1 comments about A Monograph of the Work of Mellor, Meigs, & Howe.

1. This monograph has good text and lots of photographic images for anyone who loves period houses. What sets it apart from other books of its kind is the inclusion of pages of detailed drawings by the architects. The illustrations are absolutely magnificant and very educational for those interested in how these intricate works went from the minds of the architects to actual built works of enduring beauty. A very good book.

1 comments about On Distant Shores: Colonial Houses Around the World.

1. This is a truly unique book breaking down as it does buildings by colonial nation. It enables a side-by-side comparison of how different countries adapted their historic architectural styles to their mostly tropical colonies. It is stunningly illustrated and is a must-have for anyone interested in colonial architecture or, like my self, wishing to build a luxury home with colonial elegance in the tropics.

5 comments about Country Houses and Seaside Cottages of the Victorian Era (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. A nice little book on the subject. Gives the reader a basic covering on a variety of dwellings of the period but unfortunately rarely gives more than one or two floors of a design that uas three or four without providing a full set. Also doesn't provide scale for some designs.



2. Though these houses purport to be "country houses and seaside cottages," there's little reason they couldn't have been built in any Victorian small town. They range from a tiny three-room structure to a rambling 10-bedroom Dutch Gambrel mansion (called in those days a "villa") to a "club house" (easily altered to private use), a lakeside pavilion, a Baptist chapel, a "stone rectory in Iowa," and a couple of apartment blocks, one of which eerily reminds me of a building not far from my former home. These buildings are primarily of the Eastlake or Queen Anne style, the original book having appeared in 1883, an era when the front stair-hall was often as big as any other room and used as such. You'll need a magnifier to make out some of the details, but if you have any interest at all in late-Victorian domestic architecture, you need to have this volume on your shelves.



3. Is a great visually informative book. It gives the reader a better idea of the way homes were built in the late 19th century. The book covers a wide variety of victorian styles and includes plans, perspective views and elevations from a small 4 room cottage, to a huge 36+ room mansion in the Caribbean. I recomend this book to anybody interested in late 19th century victorian architecture.



4. is a wonderful book that shows how homes were designed and built in the late 19th century. It covers a variety of victorian styles and has floorplans along with perspective views and elevations from a small 3 room cottage to a 36+ room mansion. This is a great way to learn about victorian architecture.



5. This book has great illistrations and floor plans with elevations. It's a great way to learn about the way homes were built in the late 19th century. It also includes specifications for the builder. It contains many plans of many differt styles of victorian architecture from a simple 3 room home, to a 36+ room mansion.

2 comments about Classical Architecture: The Poetics of Order.

1. A highly useful if somewhat cursory look at the principals of classical architectural form. As an artist I found it to be very illuminating. Even more important was the author's attempt at developing a modern aesthetic which accounts for the lasting appeal of the classical.



2. Tzonis dose a very good job at laying out the foundations of classical architecture, for the biginner and the professional. This book has some very nice drawings incorperated into it that help with the understanding of the theories. This book is highly recomended for any one interested in classical architecture.

No comments about Stables and Other Equestrian Buildings: A Guide to Design and Construction.

No comments about Building Outdoor Structures (Build Like A Pro).

2 comments about New Moroccan Style: The Art of Sensual Living.

1. I confess that I was a bit disappointed by this book. I was hoping for a book about sumptuous Moroccan decorating and living the Moroccan lifestyle. This book really only barely touches on that. The actual focus of the book is concentrated on a few hotels and restaurants located in Morocco but owned mostly by people foreign to Morocco, with the addition of a few homes of wealthy people in the United States who have been somewhat influenced by Moroccan style. This book contains no pictures of the interiors of homes of the average Moroccan citizen at all.
   
   Also, the decorating style advocated in this book is one of an overall Contemporary style with Moroccan influences. In the case of this book, "New" Moroccan Style equals an almost Asian minimalist approach with a few Moroccan handicrafts thrown in. If you're looking for a book with pictures featuring the more well-known "More is better!" Moroccan decorating approach, with layer on top of layer of textile and color, you are bound to be as disappointed as I was. The decorating style featured in this book is very restrained compared to most other books on Moroccan style that I have encountered.
   
   I still give the book four stars overall for content and information. For what the book actually is, it's not a bad book at all. It just isn't exactly what you'd expect it to be, either. The text discussing the origins of Moroccan style, from the Berber influence to Andalusian style, is especially informative. The recipes included in the book, along with pictures, are also a nice bonus.



2. This is such a great book! Spare yet sensual interiors, there are ideas for interiors in here that everyone can do. Moroccan interior design is not based on lots of money, or elaborate settings, but rather arranging things you have in unexpected ways - decide what's pleasing to you, and get bold with color!

4 comments about Creating the Inspired House: Discovering Your Place Called Home.

1. A broad coverage of designs. A little flashy and cold. Lots of photos illustrating ideas and floor plans.



2. very good book, lots of info for thinking about how your house works.



3. 'Inspired House' introduces you to the owners, architect and builder of the featured homes, giving insight into the ideas behind design and building decisions. Good look at how your house could move from vision to concept to reality. The houses here seem more livable, more affordable (for the most part) than some in similar books. If you're hoping for nuts-and-bolts costs and dimensions, this book will leave you mildly disappointed. But the lovely, practical homes are well worth looking to for inspiration, and that, after all, is what was promised. A wonderful book that actually did inspire and fill out many details of our current "if we build" home.



4. This is a good book to flip thru for ideas and to see some fresh ideas for your Inspired House!

2 comments about Traditions in Architecture: Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania.

1. Although the book was written as a textbook for a course in non-western traditions in architectural history, it may be of considerable interest to anyone traveling to parts of Asia, Africa and Oceania. The authors' approach is largely descriptive, and the illustrations both plentiful and very good, so one may be a little impatient that the verbal descriptions rarely provide much information that is not apparent from the photos and drawings; but this is, after all, a textbook, and if you will grant that allowance, it is well-worth your time.
        The architectural traditions covered are contemporary as well as ancient, grand as well as domestic and, throughout, the authors treat the sacred and symbolic traditions of the culture, insofar as they are known or may be inferred, as they bear on the built environment. The book is organized thematically, rather than chronologically or geographically. Among the themes: moveable, stationary and underground dwellings; the impact of colonialism on native structures; the transfer of traditional architectural knowledge; and spatial organization, from courtyards to the axial alignments of cities. The focus is on three categories of structures: professionally designed and built monuments, houses erected by traditional building tradesmen, and structures that ordinary people build for their own use. The overarching theme is that architecture expresses cultural values as well as technology, and it illustrates that theme with an exceptionally wide range of examples.
        In the single area of the book where I have a fairly solid background, the Anasazi/Puebloan architecture of the Southwest, the scholarship is current and sound. Interesting and highly informative.



2. My familiarity with architectural studies stems from 3 years as a graduate student. Most architectural studies are "biased" to western history an organized in chronological order. Traditions in Architecture takes a fresh approach by focusing on a rich source of architectural precedence in the early America, Asia, Africa and the far east. The organization is thematic, rather than chronological covering such diverse topics as fixed versus mobile living spaces, vernacular materials, construction methods, sacred spaces, and so much more.

   The only reason that I did not give the work 5 stars is that many of the pictures (all black and white) lacked clarity. I do not know whether this was due to poor originals or poor reproduction; however, the details often are necessary to untderstand the full impact of the works.

   As UCLA professors, Crouch and Johnson give much credit to their students' work and input. This appears to be a work that has been a culmination of years of study with much independent input. I highly recommend it as a "first" to take this approach and to cover such a wide breadth of topics in one volume.

3 comments about Whitman Coin Collecting: Starter Set.

1. This is a nice starter set for anyone just learning about coin collecting. It's a bit more challenging than collecting the state quarters so if this is for a small child they will need some help reading the material and how to manage the coins. Many students in 3rd grade will study "money" as part of the curriculum and this would make a great package for an adult or older child to share with a 3rd grader, but it's probably too much for most 3rd graders on their own. Enjoy!



2. I didn;t receive the items, they said they were shipped to my address at
   work and I never received them. I asked that they be resent. i had gotten these for my three grandboys last christmas and they are enjoying them.



3. Don't pay any attention to the photo of the box. If you want the book, this is the kit for you, but if you really want supplies, go elsewhere. It is very limited, and not at all what the pictures shows.