2 comments about Alvar Aalto, 1898-1976: Paradise for the Man in the Street (Taschen Basic Architecture).

1. When they call this book "basic," they mean it. There is nothing deep or philosophical contained within these pages. Instead, this is an overview of the main works that Aalto produced during his career. Projects range from his Savoy vases to entire buildings. This is a good starting point for anyone who is interested in learning more about Aalto's work and nice to have as a basic reference. For the price, this little book can't be beat!



2. I love Aalto's work, but this book was just dry.
   I give it 3.5 only because it's meant to be an inexpensive introduction to Aalto's work, and it is inexpensive..but the writing is just dry. You really get nothing from the articles about the buildings..but it is a nice intro to the architect's life and it does showcase a few of his best works...albeit in a dry manner..
   
   If you aren't really interested in his work, this is perfect for you.
   But if you want a decent look into some of his buildings and materials and philosophy, then your going to have to splurge a little
   
   B-

No comments about O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works.

No comments about Young Architects 9: Proof (Young Architects).

3 comments about Discrete Choice Analysis: Theory and Application to Travel Demand (Transportation Studies).

1. Very good book by the top scientist in the field of transport demand modeling. Useful to have it in the library if you are a professional.



2. Two knowledgable authors gave in-depth treatments on the subject of DCM. The math is fairly easy to follow in most places. The biggest strength is a nice combination of theoretical and practical issues. The readers however should be benefitted from a new edition, which should include, among other things, extended exposures on ordered responses and grouped/aggregated data analyses with DCM. An introduction to the existing software and relevant issues should also be a plus.



3. This book is intended for serious graduate students who wish to learn demand analysis. This book is used as a text for the demand analysis course at MIT for 1st/2nd year grad students. Rigorous statistical and econometric background is a must preparation for this book. Includes very crisp and elegant proofs and dicussion. Impressive methodological treatment for demand analysis. Although all examples are drawn from the Transportation field, the content can easily be implemented for Marketing Science and other fields.

No comments about Catherine Zask (Poster Collection).

No comments about Gaudi.

3 comments about Plantation Homes of Louisiana and the Natchez Area.

1. This was purchased as a Christmas gift for my son-in-law who is originally from Louisiana. He loves it. From the narrative history to the beautiful pictures.



2. First of all, I love the South, and love plantation homes. The photographs in this book are very good. I personally didn't enjoy the photos of the rundown and derelict plantations. I bought this book because I thought it contained BEAUTIFUL pictures of the finest homes. And most of them are very nice, BUT...First of all, this is a pricey book.I once had a slim volume offerred by the Travel bureau that was better than this book. If all you want is to have a pretty coffee table book, it's fine. I personally would have preferred they leave out the aerial photos high above the homes...and the photos of derelict, rundown plantations and included more interior shots or different angles of the really beautiful plantations. I found that I looked through it once, but will probably rarely look through it again. Though it is well done for what it is, when reading the reviews before purchasing, I had a different impression of what this book is.



3. This book just takes your breath away. The houses are so beautiful and the photographs so vivid. Louisiana is perhaps the most blessed with homes from the old south and this book does them such a great service. It's nothing short of amazing that so many of them have survived, it's a testement to the quality of the builders, mostly slaves, the cypress wood used so often and benign neglect. Thank God these wonderful homes where not burned during the Civil War or torn down by short sighted developers. It's really lucky for us that this part of Louisiana has been virtually asleep for 150 years, but in the last 30 years it has awaken like a Pheonix and these houses have been restored and cared for, I am so grateful to Mr. Gleason for having created this book and for the preservationists that saved the homes themselves. I have visited many of these grand plantations and you can't help but be in awe of the beauty and saddened at the same time about the cruel institution that created them. I most appreciate the homes that have maintained their slave quarters, everyone should have to see the way these people lived, it was not all zippidy do da zippidy aye, I assure you...one must always view the historic south through this prism to understand the struggle to overcome. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for all things beautiful.

4 comments about Dream Homes: 100 Inspirational Interiors.

1. Great book with beautiful pictures. I found it very useful for my work. Some of them are a little over the top but an inspiration nonetheless.



2. My wife and I are getting started on designing the interior of our new home. To this end, I visited three bookstores browsing through about 40 books for ideas on interior decoration. This book stood out as having the most inspiring and tasteful designs, as well as providing a large number and variety of photos, all at a very good price. Highly recommended. As one other reviewer pointed out, written text is limited, but this is made up for by the superior quantity and quality of photos. The book more than serves its purpose. For written guides on interior design, I plan to purchase: "The Home Design Planner" by Katherine Sorrell.



3. For an outstanding sourcebook of interiors which stand out from the many, DREAM HOMES: 100 INSPIRATIONAL INTERIORS is an exceptional purchase recommended for any discriminating art library strong in interior design titles. No single style represents a 'dream home': it can be Mediterranean, Californian, Asian or a blend. A hundred examples of perfection in all areas are culled from homes of all styles from around the world, presenting the work of the planet's most talented interior designers. There are over 800 lovely color photos of these spaces, plus in-depth explanations by design expert Johanna Thornycroft, which explains how each home was created or transformed. A rich, gorgeous presentation of many examples.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This book is full of pictures but very little information. The pictures are beautiful but I was expecting more written ideas and advice.

2 comments about Roman Art and Architecture (World of Art).

1. This is an excellent read and also a must to have in your library. The author disusses in great depth various Roman structures. In many of the sites, he goes into detail about where the material would come from, whether it was trade or something made from the city's natural sources, and also discusses influences among the Greeks and the Romans.



2. A perfect guide for roman mania interested in more than merely picture of its monumentum, this book contains colourful images of various types of ROMAN architecture scattered around its territory with plain explanation. And the book's hand-carry size makes your reading more confortable.

1 comments about Themes and Variations: House Design: Ray Kappe: Architects/Planners (House Design, 3).

1. Here's the book review from The New York Times:

   "With the revival of interest in post-World War II Los Angeles architecture, coupled with a fascination for today's West Coast architects, book publishers have been working furiously to meet the demand....

   "[The book Themes and Variations: Ray Kappe has] arrived in this country from Images Publishing in Australia...by Michael Webb, on the architect Ray Kappe, heir to the California modernist tradition. Known to most as the founder of the experimental SCI-Arc school (Southern California Institute of Architecture), Mr. Kappe is also one of the most undersung architects in Los Angeles. He began his career in the early 50's and wedded the open spaces of Richard Neutra to the softer, more natural modernism of Harwell Hamilton Harris. Then he added the complexity and love of landscape of Frank Lloyd Wright. Eleven of Mr. Kappe's projects are displayed in this long overdue monograph. Included is his own, breathtaking 1965 Kappe House in Pacific Palisades, a marvel of interlocking planes of wood, glass and concrete in harmony with a lush canyon site. His works are so three-dimensional that photos do not always do them justice." (New York Times, March 18, 1999)