2 comments about Interior Construction & Detailing for Designers and Architects, 4th ed..

1. Has lots of tables and charts, and is adequately explained. The author also writes study guides for standardized architecture tests, and that pretty much sums up the style: no opinions, just facts. Very thorough though. Personally I don't need a whole chapter on locks, but I suppose there are those who do. Presentation and graphics are a bit low-rent for an architecture book.



2. This book should be on the shelves of every interior designer- it's so thorough that it's a little cumbersome at first. It should be used as a reference book, it gives chapter-by-chapter explanations on the specifics for the construction and application of windows, casegoods, partitions, etc. If there is ever any doubt in a designers mind as to how exactly something is constructed or works when it comes to the specifics of interior design, this book's for you.

2 comments about Tom Kundig: Houses.

1. In a world of inflated egos and misplaced priorities, Tom Kundig rushes in with a clear view, a warm heart and an undisputable eye for beauty. His whimsical but exact and gorgeuos designs display a playfulness that catagorizes a true professional who does not "take himself too seriously" and works to infuse joy in his client's life.
   I had the same exhuberant reaction to his work that I had the first time I saw a Jean Michel Basquiat painting up close and personal in 1987...a true artist, an undisputed original.



2. I own many books dedicated to a single architects work. Often times these type of books display two or three rooms of a house and never get into the nitty gritty of a project. "Tom Kundig: Houses" is different. This book leaves little to the imagination, offering sometimes up to 15-20 pages to a single project. The pictures are very clear and tell a lot about the concept of a house as a whole. The only knock I'd say is that every project is so similar to the next that it becomes hard to differentiate. But if you admire his style, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

5 comments about The Art of Wheelbuilding: A Bench Reference for Neophytes, Pros & Wheelaholics.

1. Covers all the basic skills needed to build a good set of wheels. I am happy with the book, but it would have been nice to see some additional hints for beginners.



2. I don't understand someone could stand to read more than five pages of this book without feeling the overwhelming disappointment associated with knowing that he has just wasted his money.
   
   First, the book is horribly translated. It's not so bad that the book is incomprehensible, but its bad enough that most people will find the reading extremely awkward.
   
   Secondly, the book is very poorly edited and typeset. It's obvious that this book was very rushed. While I didn't notice spelling errors, there are many minor errors related to spacing and typeface. More importantly, many of the diagrams are unclear, and the pictures, although mostly color, are often blurry or poorly composed.
   
   The book itself is mostly filler and fluff. The author starts out by disclaiming having any actual qualifications, and it goes downhill from there. It's very obvious that the author is stretching just to meet the magical 100 page mark. Some pages are nothing but rambling, somewhat disguised by the horrible translation.
   
   Many parts of this book are completely unclear. For example, there's a section on corked wheels that I've re-read many times, and still don't understand; it doesn't explain what the benefit of corking is, or how one would do this, or even why he's mentioning it. There's an accompanying picture of a corked rim that's so poor I can't see what is intended.
   
   This book lacks most of the specific advice that I suspect people are buying it for. For example, the author refuses to share the ordinary method for lacing wheels, on the grounds that it is "described so often in the bicycle press [that it] does not need to be described in this book too," instead recommending a VHS videotape from DT Swiss for this purpose.
   
   The author's association with DT Swiss, which is not explicitly stated in the text, severely undermines his credibility. Much of the information that is interesting in this text is specific to the DT product line, some apparently directly copied from DT manuals.
   
   In addition, much of the guidance the author offers is obsolete, dubious, or just plain wrong. This author repeats many common bicycle myths that have long been proven to be fallacies. He also recommends various outdated and obsolete practices, such as soldering and tying--which he describes in more detail than is present anywhere else in the book--that have been soundly discredited for use on modern bicycles.
   
   There is very little in this book that is worthwhile reading, and so much misinformation. The fact that much of the book is confusing, incomprehensible, or inane is really just the icing on the cake. Since there is at least one excellent, definitive, and authoritative reference on the bicycle wheel, I can see absolutely no reason anyone would want to buy this book.



3. This book is fantastic. There's a simple step by step formula for lacing up a wheel that is better than anything I've ever read. Really.
   
   Building a wheel isn't exactly rocket science, but if you do it wrong, you're going to have a poor quality wheel. Build it right, and your wheel will be better than a factory can turn out.
   
   If you're looking to build a wheelset, or if you may be build 1-2 wheels a year, this is an excellent primer and reference.



4. This is a great book to read to understand some of the concepts of wheelbuilding. It answers many of the "why" questions. It is not, however, a step-by-step guide on how to build a wheel. For instance, when attempting to build my first wheel, I wanted to know the best specific method for threading the spokes. This book does not include that and you must go elsewhere to get that information. Overall, a good augmentation to your detailed maintenance manuals.



5. One of the frustrations many cyclists will have, aside
   from the aggravation of lack of exclusive / reserved paths
   in major urban areas and cities, excess of cars and pedestrians
   and rainy and cold weather conditions, often is the lack of
   durability of wheels, and the cost of replacing these.
   
   Much like an automobile is most cheaply replaced by a mass
   produced, commercialized vehicle outsouced to an Asian
   manufacturer, 99% of cyclists are probably better off buying
   their own wheels, not making them.
   
   But for the unique individual preparing make this a hobby of
   some sorts, or for the new professional in the business, this
   book is "the real deal" in acquiring materials and assembling
   and tuning your own wheels. Indeed, there are plenty of photographs,
   illustrations, clues, explanations, and steps laid out in this book
   comprising about 100 glossy pages, to help you along the way.
   
   The costs of doing so, however, are less clear. Where and from whom
   to acquire the items for assembly, and how many wheels will the cyclist
   need to prepare for own use over 2 or 3 years ? Or for friends and family?
   Why not just buy them, vs. acquiring a trueing device, or perhaps tools
   and space for the assembly and tuning, for example?
   
   Aside from the practical side of the book, the entertainment value is
   not absent, either. It makes for an interesting read.

5 comments about The Arcades Project.

1. The Arcades Project was Walter Benjamin's mammoth, lifelong project. The book is not complete, not because Benjamin did not finish it (which he didn't), but because the book is organized like a collage or montage, and these "art forms" are always works-in-progress. Benjamin tried to document life in XIX century Paris through the eyes of a historian/archeologist. Along with Simmel and Kracauer, Benjamin tried to make a sociological, micro-history of the habits, ideologies, and dreams of the main actors of Parisian life -politicians, leaders, revolutionaries, journalists, poets. What is more important, however, is Benjamin's conception of history that we can find in Chapter N of this book. Benjamin studied XIX century Paris from a unique perspective of history as a discontinuous chain of events. For Benjamin, there is no progress in history from A to B. B is not superior to A; both points are subsumed in the same history of domination and catastrophe. Still, what he tried to see in Paris were those events or actors that broke out from this sad universe: the Commune, the Utopians, the Rebels. Benjamin did this to discover the revolutionary potential of past societies that can be useful for the present. This book is so rich and long, that there is almost everything for anyone who is interested in cultural history, philosophy, and theology.



2. As the U.S. begins more and more to embrace a cultural, if not yet explicitly political fascism, it's particularly important to look at the response earlier generations made to fascism. Walter Benjamin is a good place for us to start now, and not just because of his fascinating life and tragic death (read about it in the apparatus to The Arcades Project). Benjamin is at his best in examining the allegoric and metaphoric qualities of commercial objects and trends. He tries to understand what products and displays mean. We now live in a culture of declaration rather than fact (WMD in Iraq, the morality of torture, the chorus of creationists on the school board...); even our public discourse works like declarative advertising copy, like propaganda.
   
   Walter Benjamin's interpretation of 19th century Parisian commerce gives us some tools with which to crack the contemporary code.
   
   Stylistically, The Arcades Project works brilliantly. The layering of quotations and themes evokes a dream world, which is part of Benjamin's point: capitalism lulls whole social bodies to sleep, like a narcotic, like an addiction, and provides a phantasmagoria complete enough to keep consensus reality in place. Benjamin's prose sparkles; ideas pop from the page. More good news: you can effectively read around in The Arcades Project; you don't have to read through it cover-to-cover to get the point.
   
   Finally, if you want to understand the impulses of those who are actively transforming the beautiful United States into styrofoam Walmartistan, I humbly suggest that the reader seek out Deleuze and Guattari's study Anti-Oedipus, which examines in detail the ways in which one can desire fascism (and desire in a fascist manner).



3. In the fifth of his "Theses on History" Benjamin mentions that "every image of the past that is not recognized by the present as one of its own concerns threatens to disapear irretrievably." This work represents a significant way of not forgetting. It is fragmentary...but it reminds us that the texts we read are all fragmentary, and we assemble and contextualize them as we read them.



4. This book is a nihilistic, incoherent work, and I dare anyone who reads this review to argue to the contrary. Admiration for this book is humbuggery in action. The emperor has no clothes.



5. Herbert Muschamp, the NY Times architectural critic, has written an interesting article about Benjamin and his Paris project which appears in the Arts & Leisure section on January 16, 2000. While not strictly speaking a book review it nevertheless offers some observations as to the cultural importance of Benjamin's chef d'oevre. Another book on the Arcades Project is Susan Buck-Morss's 'The Dialectics of Seeing' (MIT 1989, 1991, 1997).

5 comments about More Small Houses (Great Houses).

1. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the small home movement! Like its predecessor "Small Homes" this book is full of great ideas and wonderful photography of details and explanations of building theory. The book presents each building as a case study and looks at cost per square foot, obstacles in the building process, energy efficiency, and architectural details.



2. I am going to build a small house and found great ideas in this book. I like this book a lot.



3. If you want a picture book to leaf thru, I guess it's okay. As far as practical ideas, forget it. Most of the homes here are very site-specific, and most are multi-story. I didn't really see any innovations or adaptable ideas that I could actually use in my own home construction, which was why I bought it.



4. Fine Homebuilding does a great job of highlighting unique architecture. My only wish is that it wouldn't get recycled over and over again in hardcover. My plea is for Fine Homebuilding is to keep searching out fabulous homes to keep it fresh. My admonishment is to Taupin Press for boring it's very attentive audience. I now look through a book before I purchase it, I usually find that I already own 20-30 of the pics that I find interesting.



5. I just love the small(?) houses in this book. I'm one of those people that dream of one day being able to build my own home, and therefore have numerous books and magazines with house plans. This book is the best by far that I have. The plans and pictures in this book are just brilliant. I love the fact that most of the houses are different to the normal square or rectangular shape that is so prevelent these days. All though most of the houses in the book aren't really that small, at least not to me, there are some wonderful designs. The detail provided about each design is thorough. The Energy-Efficient Houses and Craftsman-Style Houses books are terrific as well.

5 comments about Ghostly Ruins: America's Forgotten Architecture.

1. Who could not fall for the enthusiasm of Mr. Skrdla? He expertly details the rise and fall of these remarkable ruins, from design to construction to abandonment. He casts a wry eye on how greed often contribute to these ruins' demise. The photographs are very good, particularly when he pairs before-and-after views. Highly recommended for any student of architectural photography, urban affairs, wealth, and just about anything American.
   
   Mr. Skrdla, we need a sequel!



2. This book is full of interesting places which we all wish we could visit. The photograhy in this book is classic black and white. With the perfect amount of information not to make it boring. I love this book.



3. Author Skrdla presents his unique vision of the world of abandoned buildings across the USA. Lavishly illustrated in compelling black and white images, the book opens your eyes to the beauty and sadness of the deserted cast-offs of our "throw-away" age.
   
   The book is organized in a series of types of building, from residential to industrial. Skrdla has an ironic and tight writing style which clearly expresses his love for these often dramatic examples of man's ego and confidence. He also makes the reader take stock of the increasingly homogenized, sterile, and industrially functional buildings our society is willing to accept. He makes the stong point that we are losing the pride in civic architecture which is the foundation of lasting meaning and beauty.



4. A very impressive photo documentary of buildings and places that have been left to uncertainty, the elements, or destroyed. The brief histories given for each place makes for some interesting reading. The photographs are magnificent, I wish I could step into them and see all the photographer saw at the time the places were photographed. It is sad to think some of these places will be left alone to fall apart or destroyed. This book really brings to mind how precious and unique these places are.



5. A fantastic and haunting look at some once grand and beautiful buildings. An excellent commentary with history, that creates a mood thick with the cobwebs of time. The best I have seen that deals with the wealth of archietectural gems we have lost over the years. After reading, one is so much more aware of the crumbling buildings that surround us all over the nation, and maybe will be moved to save future ruins from total destruction.

5 comments about The Book as Art: Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

1. Terrific book that is a keeper. If you can't get to see a portion of these works of art exhibited, at least you can enjoy what is being created out there by this wonderfully photographed and informative book. An added bonus was that it arrived sealed in plastic in mint condition!



2. This book is a wonderful review of the art of books as contemporary sculpture. As a fiber artist-bookmaker-handmade paper maker, I bought a copy for my own library, then gave another copy as a gift to a fellow artist who was interested in using books and book images in art. Inspirational as well as informative. I look forward to seeing the actual exhibition.



3. This is one of those products which is true to its theme from the moment you unwrap it.Being a book about the beauty and creativity of books it has itself to be worthy, which it certainly is. It is a pleasure to hold and to explore, as the design and concept have been carefuly considered.
   The examples chosen are rich and varied and are divided thematically.The problem is that so many of the books are enormously intriguing that one wants to handle them to discover their mysteries. However the descriptions are usually very good and do allow one to at least understand the concept of the creator.If you love books as art, this is a truly wonderful possession.



4. Turning the book making into an art can make a book more attractive and collectible. This book demonstrates a lot of outstanding examples. Readers are completely satisfied by the books in this book.



5. One of the best! This book should be on your bookshelf if you are interested in the books as an art form. I would suggest it for any school or college media center. I would not include it on a list for coffee table books but if you have a serious home library which leans toward the book arts,artist journals and sketchbooks; by all means, put this out on the reading table.
   The next best thing:Visiting the Museum in person!

5 comments about History of Interior Design and Furniture: From Ancient Egypt to Nineteenth-Century Europe.

1. I purchased this book as a requirement for an Interior Design History class at Parsons School of Design. The Historian teaching the course highly recommends.
   
   So far I've only had a chance to browse through, but I like that it goes through each era highlighting the significant differences and similarities. It would be helpful if they included more pictures as illustration to match their information so you can get a better idea.
   
   There's more pictures of single furniture pieces than of a whole space- which I don't like.



2. Excellent volume. Arrived in only three days. Dust jacket slightly torn on one corner but otherwise in perfect shape. Very informational volume for anyone interested in the evolution of this art.



3. This book is very helpful for students and professionals seeking to further knowledge on the history of architecture and interior design. Very detailed information.



4. Well, I youre thinking between this and Piles' History of ID then this is a much better book. Each style is explained with great details, and black and white photos and sketches are really helpful, and in the middle of the book is about a dozen of color photos of interiors.
   I used this book a lot for my studies of the history of id.
   If you're looking for a book full of photos of interiors and fancy words then just don't bother buying it since you wont find them in this book



5. This is an outstanding book, with plenty of pictures - great insider material on furniture and architecture. And I already have a design MA with my own firm.

5 comments about The French-Inspired Home, with French General.

1. I should have believed the bad reviews that I read on Amazon and not bought this book. They were right. I could have saved the return shipping charge. This book was such a dissapointment. Nothing new, creative or interesting about it. Also, it has nothing in common with any French lifestyle. I returned it the next day.



2. Bring the look of French decorating to your home. I love this book, never having been to France and only seeing limited books on French decorating, I find this to be one of the best, it is kind of a more laid back decorating approach than the more formal French decorating books I have seen, it is well done and gives you some projects you can tackle as a beginner sewer. This book looks at french tickings and uses for them throughout your home, if you have ever come across French tickings and the like, you will find they are so versatile in your home, and you will keep wanting to get more. A 5 star book.



3. A beautiful book--if you like shabby chic, it's for you. Good ideas, but not always practical unless you have access to a lot of estate sales and flea markets where dealers don't price themselves out of the market.



4. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was with this book. Having read the glowing reviews, on receiving the book, there is really nothing in this book of value, creativity or the "oooh" factor. This one will be quickly dispatched to the second hand book store!



5. I read this book from first page to last right after I opened it from the mail. It is filled with inspiration, helpful hints, decorating ideas, and an archive of full colored images that you can scan into your computer and use yourself. I love how she does not force her shop onto the reader, she states that you can find the items that she is explaining at flea markets and antique sales all over the world. I would rate this book 5 stars, for helpful insight into creating a "french inspired home." Cant wait for the next one!!

2 comments about Pacific Modern.

1. It is a great collection of modern architecture, it is wonderful to see such examples throught the world. Since I know the author personally, I love to see how his second book is even better than the first.



2. We purchased this book as a reference for clients building new homes. We are based in Australia and have seen these photos before...our clients hadn't so it was still very useful. Clear and with floorplans shows how space and light work well.