5 comments about Greene and Greene: Masterworks.

1. A superb look a the Greene Brother's masterpiece ultimate bungalows. It includes some of the best Greene and Greene photography I've ever seen, and has a very good look at the details of the architecture, and the internals of the Greene and Greene houses. This book focuses more on the houses themselves, and the fixed appointments therein, rather than the furniture itself. Influences on the Greenes are coupled with a well laid out timeline give you a real view into the evolution of their style.



2. Excellent! The best book on this subject I've ever seen...



3. Superb photoraphic illustration depicts the design genius of the Greene brothers. A comprehensive study of leading architects of the Arts & Crafts movement...a high compliment to the monumental craftsmanship of those who executed their designs.



4. The book is beautiful, filled with both architectural ideas and furnishing ideas for items done in the craftsman style. I purchased the book for these ideas and was delighted with all the pictures. Some of the stonework illustrated is breathtaking in its beauty.



5. We were very disappointed at the quality of printing, inferior paper stock, and lack of clarity in the photographs. At the "coffee table" price we were expecting much higher resolution in the color photographs and better quality paper.

2 comments about Suburban Transformations.

1. A step-by-step procedure, beautifully visualized and mapped, for remaking suburban built environments. Augumented by case studies. A rare combination of creativity and precision focused on a critical problem. Bravo!



2. I like this book because it suggests ways that we can make our suburbs better places to live. I really like books that tell us about how we can improve the status quo, and/or about better alternatives to the status quo, and/or about solutions to problems. I would really like all of North America's suburbs to become pedestrian-friendly, like small towns surrounding each big city.

5 comments about Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces.

1. This is an excellent book for anyone planning to build their own garden. The instructions for creating the various elements of the garden made it look easy, and the descriptions given for items that become a part of the garden I found quite interesting. I would have liked even more finished garden pictures as I was only looking for inspiration. But, even with out as many pictures as I would have like, the book was helpful and my garden is now complete, giving me the tranquility I was looking for.



2. You will find inside a lot of inspiration on how to make things work. Exceptional "do it yourself" recommendations. Its a real guidebook for japanese gardening lovers.



3. I picked up about ten books on Japanese gardening at the library and this book was by far the most inspirational. The author gives definitions for technical terms and also shows step by step illustrations to recreate various photographs within the book. He also shows how to make a bamboo fence which I thought was really neat and I am actually going to give it a try. This is the only book I decided to purchase out of the lot from the library and I plan on giving a few copies as gifts.



4. As much as I liked the pictures and the possibilities of the gardens, there's no chance that the average person could even attempt some of the Japanese style gardens. The designs are beautiful but you really do need a LOT of room to do any of these designs. The idea of a calming, tranquil space to sit would be wonderful but not on my budget.



5. Sorry, my english is no good. I'm a chilean landscaper and I bought this book about 2 month ago and it can help me in many ways for my job. Have a lot of details of how to do fences and other triks with good photos.

2 comments about Rome Alive: A Source-Guide to the Ancient City, Vol. 1.

1. As a historical novelist, I found this book a great source of contemporary comments about various sites in the ancient city. Where else would you find out that Agrippa originally wanted to name the Pantheon for Augustus, but Augustus declined? If you're planning to visit and/or write about ancient Rome, Rome Alive and the Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome make an excellent pair of guidebooks.



2. Compiled, organized, and enhanced with occasional black and white maps and illustrations, Rome Alive: A Source-guide To The Ancient City, Volume 1 by Peter J. Aicher (Associate Professor of Classics, University of Southern Maine) is a superbly presented tourist and "user friendly" travel guide for anyone aspiring to experience Rome's rich historical past, as well as the enshrined legacy of its contributions to art, culture, science, politics, and so much more. Expert commentary and informative insights on the diverse landmark locations (complete with their historical backgrounds), combine in a travel guide that is as enjoyable for the armchair traveler as it is usefully practical for those who seek to experience Rome's majesty on-site and at firsthand.

5 comments about The Very Efficient Carpenter: Basic Framing for Residential Construction (For Pros, By Pros Series).

1. I want a Larry Haun tee shirt, beer mug, calendar, tool bag and special edition saw. It is a pleasure to read a book that was written by someone who knows what he is talking about. It doesn't get any better for me. I'm not kidding, this is one of those rare books that teach a trade in an inspiring way. For what I'm up to, I will never need to look at another framing book.



2. Mr. Haun certainly knows a great deal about carpentering and he conveys a lot of that knowledge in this book; however, terms are introduced prior to being defined or explained, which makes it a bit difficult to extract the information. If one has the patience to read the entire book, the terms are eventually explained, but it requires you to go back and re-read the parts where these mysterious terms were initially used. A little help from a professional writer/editor would enhance the value of the book.



3. this is a great resource. it covers the basics and then some. if everyone on your crew was familiar with this system, you could easily frame a house in a week.



4. I am doing an addition and wanted to frame it my self, knew a little about framing but not enough. Great book on the way to frame and how to build walls. highly recomended. There is a video that goes with this book buy it also. I went back and referenced both the book and the video through out the framing of our addition.



5. This book has all the tricks and short cuts I learnd as a framing carpenter in southern California. Now as a framing contractor in Sedona AZ. It is required reading for all my carpenters. Thank you Larry Haun.
   sincerly Kirk Leach.
   Kirk Leach Framing & Trim INC.

1 comments about Schaum's Outline of Structural Steel Design.

1. Schaum's is the greatest educational series, ever. Exactly what I expected from Schaum's regarding structural calculations.

5 comments about Flea Market Style.

1. This book rocks-it has funky ideas and is beautifully presented, not like many of the other recycled furniture books out there.I mean, do you REALLY want to learn how to make a distressed-finish-powder blue-decoupaged candlestick holder out of fence pickets?If so, this is not the book for you..this one shows how you can TASTEFULLY decorate your place with some original pieces and not spend a fortune.Accept no imitations-this book is awesome.



2. This book has some really good ideas as far as example rooms set up for you to go gaga over, but only an upholsterer could really carry through with a lot of these ideas. It shows some samples of remarkable flea market finds though. I personally thought that a lot of the spaces that were set up in the book were too cluttered and not usable realistically.



3. i found this book on Amazon after searching for another by Emily Chalmers called Style On a Budget. I bought this one blindly and really loved the ideas. The photos and layout are beautiful and the ideas are creative and fun. i love the combination of colors used, which is lively yet still maintaining a mature ambience. I do think these "finds" are not as lucky for just anyone unless you are an avid flea market goer. But still it will help me keep me motivated, with eyes open.



4. Very creative and innovative! Low cost and stulish ways to add beauty and charm to your surroundings. There's alot of Flea Market & Junk mavens out there, but at an actual cost that's out of this world when you delve into it. Nice going!



5. I live in suburbia, in a newer development where all the homes pretty much look the same. I am always on the look-out for creative ideas on decorating because I don't want my interior to look like it stepped out of one of the well-known home decor stores and catalogs. This book was an inspiring find! Lots of pictures and informative text...I have looked at the pictures over and over again. I'm not much into the step-by-step instruction books on transforming found objects so this book was right up my alley. For me, its purpose was served in that it filled my head and notebook with creative ideas for my home. A great book to look through before you head off to the nearest architectural salvage yard, flea market, or out for a day of garage sales.

5 comments about The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, D.C..

1. A remarkable amount of research has gone into this book. The previous reviewer complained that it was "undocumented" but why does the author need to document a road, a building, or a statue if it exists in plain sight and is common knowledge? This proves that the author's thesis touches a raw nerve to those who are comfortable only with conventional understandings of history that sugar coat the past and pull the wool over our eyes. Clearly, there was a powerful cult behind the formation of the United States. They were not devout Christians, but were committed only to the esoteric ideals of their own secret society. Ideals that apparently originate in ancient Egypt, not Jerusalem. The author, however, coming from a Christian background and perspective dances around this truth. He prefers to view them as Christians who were simply outside the mainstream. Their obssession with "Virgo" proves this, because as everyone knows Virgo represents the Virgin Mary, right? Wrong.
   In the heretical thread of Western history, the Virgo was always Venus, otherwise known as Mary Magdalene. This was the Mary so beloved by the Knights Templar and inheritors of their occult traditions. Not the mother of Jesus. The author fails to grasp this nettle and meanders into a neverland that maintains Washington's "Christianity," so we'll have to wait a while longer for the rest of the story.



2. There is not much to be said about this book except that it is total hogwash. Not even the author can pull all of his undocumented assumption together into a sensible hypothesis.



3. Overall its an informative book well worth reading so I give it 5 stars. He rehashes the virgo thing to death throughout the book where I felt he could have laid that out better in 1 or 2 chapters.Also as mentioned by others below he left alot of Masonic stuff out.I recommend watching on video AMERICAS SECRET DESTINY and RIDDLES IN STONE they add and parallel this book quite well.



4. Ever wonder why the city of Washington D.C. was an explicitly designed city, but the streets are laid out in a seemingly illogical manner? Wouldn't you design a simple grid pattern for a city instead of the bizarre pattern found there?
   
   David Ovason attempt to give meaning to this street pattern and for some of the architecture found in the city. His analysis is brilliant but I find myself wandering in the sometimes meandering pattern of his investigation, just like the layout of the city. It would probably help for the reader to have a background in astrology/astronomy to give greater meaning to this analysis, for I often found myself scratching my head.
   
   It was interesting to learn that Pierre L'Enfant, the French Freemason given credit for the design of the city, was later sacked from the construction team for criticism of some of the builders for messing up his design. He would later go broke, wander around the city, and pester congress for a greater share of payments that he thought were his for the design of the city. He died broke and is buried near Arlington House.



5. Proof in stone that America's founding fathers were not ultra-conservative god fearing Christians, not even deists and the guideposts to their secrets were left for all to see in the nation's capital.
   Incorporating astronomy and astrology, Ovason demonstrates the Hermetic adage As above, so is below. Like theories regarding the Great Pyramid and its relationship to Orion, he shows how the stars above are mirrored below in the design of the District.
   
   Well researched but could have gone deeper to explain what the symbols actually represent to Masonry and the esoteric history of their beliefs. Without the deeper analysis, one wonders why did they go to so much trouble to use symbols etched in stone?
   
   For a deeper explanation of the secret symbols of Masonry and how the modern day Church of Scientology adapted the rituals and grades and philosophy of a particular branch of Masonry, I recommend Solomon's Key: The CODIS Project A Conspiracy Thriller by R. Douglas Weber. While fiction, it gives a clear no-holes-barred account of the innermost, deepest ritual and secret that Masonry's esoteric symbols truly represent.
   Even the keys to the allegorical hidden language of Alchemy. It delivers the final punch as promised.
   
   SOLOMON'S KEY THE CODIS PROJECT: A CONSPIRACY THRILLER

4 comments about Hariri and Hariri Houses.

1. This book is a woonderfull piece of art. lots of photos and explanation. highlly recomended for those who like contemporary art as well as a good point of view for the city life/



2. Excellent collection of stunning photos by incredible team! I can look at these photos for hours and still find something to admire!



3. Somewhat of a coffee table type book - not much technical stuff...nonetheless the pictures of the great homes are worth the price of this publication. Nicely photographed material that provides much design inspiration.



4. To word it simply, the houses designed by the Hariri sisters are the most dramatic small buildings I have ever seen. Here you will not find gigantic homes built to use size to impress. The Spartan House, built in the Hague, Netherlands was required to have a house footprint no bigger than 26 by 33 feet. Yet even in that small a space their house standa out.
   
   More than just the exterior design, Hariri houses have an integrated feeling that the rooms flow from one to another following the function that is needed with a minimal disruption to the esthetic sense.
   
   Their houses are modern, some even ultra modern, combining the look of steel and glass with the natural look of wood and rock. All appear to be designed to have an absolutely minimal amount of maintenance and a lifetime that will be close to forever.
   
   Some of the houses shown here are just design studies, the Digital House, where the walls are made of LCD's. Others have been built literally around the world.
   
   When you are getting ready to do your new beach house in Miami, here would be a good place to start looking.

1 comments about Design Hotels Yearbook 2008.

1. It is probably the best publishing of trends in hotel design today. It is a must on table of every hotel designer, architect and developer.