. The illustrations are clear ,precise and easy to read. I enjoy mine very much.

2 comments about Downsized Luxury Home Plans.

1. In the future, my husband and I are looking to build our own home. It has been difficult for me to find books with house plans that aren't too modest (bare minimum architectural detailing) or too grand (an imposing mansion with 7+ rooms). This book provided me with a variety of home plans that are beautiful but aren't overly ornate. As much as I enjoyed this book, I do wish there were more pictures of completed homes with their interiors.
   
   If you are interested in Spanish, Neo-Mediterranean or Italianate styled homes and floor plans, look elsewhere. Try authors such as Dan Sater or Amy Fullwiler. This book has an abundance of homes with an American Colonial, American Southern/Country or French Chateau influence. (There are a few Victorian styled homes but it's not well represented).



2. No..not a home that I would find comfortable or a "my space " type of area. Certainly a book for those on the Stepford Wives Backdrop.

No comments about Great Kids' Spaces.

No comments about Patios and Walkways Idea Book (Idea Books).

No comments about Landscape Architecture Theory: An Evolving Body of Thought.

5 comments about American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Homes.

1. I'm looking into returning the book itself, just because I already own American Shelter from 1981, and it is the EXACT SAME BOOK. If you don't already own it, it is a great reference.



2. In the world of architectural field guides, there is a division between the guides that rely heavily on photographs and those that use line drawings to represent buildings. Photographic field guides are good in that you can see actual historic homes. This is a valuable thing for people who like me live very far away from historic areas and rarely see a building over a hundred years old.
   
   However, the great problem with photographic field guides is that it is often times difficult to understand a building style by looking at one or two representative photographs. What's worse is that often times the eye is drawn to details like electric lines or automobiles. One can spend more time trying to identify the decade the photo was taken than on concentrating on the image. For this reason, I prefer field guides that use line drawings to represent buildings. In my opinion, line drawings are a better tool for teaching the different architectural elements that come together to form a style.
   
   Of the field guides that use line drawings, Lester Walker's "American Shelter" is the very best. It is the best for two reasons. First because of the sheer number of styles he identifies. In this book he details 103 styles whereas a typical field guide will usually identifies 20-30 unique styles. Second and foremost, Lester Walker is a very talented artist. His drawings are not hyper technical like the Historical American Building Survey (HABS) drawings which one finds in some field guides. They have a lot of personality which seperates them from what I call the illustrator school of architectural drawings.
   
   I have been collecting field guides for a number of years and this is my favorite guide. That is not to say that there are not other very high quality guides. However, if you need to purchase just one field guide, this is the one. Hopefully, this book will inspire you to start collecting architectural field guides which in my opinion is a most worthy hobby.



3. I purchased this book while I was an undergraduate studying city planning. This book has been on my shelf since it was published and I still use it quite frequently today. This is a fantastic reference for anyone interested in housing, architecture and urban design. In fact, I highly recommend this book to any planning students with a housing or preservation focus. You will not regret having made the investment!



4. If you ever have reason to write (fictionally or otherwise) about American architecture (chiefly domestic), you shouldn't miss a chance to add this volume to your shelves. (It's included in the file I always send to Old-West mavens wanting to know what they should read.) Chapters range from two to eight pages in length and cover everything from the earth lodge of the Southeastern Plains Indians to the projected space station now three years past due. Typically, each includes the time and region in which the original style was most abundant, a few paragraphs explaining its history and salient features, and a number of finely detailed pen-and-ink sketches portraying exterior details and often cutaways and floor plans. The book can also be used as a field guide to help you decide what kind of house you happen to be looking at. From log cabins to Frank Lloyd Wright, Mount Vernon to the humble Quonset hut, every major kind of American house is here. This is an item that cries to be brought back into print. Until it is, don't miss a chance to pick up a used copy if you're afforded one.



5. I own the poster American Shelter by the same author, and wanted to see the explanations behind the dates and titles. As an architectural historian, I've studied many of these styles, but there are some new variations of house styles that are not part of any other reference book. This book has fun graphics and easy to follow descriptions. For the trained historians, architects, etc., this book is an amusing addition to your collections. To the architectural housing enthusiasts, this could be a helpful resource.