3 comments about Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City.

1. This is a great book. Philadelphia was blessed with some beautiful buildings and sad to say many did not service so called progress. The vintage images were very interesting and the text was very informative. Philadelphia did lose many buildings that never should have been destroyed, but many of the historic buildings on Society Hill or great buildings like Independence Hall and its annex buildings, survive and I do like what the park service did to house the Liberty Bell, it's sort of Modern Georgian. It's hard to believe that the iconic City Hall building was so close to being pulled down, it barely survived, I mean can you image Philadelphia without City Hall?!!! so it could have been worse...and Wannamakers is still extant, though it's now called Lord and Taylor and at least the greatest of department store buildings is still open and glorious, but i do wish they would get rid of that ridiculous steel stucture substituting for the great Franklins home..its awful..just rebuild it and let people know it's a reproduction..this is BEN FRANKLINS HOUSE, people!!! I do love how Philadelphia cherish's the great Franklin, he is the greatest of the founding father's and he gets his due respect in his home town..i still cant believe that he does not have a huge memorial in Washington, it's a travesty. Great book..if you have any love at all for architecture history of Philadelphia in general...oh and Philadelphians dont let them tear down Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park, it's the last of the great Gilded age estates in Philadelphia, it's on it's last leg..dont let it go the way of the late, great Whitemarsh Hall.



2. Tom Keels has produced a treasure of a book. There are many compilations of photographs of old Philadelphia, but Keels supplies what others mostly lack -- a brief but rich history and context for each of the lost buildings he documents. Many of the photographs will be familiar to anyone interested in Philadelphia history, but this should not discourage you from buying the book. You will learn a great deal, thanks to Keels' perspicacious research. Moreover, his prose is graceful and witty, never stodgy.



3. This is an amazing book and concept! It's a guided tour of Philadelphia history like no other. The maps in the book are especially effective in highlighting the changes in the Philadelphia landscape over the years. I used the same Philadelphia based cartographers, NaZa, for ABC Philadelphia to highlight the best and most current places for Philadelphia families today, now I'm wondering about the best family places in Philadelphia from yesteryear. This will be on the top of my holiday list this year.

4 comments about Long Beach Architecture: The Unexpected Metropolis (California Architecture and Architects).

1. This work provides a thorough look at the architecture of Long Beach's past, including many sites that no longer exist. It's an historical yet fresh perspective on a city I've visited several times and on a city I now see in a completely different way.
   
   Although I don't live in Long Beach I would think that this would be especially facinating for anybody who does.



2. This book has a ton of buildings in Long Beach. Some of them aren't very pretty buldings to begin with, but the prose explains their significance well, making up for it. However, the layout, photography, and design of the bok are seriously lacking. While, I think whoever published this book did themselves a huge disservice by not putting some effort into making the work presentable, it is a great collection of information about interesting places in Long Beach.



3. A very long over due look at Long Beach. My only complaint is that the address is not listed for buildings no longer there- just "demolished". For those of us who were not around when some of the buildings were, it would be nice to have the former address to to see what has taken the former buildings place. Other than that a great book.



4. And the way it's shown and told by the authors keeps all senses open and curious. The only thing I can't decide is if it's a coffee table book, a book to read and shelve or a book to explore with. Whichever way, it's full of history, current and future information regarding the LBC and its strong stance as Los Angeles' right hand wo(man).
   
   Visually, the homes, businesses, halls, bridges, centers, theaters, lofts, apartments and high rises chosen are the book's draw. Stunning architechture from all sorts of times. Each place chosen gets a spread.
   
   Textually, probably one of the strongest points made in the book (from my slant, at least) is the city's ability to survive and prosper. Without this, forward motion seems like it would have been limited to that of a typical metroville. The book points to all sorts of drama the city went through and is still playing with. From it's hay-day to its current hardcore stance, I learned about its cash and about why its diversity is. I'm not a writer but it seems written very well and flows nicely. They even got some props from some big architect heads in the beginning pages.
   
   And talk about drama, the authors even school the city (and give it love, too!) regarding a number of directions that it has taken architecturally in recent years. "All-deco" got heckled. Good, because I live (t)here and we need more chaos. More modernity. More of everything. Not just one style. The authors will have had a hand on this steering wheel if we see change in the city's direction over the coming years.
   
   Aside from its well placed critical stance is a writen attitude of optimisim and growth. A book supporting a city whose ability will soon shine. A little peek into the past allowing us as readers a glimps of the obvious future. A new west coast giant.
   
   There are tons of photos and the text on each page per photo is a quick read. Lots of historical imagery in the beginning that keep a person turning pages. There's this one shot of a loft in the Walker Building that's amazing!!! bah ha!
   
   I suppose the two women who wrote this thick book are vacationing somewhere in Europe sipping chi tea, cause they must have sold a grip. At least in Strong Beach.
   
   But I have one question: Where is Snoop's crib?

No comments about Remaking the Urban Waterfront.

1 comments about Century of Interior Design 1900-2000: The Designers, the Products, and the Profession.

1. This book is great quick resource of design and architecture in a time-line fashion. I highly recommend you add this to your library.

No comments about The Elusive City: Five Centuries of Design, Ambition and Miscalculation.

No comments about New York Interior Design, 1935-1985, Vol. 1: Inventors of Tradition.

5 comments about Gothic.

1. "Gothic" is the second book in a series that covers Western European art and architecture from the 11th to the 19th century. "Gothic" actually deals with two periods: the Gothic period proper, and the Early Renaissance, mostly it's Northern (Dutch) version. The editor believes that the distinction between Late Gothic and the Renaissance is problematic and somewhat artificial. Thus, the book takes us from the 12th century well into the 15th century.
   
   A large part of the book deals with Gothic architecture: cathedrals, churches, city halls and (to a much lesser extent) castles. There are also chapters on Gothic sculpture, painting and goldwork. The chapter on painting also includes Giotto, Fra Angelico and the Northern Renaissance (especially the latter). The text is very comprehensive, and probably mostly appeals to serious students of European art and architecture. What makes the book of interest to the non-specialist are the lavish illustrations. There are photos on almost every page, most of them in color, and all of it for a bargain price!
   
   Personally, I must admit that the "pure" Gothic cathedrals don't really appeal to me. I find them boring. And yes, almost half the book shows Gothic cathedral interiors or facades, most of them strikingly similar to each other... The second half of the book is more aesthetically pleasing, showing how the original Gothic style changed as it spread to Germany, the Netherlands and Bohemia, and how painting developed during the Early Renaissance. The section on goldworks shows many interesting objects.
   
   I like the "Baroque" volume of this series more, but if you have an interest in the Middle Ages, or "Old" Europe art and architecture in general, this book is nevertheless recommended.



2. Honestly, I'm thinking of buying another two copies of this book (I have one now) so that I can cut out and frame some of the pictures - (I want two copies because some of the images are back to back). The images are stunning, and there are clear examples that show the influence of Islamic and Moorish art on Christian cathedrals, especially in Spain. Truly a beautiful and scholarly introduction to this lovely part of the heritage of the whole human race.



3. This is the most spectacular book for you if you like lots of HUGE clear photos of TONS of gothic cathedrals. There are MANY pages of history and other information about the making and restoring of the cathedrals. A MUST HAVE for any gothic-history lover.



4. I first discovered this book in the library and I checked it out several times because I just loved looking at it so much. The pictures are so breathtaking, it increased my resolved to go to Europe and visit all these incredible places first hand. It's a great thourough book for anyone who is new to Gothic art forms as well as a visual reference for people who are already familiar with the style.

   Hard to carry around, but very easy to read!




5. Having borrowed this book over and over from the library, I really had a hard time parting with it when I last returned it. The photographs are splendid, a joy to look at. Since it also qualifies as a reference book, I looked it up ..... to but [buy] a copy but was certain price would be ... more than in was. Now I'm about to by my third copy --it is an amazing bargain.

4 comments about Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering.

1. I have been reading Dr Petroski's books for a long time. I was particularly struck by the study of the Texas A&M Bonfire collapse. I was impressed that he went beyond the "nuts and bolts" of physicial studies of materials and failure analysis. The comments on psychological factors was insightful and engaging.
   
   Highly recommended



2. In the push for longer bridges, taller buildings and larger-scale projects of all sizes, engineers face new challenges which go beyond physics to tackle the aesthetics and functionality of engineering itself. Henry Petroski's PUSHING THE LIMITS tells stories of daring enterprizes which envisioned engineering achievements beyond ordinary measure; from Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Bridge to China's Three Gorges Dam project. His isn't just a celebration of technological achievement either: PUSHING THE LIMITS also examines the underlying costs and problems of such projects, focusing on both design and human challenges in the process.



3. It's pretty clear that Mr. Petroski likes bridges. I do to. In fact I just recently drove many miles out of my way to go see the new Sundial bridge designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava in Redding, California. My one complaint here would be that I'd sure like to have seen more pictures. His words are elequent, his descriptions great, but remember the bit about picture and a thousand words.
   
   Bridges take up about half the book. then he goes on to describe an eclectic collection of engineering projects that don't quite fit together but which make nice little essays of their own.
   
   Interesting enough, a couple of his essays cover engineering projects that failed. In his interestingly named Vanities of the Bonfire, he gives an engineering report of the collapse of the stack of logs that made up the 1999 bonfire at Texas A&M. It would be very amusing except that it killed a dozen people and injured several more. Consistent with todays law suit environment, it is now estimated that a new bonfire would cost between one and one and a half million dollars.



4. This book is a worthwhile addition to Petroski's accounts of adventures in engineering. His many essays on the possibilities of gutsy achievement in large scale engineering is leavened by cautionary tales of overconfidence and hubris. His stories are especially enlivened by his lacing some of his personal experiences with encountering the structures with erudite discussions of the technical challenges faced by the engineers and sometimes lyrical peans to the beauty of the artifacts they had created.
   
   I especially appreciated his chapter on his visit to the Three Gorges--a place I hope to visit soon. And the one about London's Millennium Bridge and the Wheel was tops too.
   
   On the other hand, it is apparent that the book is rather unevenly done. It is a collection of essays that do not tie together very well. The chapter on fuel cells near the end of the book seems quite out of place and pedantic to boot. And while the book has 28 illustrations, most of them are pretty cheesy--it really needs more and better pictures.
   
   But overall, I enjoyed the book and I'll be using it to enhance my visits to some of the same places that he describes so well.

3 comments about Architecture Inspirations (Inspiration Books).

1. BIG BOOK. Picture book. Text is minimal, but is in five different languages. This is probably a clever way to publish books to communicate with a linguistically diverse audience.
   
   The content:
   Architecture is heavily judged on personal taste, and I confess to having VERY narrow tastes. The "homes" that are presented in this book are generally stark, barren, empty, uninviting: STERILE in my opinion. If I had to live in one of those structures, I would probably curl up and die within a few months. 700 pages and almost no curves to be seen anywhere. I found ZERO ideas to incorporate into the home that I am designing.
   
   I really hope that this book does not represent "the future" of home design. This book inspired only a quiet sigh.



2. Great book to get inspired for your new home. I already spent many hours with this book, for my own ideas, but also with friends to help them get inspired for their new place to be.
   
   The whole book is one big stack of high quality pictures about residential architecture. It delivers exactly according to its title; Architecture Inspirations.
   
   One of my favorites!



3. This is a giant idea book about designing houses. It basically consists of several hundred photographs of houses from around the world. The houses are broken into categories: City Houses, Mountain Houses, Houses in Small Towns, Country Houses, Suburban Houses, Waterfront Houses. The styling is almost entirely contemporary with a with a an emphasis on novel, innovative designs showing technical advances in construction technology as it is applied to single family homes.
   
   The book is almost wordless. The format is to show a couple of outside pictures of the home followed by a few pictures of inside rooms. Most of the homes appear to be quite small although it is difficult to tell from just pictures. Some of the homes are definitely not small.
   
   There is no identification of the location of the homes. But I found that this didn't matter. Sometimes you see a sign in Spanish, or another language, but it doesn't really matter. A home is the suburbs of Madrid, or Washington, DC, it's all the same. The homes are striking in appearance, clearly reflecting the best that today's architects can do. Beautiful idea book.

2 comments about Crossings.

1. webb has worked on and off for 25 years on this, and because of it the book seems a bit uneven, mixing old and new, color and B/W in a distracting way. i would highly recommend 'amazon' and 'sunshine state' by the same author before this, but all of webb's books are worthy, important additions to contemporary photography.



2. There aren't many good street photographers shooting with color film. Alex Webb is one of the best. The images in this book span 25 years and focus on the U.S.-Mexico border geographically but their impact is universal.

   Webb fills the frame with people and objects that make the viewer think and reflect about life and not just about life near the border. You will see Elvis, leather belts for sale, restaurants, the beach, a deserted bar, children playing, an elderly man on a bus, wrestlers, a father hugging his son, checker players and a wonderful image of Tijuana taken in 1999 that includes Santa Claus, the Backstreet Boys and other well known symbols of our time arranged beautifully in one image. This is life as it is -- not as someone wishes it would be -- and is also positive and uplifting. Webb is at the top of his game.