1 comments about Landscapes of Privilege: The Politics of the Aesthetic in an American Suburb.

1. In this book, Nancy and James Duncan probe deeply into the landscape of the affluent town of Bedford Village, New York to expose its role in the production and "performance" of the townspeople's identity and the attendant social ramifications. The authors assert that class and status are at the heart of a series of struggles for control of Bedford Village's landscape. By insisting upon the retention of a particular aesthetic for the town, enforced through laws, zoning, advisory boards, and social pressure, the people of Bedford Village are for the most part able to successfully cloak class, race, and power struggles in aesthetic terms that are less volatile and seemingly apolitical. By this they manage to create and sustain a place-based identity that isn't always savory, although--and this is an important point--this would surprise the residents of Bedford as much as it would surprise many others who took such a hard look at where and how they live.
   
   The Duncans rightly place class at the center of Bedford's issues and, with almost equal force, money. This seems right as it pertains to Bedford, where houses cost up to millions of dollars and yet where there are long-time residents who, while living much more modestly, engage just as strenuously in the pressure to sustain the particular pastoral character of the town's landscape. But maintaining the "look" of the land masks other issues. In Chapter Two the Duncans assert that "[i]n capitalist societies...where identity is linked to possessions, the aesthetic often plays an important role in depoliticizing class relations" (p. 25). The residents of Bedford cling tightly to a vision of their town as a rural, historic, Colonial town and landscape, drawing from it all the symbolic force of the New England Village (cf Meinig) from which they claim to descend and using it as the primary locus and signifier of their identity. They resist at nearly every turn the pressures of development and modernization while taking full advantage of the amenities of the modern world just beyond the borders. To a great extent Bedford Village still looks rural, still has its pastoral charm and its romantic vistas. It even has dirt roads (maintained at great expense). This is (of course/ironically) what makes Bedford the perfect place to live. Its perfection _for a certain category of people_ is confirmed in the language of the real estate ads that amount to coded appeals to Anglo sensibilities, 19th-century English nostalgia, and an invented historicism. In sum, the web of issues that surround the production and sustenance of Bedford's landscape constitutes an aestheticized view of the world and is so powerful and pervasive it seems simply natural, without malice, "uncontestable" (p. ? --sorry).
   
   When class relations are centered on aesthetics, other consequences that reach into arenas beyond landscape and beyond the town are hidden even if they are unintended. Residents of Bedford frame the most important issues in terms of protecting the environment, protecting the rural character of the town, or protecting its historic structures, trees, and greenspaces; arguments typically accepted (here, in the U.S.) as benign, even noble. While the Duncans don't go so far as to say that they never are, it is fascinating to follow them as they probe how this framework obscures an inherent hegemony of class and, worse, can lead to a latent racism against "Guatemalans" in Chapter Eight. Bedford was largely built on exploited labor and is increasingly maintained by it, even if both facts are equally inadmissible to the dominant sensibility. Although "popping Bedford's bubble" wasn't the direct aim of the authors, by the end of the book I was convinced that nearly everything about Bedford was artificial in some way, the result of a complex interweaving of class and social forces that go mostly unnoticed. I especially like the authors' use of the term "performance" to describe the interplay of these forces and their materialization on and production through the landscape. It seems to strike squarely at how Bedford is more than just a place; it is the resulting effect of many individual "actors" including people, the land, the market, the immigrants, the history, the buildings, class relations, etc. In combination these constitute the thing that is "Bedford." In this way, every place is artificial (i.e., "denaturalized") if you want to think of it that way.
   
   The Duncans write clearly and forcefully and for the most part, jargon-free. They strive (as professional geographers at Cambridge) to retain an objective viewpoint. This book is not meant to tattle or to reduce people to sets of selfish causes. I imagine other places could have served as well, but in this book Bedford Village is taken as a case study upon which to build the theoretical argument that aesthetic claims serve as convenient and effective codes for political and cultural issues.

No comments about Monuments And Memorials of Washington, D.c..

2 comments about Design Thinking.

1. I read this book as a precursor to a lecture I was giving to a group of undergraduate architecture students on 'design thinking'. At this point you may be asking yourself, "what is design thinking"? Exactly. My understanding had more to do with how we identify and balance the multitude of issues that surround any architectural or urban design problem. I see it as our ability to distill from all the forces and influences on a site, the project's essence. Rowe sees it in a slightly different manner; a very scientific one. Which in this publication, for me at least, made for a somewhat dry read. There are stretches of scientific analysis of human problem solving skills that I imagine many will find fascinating. However, as an architect I was interested in understanding in a more tangible way, what informs our intuitive decisions related to site, place, space, movement, program, structure, etc.
   
   Additionally, I would have liked to see the design and thought processes of the three initial case studies investigated more thoroughly. They were largely abandoned after their introduction with just a few references back to those examples in the text.
   
   The writing can be a bit verbose at times and when blended with the frequent scientific jargon, a bit taxing. At times the book appears to be collecting and synthesizing all critical writing completed on the topic over the last century, frequently quoting and referencing other works. This is a serious read and if you approach it with the right mindset, you will find some real gems and well constructed thoughts.



2. I am an architecture student and this book was assigned in my studio class. Although the reading can be difficult to follow, it is highly informative about the design process and challenges you to do further research to expand your knowledge. If you are buying this, don't be afraid to take that extra step while reading. Knowledge is power, Are you up to the challenge?

1 comments about Ultimate Shop Design (Ultimate Books).

1. This book is HUGE (525 pages) and took me almost 2 hours to skim; I look forward to going through the book more thoroughly when I have the time. The majority of the stores featured are ultra modern, minimalistic styles... works of art themselves. You'll find stores located in Europe (London), Asia (largely Japan), and some from the US (LA and New York).
   
   Even for use as a simple design-idea reference, this book is worth its price. I will undoubtedly apply many of the concepts in this book the store I'm opening.

No comments about Wine Cellar Design.

1 comments about Farm Houses: The New Style.

1. I love farmhouse style, and there have been some noteworthy books recently that have amazing images and really help to articulate what is so compelling about the form. This is not one of them.
   
   "The Farmhouse" is a beautiful, useful book. Buy it.
   
   But Farm Houses: The New Style is not a peer. It is not tragic, but it really pales in comparison.

2 comments about Bungalow The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Home.

1. This is my first contact with Powell/Svendsen's books, and while it is indeed coffee table size (it needs to be large to accommodate the beautiful photography)it is so charming and readable that, without so intending, I READ it (in one sitting, yet). We have several other books of gorgeous bungalows, many with the same houses as subjects, with accomanying commentary equivalent to dry stale cornflakes; this one is crumpets and cream. Like others documenting bungalow style architecture, this book is not intended as a construction or instruction manual, but as inspiration. For admirers of bungalow style and for those seeking a picture to replace the thousand words BUNGALOW is an easy choice.



2. This book is lovely to look at with marvelous pictures. A great 'coffeetable book. My only complaint is that it is light on 'how to' information.

1 comments about A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era (Published in Association with the Library of American Landsc) (Published in Association with the Library of American Landsc).

1. A Genius for Place, the latest work by noted landscape historian and preservationist Robin Karson, offers an illuminating look at a number of noteworthy American landscapes of the Country Place Era, including the du Pont estate at Winterthur and Naumkeag in Stockbridge, and weaves together the historical, cultural, esthetic, and personal influences on landscape designers such as Warren Manning, Beatrix Farrand, and Fletcher Steele. Speaking of illuminating, the lavishly illustrated volume features stunning photographs by gifted landscape photographer Carol Betsch. A Genius for Place is an impeccably researched, beautifully written book, accessible to both scholars in the field and the garden variety reader alike.

3 comments about Five Faces of Modernity: Modernism, Avant-garde, Decadence, Kitsch, Postmodernism.

1. I really enjoyed the book besides the fact that it proved really helpful for all the papers I have had to write so far. The concepts are clear and the bibliography extensive so it is really a starter in other directions.



2. Matei Calinescu's _The Five Faces of Modernity_ is an impressive intellectual history of five concepts central to aesthetics (i.e. the theory and philosophy of art) in the past two centuries-- the concepts of 'modernism', 'the avant-garde', 'decadence', 'kitsch', and 'postmodernism'. After an introductory discussion on the concept of 'modernity' itself, each of these concepts, or 'faces of modernity' is discussed in detail. This discussion generally includes an account of the word's origins and changes in its usage, close readings of important texts that used these concepts in exemplary or revolutionary ways, and a critical analysis of the assumptions that underly the term's application to aesthetics. Throughout, Calinescu ranges quite broadly in his scope, drawing upon texts from throughout Europe and the Americas (both North and South).

   Calinescu's account is far too rich and complex to summarize here, but on the whole, the history of aesthetic thought he provides is based on solid research, compelling analysis, and insightful observation. In the process, he makes some astute, and rather surprising observations about how these aesthetic terms were initially used to describe politics or social thought, and only came to be applied to aesthetics later (this is especially true with 'avant-garde')-- yet, their aesthetic application is fundamentally shaped by their earlier social-political associations.

   Although this book is quite solid, I do feel that it has some shortcomings that can't be ignored. First and foremost among these is that Calinescu's bizarre characterization of Romanticism. The Romantics, he rightly noted, were crucial in the development of modern aesthetics-- and in the notions of modernism, the avant-garde, and decadence in particular. However, his account of Romanticism is one that I simply do not recognize-- basically reducing it (somewhat inaccurately, I would add) to "the relativization of beauty" and the abandonment of the notion of eternal, transcendent truths or ideals. Part of the problem here is that Calinescu limits his discussion of Romanticism to France, focussing on Chateaubriand, Stendahl, and Hugo. If he had discussed the major German Romantic thinkers or the British Romantic poets, this account of Romanticism (and the role he assigns to it in developing a concept of 'modernity') simply could not stand.

   The second main shortcoming of the book is that it focuses overwhelmingly on literary art. Painting and other forms of art are discussed a little bit in some of the chapters (particularly in the one on kitsch), but for the most part, Calinescu's book focuses on prose and poetry-- not on the visual arts (or still less on music). I think his account of some of these concepts (particularly 'modernism' and 'avant-garde') wuld have been greatly improved by considering them.

   Still, those criticisms are relatively minor-- this is a great book and an important one on this subject. Highly recommended to intellectual historians, art historians, and those who are interested in a good 'history of ideas' account of these five aesthetic concepts.




3. Calinescu succeeds in a very difficult department: definind five concepts that have become common places in criticism. Calinescu's reviews is insightful, comprehensive an very well documented. It offers an excellent introdution to the novices and a useful guide for investigating the concepts to the initiates. Calinescu is probably one of the finest critics in this topic and his book exceeds authors like Hobsbawn.

5 comments about Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C..

1. This is an insightful book that sheds the spotlight on the planning of our infant nation's capitol city. The central planner in this was the French born Pierre Charles L'Enfant. Berg traces L'Enfant's early years in Paris, his artistic training there, to his joining in the American War for Independence, to his appointment as chief planner for the new federal capitol city on the Potomoc River.
   
   I found the story of his background in France most interesting as we learn of L'Enfant's father's artistic employment in the service of King Louis XV (I believe), to various other aspects of French life at that time period. The son was groomed to follow in his father's footsteps until the war in America shifted Pierre Charles's plans.
   
   Like many in this country, L'Enfant grew to admire George Washington, head of the Continental Army. Berg develops Washington as a sort of father figure to L'Enfant, if only in L'Enfant's mind. We learn of his war service and experiences and his acquaintences with other notables such as Baron Von Steuben and Alexander Hamilton. Through these acquaintences forged in the trials of war would L'Enfant find employment in various architectural and plannining projects after ther war.
   
   The most notable of these assignments was his role as chief planner for a new federal city designated as City of Washington in the District of Columbia. Throughout this venture, Berg shows L'Enfant to be a visionary who envisioned this city to become what it is today. Another fascinating aside to this planning was L'Enfant's consideration of the concept of the national government and the role of the states. A good example of this was evidenced in his plan for diagonal avenues and squares to be named for the individual states.
   
   Through his nearly year long employment in this role we learn of the roles played by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the city commissioners, and some of the wealthier land owners in the city L'Enfant would contend with. Through these interactions did problems emerge. L'Enfant seemed to be the type who wanted complete control over the project, making exception for his revered Washington's approbation. L'Enfant's personality traits could make him less than endearing to those he had to work with and would play a part in his removal as planner in 1792.
   
   Many realized his talents, but his foibles were also in abundance. His removal left him embittered as he watched changes to his plans for the layout of the city and the removal of his name from these plans. These and other factors can be understood as causing a certain amount of wounded pride. What followed was a sad story of a man whose services to his adopted country had nevertheless rendered him in a state of near abject poverty. He became dependent on the care of others, some of whom would cause him grief, while others like the Digges family would show more solictude for this aging man.
   
   It would be over a century before others would give credit to L'Enfant's work, certainly a deserved, if delayed reward. His body was even removed and brought to lay in state in the capitol building before being taken to Arlington Cemetery. There were several topics of interest brought to light in this book whether tied directly or indirectly to L'Enfant, such as the contoversy over how large and what type of city Washington should be. This can be juxtoposed against the competing ideologies of the adherents of Washington and those of Jefferson. Washington (and L'Enfant) having a more nationalistic view of America, while Jefferson and his adherents having a more limited vision of government. Jefferson did not envision a necessarily grand federal city.
   
   I felt the reader didn't really get to know L'Enfant all that well in this book, for various reasons, but his vision for a grand federal city certainly did come to pass, if not in his lifetime, most certainly today.



2. Most people today would not know of the controversy and opposition to the Statue of Liberty, and the efforts and struggles it took to make a suitable platform for it. Similarly, the full story of L'Enfant's contributions to the original design of Washington, DC, was lost for almost a century before being restored. The US Government was very small in 1791, when work was started on the new capital's design, and one of the more interesting aspects of this historical narrative is the small cast of characters involved. The focus of this book is on these various individuals and how they impacted the evolution of the capital over time. Not surprisingly, all of the human traits, good and bad, march through the story with what seems a preponderance of greed, selfishness and small mindedness. It is interesting that the individuals who restored L'Enfant's reputation and works, and were not from the capital city.



3. Berg has written a fabulous book of popular history, full of intriguing anecdotes and fascinating glimpses of G. Washington, T. Jefferson, and J. Monroe, among others. Perhaps by favorite aspect of "Avenues" is the hissy-fit relationship between L'enfant (architect of DC) and Jefferson, a builder in his own right who despised L'enfant for his petulance, arrogance, and bullheadedness. (At least two of these qualities can be attributed to Jeff, as well.)
   
   I've been visiting DC since I was a boy, but often, as children, we give little thought to something's creation. It just exists. But "Avenues" opens a window into the past that I'm still thinking about. In the beginning, there was L'enfant. Without him (and Rick Olmstead, who carried the torch), DC would be a drastically different city. Bravo to Scott Berg, and thank you!



4. GRAND AVENUES depicts the genius of Pierre Charles L'Enfant and his artistry in designing the capital city of the United States. Rich with biographical, political and historical detail, Scott W. Berg has included 25 black-and-white illustrations that will intrigue Washingtonians, city planners, history buffs and architects. In 1790, Thomas Jefferson commissioned L'Enfant to "provide aid in the form of drawings of the particular grounds most likely to be approved for the site of the federal towns and buildings."
   
   Having served as a Continental Army officer under George Washington and designed Federal Hall in New York City, L'Enfant was immediately entranced with this project. Originally from Paris, he loved breathtaking views and a variety of buildings and space within a metropolitan city. "This first recorded evidence of L'Enfant's inclination toward city planning occurred in December, 1784, when he wrote at some length to George Washington outlining his scheme to establish a peacetime corps of engineers." Prior to his arrival in Washington, L'Enfant also worked on projects in Trenton, New Jersey, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
   
   Jefferson and L'Enfant held completely different viewpoints on the way that Washington, D.C. should be laid out. As L'Enfant continued to evaluate Jenkins Hill as the perfect location for a congressional building, he writes, "From these heights every grand building would rear with a majestic aspect of the country all around and might be advantageously seen from twenty miles off." L'Enfant was proposing that the District of Columbia be designed on an expanded scale, with vistas, rises and boulevards. One major problem arose when George Washington suggested selling lots in the best areas of D.C. as delineated by L'Enfant's plans.
   
   "L'Enfant now was arguing for a fundamentally public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American place --- and to that end he was committed to the development of the public areas before the sale of the private." One problem was that houses were erected that did not fit with the public buildings in close proximity. In one case, L'Enfant actually tore down the completed home of a very influential Washingtonian, who had built it too close to a major public office building.
   
   L'Enfant had organized a plan to access the Potomac River, allowing materials and supplies to arrive swiftly by water to the construction sites. "Every step in L'Enfant's chronology of construction was destined to reduce waste and conserve time, materials, and money." He wrote a significant memo to Washington, requesting that the project be completed as quickly as possible, using a million dollars, and suggesting that the oversight committee of commissioners be eliminated. Unsuccessful in his attempts to drive the project to immediate action, L'Enfant failed. Subsequently, Jefferson heralded Andrew Ellicott and assisted him in preparing a drawing to replace L'Enfant's plans.
   
   Pierre Charles L'Enfant died in debt, unpaid for his work on America's capital city. "It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions."
   
   --- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher



5. This is an interesing story of how the basic plan for Washington, D. C. was formed. Pierre L'Enfant, a major in the Revolutionary Army worked with George Washington himself in the original design. L'Enfant was the graduate of excellent design schools in Paris, and he had been trained by his father. He had to fight off the influence of Thomas Jefferson the opponent of Washington and Hamilton in this project. His tenure on the project was short. Politics and land speculation was what really drove the process, little changed from today. A brilliant and far-seeing man who after this brief tenure died pretty much alone and unheralded. His work and his place in history was resurected about 1900. A well written and interesting account that meshes well with other biographical works of the era.