1 comments about Art Deco Architecture: Design, Decoration, and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties.

1. Let me state off the bat; I love Art Deco architecture. The artistry and the masonry that went into these buildings is a feast for the eyes. This book is very thorough and the vintage black and white pictures ooze sepia, some these buildings I had never seen photographed. The text is informative without being too scholarly or too grossly indepth. This is one of the better books on Art Deco, but still the book on American Art Deco is the best, it has recent color images and is just a much prettier book, but for what this is, it succeeds very well.

No comments about Roman Builders: A Study in Architectural Process.

5 comments about McKim, Mead & White: The Masterworks.

1. I had been panting over this book when I first learned of it's release and it was given to me as a gift, quite unexpected, considering it's costly list price.
   
   1) Just because you are related to Mr. White does not mean you have the same gifts. Where architect White was a gifted visionary, builder and man about town, (not to mention murdered lover of Evelyn Nesbitt) author White is pedestrian at best and swinging from gilded-age coat tails at worst.
   
   2) Some of the photography is excellent, and that is the reason this book still lives on my coffee table. However, I will warn you that much of it is flat and lacking in imagination.
   
   3) For lovers of architecture like myself and others who would want to own this book, it is amazingly short of drawings such as elevations and cross-sections. To see these buildings on paper and then in lush color photographs would have been a better exercise than the travelogue style presentation in this volume.
   
   In short, the book does have some lovely parts, but the whole is a bit disappointing. I don't know that I would pay retail for it, rather I'd look for a good used version, or ask Santa for it for Christmas.



2. Though the definitive book on these great architects work is still yet to be written, this book certainly does their work justice. I enjoyed the text and felt quite knowledged after reading it. I thought the pictures where bold and well selected, though not to the level of some books of this sort. I especially enjoyed the section on Penn Station, wow, what a building, it is so disheartening that it was leveled for a very mediocre building that may find itself meeting the same fate as Penn Station soon: poetic justice I suppose. I think instead of converting McKim, Mead, and White's Post Office Building into the new Penn Station, they should take the blue prints of the original and build it, this was the firms best work, it's a disgrace that is was so underappreciated by the city govenment a the time. At anyrate, if you have any interest in great Gilded Age architecture, you will certainly enjoy this book, just to get a peek inside some of the most exclusive clubs in America is worth the price of the book.



3. Since the author touts himself as a descendant of Stanford White, one doesn't expect much in the way of critical perspective from the text of this book. More disappointing are the contemporary photographs - although reproduced at enormous size, they are oddly flat and lifeless. For a better book at a better price, check out "The Architecture of McKim, Mead & White in Photographs, Plans and Elevations"



4. When captains of industry like Morgan, Astor, or Vanderbilt chose to build grand edifices they engaged the services of the architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White. During the firms most inspired period (1879-1915), it built nearly 1,000 commissions, including many famous and important buildings that are still vital parts of the landscape and include: The Morgan Library, Boston Symphony Hall, Columbia University, and the American Academy in Rome.

   Written by Samuel G. White (great grandson of Sanford White) and Elizabeth White, McKim, Mead, and White: The Masterworks documents non-residential works of America's greatest classical architects. This new book showcases twenty-four public buildings in remarkable detail. The majority of the buildings included in The Masterworks are still in use however several notable examples; Madison Square Garden, Penn Station, 4 pavilions at the World's Columbian Exposition, and Madison Square Presbyterian Church were demolished long ago.

   The architects spared no expense when they created their masterworks and it is apparent that Rizzoli Publishers spared no expense in producing this lovely book. Contemporary color photographs by Jonathan Wallen document the buildings as they are today capturing the totality of their grandeur as well as their finest details. Fascinating archival photographs illustrate how the buildings appeared were when their doors first opened. And almost every building profile is augmented with elevation drawings, sketches, watercolors, and other rare background material. An informative text accompanies each profile. It sheds light on the personalities of the architects, their sources of inspiration, the personalities who commissioned the buildings, and the times when they lived and worked.




5. One of the most handsome books on architecture of recent years, beautifully written in a style that is concise without being in the least off-hand. You may find yourself mourning the passing of an age when so much distinguished architecture enhanced our cities, and mourning equally the fact of so much of it being taken for granted (and in many cases, heartlessly demolished)

   One regrets, however, that the book's designers have gone the fashionable route of having its pages printed in a nearly matte-finish.
   Rather than being the velvety ideal, here the photographs seem compromised by this technique. A good example is the photograph of the library at the University Club,( New York). What must be the most complexly rich and improbably Italianate room in North America comes off looking disapointingly murky and flat.( The author/photographer's previous book, Houses of Mc Kim Mead White, while employing the same approach, was rather better printed.)
   But this is a quibble; the book is ravishing.

4 comments about San Diego Then and Now.

1. When I received the book I ordered in Jan 2007 I was disappointed to find pages missing and holes in some pages. I complained to Bookarama but they never responded. I then complained to amazon and that got a response from Bookarama offering a refund. I returned the book in July 2007 and have not received any response from them. I guess I must complain to amazon again to see if they can get their dealer to provide a refund for a damaged book.



2. This is one of two San Diego photo books I purchased for my husbands birthday. Absolutly beautiful! The black and white photography really captures some of the details that are lost in color photos.



3. This book lacks color and detail. The real San Diego book was done by photographer George Ross Jezek. This is a knockoff of his ideas. Shame on you



4. It's facinating to see the way the city has changed, the author has some good history and trivia throughout the pages as well.
   
   If you are from San Diego or have ever lived here, this makes a great coffee table book.

4 comments about The New Step-by-Step Home Decorating Projects (Singer Sewing Reference Library).

1. This is a very clearly demostrated how-to book. It offers great ideas and the directions to accomplish the projects. I find it invaluable. I have several how-to books and this is the best by far.



2. I liked the examples and the layout of the products. The easy step by step guide for a novice like me that is understandable



3. There are tips on window treatments I didn't find in any other books, that alone was worth the money for me. However a lot of the color choices are a little dated, and the instructions are sparser than in other books. Still there is a lot of inspiration here.



4. most of the book is helpful and well illustrated.however, i needed information about calculating drapery pleats and the book says to use pleater tape. no help there. Also, i needed information about sewing a swag and jabot and this Singer sewing book tells me a no-sew method on throwing a swag over a curtain rod. no help there. the rest of the book seems to be well thought out. they surely missed badly on the 2 items I needed information about.

1 comments about The Accessible Home: Updating Your Home for Changing Physical Needs.

1. This book is packed with practical information for homeowners who want to do their own work in adapting their existing homes for the comfort, convenience, and safety of those with various kinds and degrees of physical disability. The how-to instructions are clearly written and well illustrated. It's less useful, however, for those of us who are looking for design inspiration and turning the actual labor over to professionals. Still, at the ridiculously low prices at which this book can be obtained, it's a handy reference work for those who want an off-line source of -- for example -- where and how high (and how many) grab bars should be installed to provide an ADA-appropriate bath or shower. Architects and contractors will turn to other sources, but DIYers will find value here.

2 comments about An Outline of European Architecture.

1. Read this book; it is quite simply stunning and makes a complicated subject seem simple ( well I understood it ).
   
   The ' Introduction ' alone is more than worth the purchase; it is often quoted and reproduced as a seminal article.
   
   A treat.



2. I've read dozens of books on the history of architecture, and this is the best introduction to the subject I've ever encountered, despite the fact that it is now over half a century old. I used this book intensively on a three-month trip to western and eastern Europe some years ago, and it was a great help in appreciating all the many important buildings we encountered, especially the Gothic cathedrals and early Renaissance Italian architecture. As the back cover says, Sir Nicholas is reckoned one of the most stimulating writers on architecture alive, and I would have to agree with that. His great enthusiasm for his subject is contagious, and his descriptions of important buildings are often nothing short of inspired. This is truly a great book by a great scholar.

2 comments about Small Houses (Great Houses).

1. My wife and i were looking for a new house to accomodate us and our son. We went to a number of open houses of typical contractor built houses and only got sick. The houses were big, inefficient and ill-designed. They lacked character and imagination. Therefore, we are now considering designing and building a house. This book, with its numerous examples of small, well-designed houses, is both helping us find features and designs we like and providing us with inspiration. The houses in this book have character. The book is well-illustrated.

   My only critique of this book is that it does not always provide square footage and cost per square foot as Taunton's annual house edition does.




2. This book is compilation of articles from the magazine. There are 37 different projects covering a wide variety of styles and locations of houses. The articles are often written by the owner / designer and are quite thorough. Many include presentation style: sections, details, and floor plans.

   I found this book to be very interesting to read. There is a lot of content for the size and price of the book. The articles are all from the early 80's to early 90's. Which makes me look forward to the next edition.

   Anybody interested in purchasing, renovating, or designing a small house will definitely like this book.

No comments about Sri Lanka Style: Tropical Design and Architecture.

No comments about Dumbarton Oaks.