3 comments about Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture.

1. I thought this would simply be a nice book to have (and of course the cover looks cool). It's got almost every architectural term I can think of, but the page layout is a little cluttered if not cramped & the paper they used is a little odd for any book (heavy and rough).

   It would make an excellent gift for a perspective architecture student, but is really not necessary for professionals. Perhaps Burden could figure a way out to have the architectural dictionary work backwards (i.e. from the picture figure out what the term is).




2. I thought this would simply be a nice book to have (and of course the cover looks cool). It's got almost every architectural term I can think of, but the page layout is a little cluttered if not cramped & the paper they used is a little odd for any book (heavy and rough).

   It would make an excellent gift for a perspective architecture student, but is really not necessary for professionals. Perhaps Burden could figure a way out to have the architectural dictionary work backwards (i.e. from the picture figure out what the term is).




3. Ernest Burden's Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture is long on illustration, a commendable fact given that most conventional architectural dictionaries many times leave one guessing as to meanings even after repeated readings of definitions. If you're ever a bit fuzzy as to the difference between a spandrel and a pendentive, a spire and a pinnacle, Burden's 'point-and-shoot' approach and cross referenced entries may prove invaluable to clearing up such gray areas of the field's nomenclature.

1 comments about Architectures of Time: Toward a Theory of the Event in Modernist Culture.

1. Kwinter's analysis is extraordinary. His method is fairly eclectic, however, as some would issue this as a detraction, he compensates by having a wonderful writing style and a copious amount of mastery of the concepts that he addresses. I have read several treatises on architecture from 'philosophers'(i.e., Foucault, the Sitiuationists, et al.), but what is novel here is a designer explaining the epistemological frame of reference in the edifice, or engendering from it. Furthermore, it is completely amazing to think of the ostensibly disparate entities of Futurist architecture, quantum mechanics and relativity and Kafka as all burgeoning within the same epochal stuctures. I did find it odd that the author did not address Lefevbre's space/time tomes and rhythmanalysis. Kwinter is worth reading, and I think this book will be written about for years to come.

No comments about D Book - Density, Data, Diagrams, Dwellings.

5 comments about Frances Elkins: Interior Design.

1. So chic. So classic. Just the absolute best. Nothing more to say.



2. The foreword by Albert Hadley is an excellent way to introduce the work of Frances Elkins, whose interiors are timeless, sophisticated and well composed. Elkins was so far ahead of her time and it is incredible to look at photos of homes she decorated in the 30's and 40's that still look modern, if not at least current, today. Elkins definitely had a style of her own, and has undoubtedly paved the way for modern designers today like Kelly Wearstler by creating interiors that were a clever blend of styles, periods and genres.
   
   Elkins actively promoted the work of Jean-Michel Frank and his associates (the Giacometti brothers) in the USA, and was one of the first decorators to commission Tony Duquette to produce pieces for her interiors. She is without doubt one of the greatest decorators of the 20th Century.
   
   Full of inspirational photos, this will definitely be a book in my library that I will go back to time after time after time.



3. Frances Elkins was a legendary interior designer of the early 1900s whose works included major residential and public commissioned projects as well as fabrics, furniture and accessories. Her works were among the best of her times and she earned a reputation for her progressive outlook in the field - but Stephen M. Salny's FRANCES ELKINS INTERIOR DESIGN is the first book devoted to her life and works, gathering all of her achievements under one cover. Full-page displays of all her works from thirty years accompany biographical and artistic notes in a splendid, authoritative treatment by a researcher whose lifelong study of David Adler led inevitably to his sister Frances Elkins (who was Adler's collaborator on many commissions).



4. As one of the earliest designers to mix classic and modern styles together, this book on Frances Elkins proves that she did so masterfully. She understood, as few designers did at the time, the relationship between the two was a shared use of wonderful materials and superior craftmanship. This book proves to be a great source of inspiration for successfully accomplishing the same mix today.



5. This book portrays the superb taste of Frances Elkins through her long and successful career. Her bold use of color was unheard of when she began her trade in the early part of the twentieth century, but she did it with such style and finess that it was accepted. The use of fine antiques blended with contemporary furnishings was something else not done previously and set the trend for the "eclectic" style so popular ever since. First, working with her renowned architect brother, David Adler, in the Chicago area and then striking it on her own merit, she set a style and was one of the early women designers to become successful. The photographs and color interpritation in this book are excellent and in profusion. This book is a must for those interested in the interior design field, both past and present, because of her ageless style.

No comments about New China Architecture.

No comments about Gardens of Historic Charleston.

1 comments about The Architecture of Additions: Design and Regulation.

1. The topic of how new and old buildings are to be related to one another is one of the least-discussed and most widely mis-understood within the profession of architecture. This book, and another like it, the earlier "Architecture in context: Fitting new buildings with old" by Brent Brolin, are two of the few good books I've found that tackle this issue, and each features essentially case analysis of both successful and unsuccessful examples of the relationship between new and old buildings in many different forms. In fact, the two books have very little, if any, overlap in content, and therefore make very good companion books. These are must-reads for any architecture, urban design, and historic preservation students (and practitioners) involved in this type of design work.

1 comments about Preserving Cultural Landscapes in America (Center Books on Contemporary Landscape Design).

1. This book is well worth your time. If you have any interest in preservation and /or landscape you should read this book. It is very thought provoking and intelligently written. It poses more questions than it answers...which I believe is the intention of the editors. Because this book raises many questions and issues, I would recommend it for a book discussion club or a seminar class.

1 comments about Wood Design (Design Books).

1. If you are looking for a book which contains a great amount of interesting architectural works involving wood than this may be what you want. This is a great reference piece to begin to familiarize yourself with a variety of different ways that wood is used or could be used but note that this is primarily a photo based book. It has some truly beautiful images and along with each work listed is the name of the structure, the architect, and the location so that if desired you can further research the particular piece of work.
   
   Hope that you enjoy. Would also recommend the Glass Design, Steel Design, and Stone Design as a base group.

3 comments about Complete Lighting Design: A Practical Design Guide for Perfect Lighting (Quarry Book).

1. I am sending this back. It's not a practical guide (as the title says) -- in fact it's the opposite. It's filled with ridiculous architectural photos of homes that are so over designed and frou-frou, there's not a SINGLE IDEA in the entire book that a normal person can use. My home is a HOME, not a museum or an architectural project. Instead of talking about the lighting, it notes for each design the brand name and model of particular high-end fixtures, as if it's trying to sell them. The whole book seems designed to convince me that lighting is some black art and that I'm doomed if I don't run out and hire a lighting designer professional. AWFUL. I can't believe anyone would write a positive review of this book.



2. While this book is less How-To and more Inspiration, it is a great book for both the home owner and the home planner. It focuses on basic lighting principles (which are useful for anyone trying to properly light their home) illustrated through advanced lighting applications (architectural elements and features incorporated during the planning, building, or renovating of a home).
   
   It illustrates lighting techniques for each room in the home with emphasis on different areas of the room that require different kinds of lighting. Lighting for both day and night, and a special section on exteriors, are explored.
   
   The examples and illustrations in this book are from homes where lighting design was considered in the initial construction, and money and resources were apparently not an object. While unattainable, they are inspirational.
   For those of us who don't own our home, or cannot remodel (due to financial, zoning or other restrictions) this book provides some basic lighting principles that are still useful and applicable when lighting a home. In general, there are three levels of lighting to complete any room:
   1. Ambient lighting-an indirect light that provides overall illumination
   2. Task Lighting-focused light for work spaces (ie-kitchen counters, desk-tops, bedsides, reading chairs, etc.)
   3. Accent lighting-any light used to draw attention to a featured object (art, sculpture, architectural elements)
   Thought the examples are not really anything you could achieve in your own home, it gives you ideas on how to incorporate these types of lighting for both day and night, and interior and exterior.



3. With this book, there is truth in advertising. I'm an architect and I do a lot of resdential design. I've found this book to be quite useful and would recommend it to archtects and contractors that build on spec.