2 comments about Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives.

1. This is one of the bests books about grand central and its surroundings ever published, not doubt you'll be 100% satisfied with it.



2. This is a wonderful book on a magnificent building. This book has wonderful period photos as well as recent images and the text is highly informative. It's hard to believe that this building was once slated for demolition, thanks to New Yorkers like Jackie O, Grand Central was saved. Everyone who visits New York City should venture into this singular station, it embodies New York and you get a real feel for Gilded Age grandeur. If you have any interest in magnificent buildings or just good books in general then I believe you will not be disappointed.

No comments about Sustainable Housing: Principles and Practice.

No comments about Project Zagreb: Transition as Condition, Strategy, Practice.

1 comments about Rosemary Beach.

1. This book offers an attractive photographic portrait of Rosemary Beach Florida, a Duany Plater-Zybeck (DPZ) designed community. This beautifully executed tome shows the charm and character that can be achieved in a new community when the principles of good urban design are followed.
   
   For anyone who decries the fact that they are no new porches being created on streets where kids can walk to neighborhood schools, this book is proof positive that you just aren't buying property from developers who have a proper view of the potential of new construction and good planning.

4 comments about Classic Houses of the Twenties (Loizeaux's Plan Book No. 7).

1. I've always been interested in old houses, and my recent favorite era is the '20s. This catalog-turned-book thrilled me! It was so much fun to look at the blueprints for houses that contained servants' quarters and only one bathroom and to read the silly descriptions. It was like taking a step back in time. I imagine this would be a perfect tool for someone wanting to build a modern version of a '20s-style home ... that's what I hope to do one day.



2. This is a reprint of a house plan catalog from 1927. These books are actually exact reprints of original plan books from the turn of the century (1880-1925, roughly - this book is one of the latest years in the series). Dover adds little or no modern explanations, just presenting the catalog as it was. So when one looks to review these books, one isn't really judging the modern-day publisher, or editing, or writing. The only modern element is the accuracy of reproduction- in some cases, if pages in the originals that Dover found are damaged or torn, that page is reproduced in the original with the tear, smudge, blot, or hole showing. So to judge the books, one has to compare each one to others of its kind, and then to decide whether the material in it is thorough and complete according to the standards of its time. Since there are several dozen of these catalogs published by Dover, we have the basis for such a comparison.

   This book originally was "Loizeaux's Plan Book No. 7" published by the J.D. Loizeaux Lumber Company. The book starts with photos of the Loizeaux business locations including their lumber plant and their builders' supply yard and dock. There are several pages showing a complete example of what blueprints one receives if one orders a plan. Then there's an article on styles of homes, which gives the modern reader a glimpse of what styles were most popular at the time.

   The book continues with still more articles and advice, before getting to plans: a section on decorating, including what color schemes are advised for each room. One interesting feature to today's eyes is the recommendation of strong colors for walls - according to Loizeaux, white should be used only sparingly! There are illustrations of furnished rooms. Although black and white, each is accompanied by a description of its colors. Here's a nice tasteful bedroom: "Walls are tinted soft peach or apricot. Casement curtains are of sunfast voile or net in ecru or café au lait. Valence at top of window is of violet sateen with draperies of cretonne, chintz, or printed linen. Bed cover of violet sateen, flounce of soft jade green. Shirred over-spread of thin dotted swiss. Deep blue Wilton carpet and cushion on window seat. Slipper stool and lamp shade are in soft rose taffeta." Certainly makes your current bedroom sound pale, doesn't it?

   In the illustrations of the kitchen and bathroom, we can tell that we are moving from the turn-of-the-century to the Art Deco era, because no longer are they done in gleaming "sanitary white" tile; now the tiles include colors and patterns.

   The floor plans actually start on page 17. Each page contains an illustration (sometimes, but not always, a photo), upstairs and downstairs floor plans, a listing of overall dimensions, and 2 or 3 sentences about the house. Each room on the floor plan is labelled, and the various built-ins such as a telephone nook, medicine cabinet, or bookshelf, are pointed out.

   Partway through the book, the plans are interrupted by more articles: one on how to heat the small home - basically, an ancestor of the infomercial, really a long advertisement for a particular brand of heater that Loizeaux sells. Likewise an article/ad for hot water heaters. Check out the article on G-E Wiring Systems on pages 70-71; the illustrations of a couple being shown a house by an agent are funny. Perhaps one of the funniest articles is the page about the "combination bath." This was supposed to be a new, modern, convenience, combining a seat, foot bath, shower, and child's bath all in one. Looking at the illustrations (including an unclothed young man in the shower- how racy!), one can see that this design is just an accident waiting to happen, which must have finally occurred to the company, too, because we certainly don't see any of these combination baths any more!

   Little sketches here and there add to the charm of the book - a drawing of a child operating a garbage burner, of a furnished sun parlor, and so on.

   While most of the plans are for single-family houses, there are a few for duplexes or apartment buildings. This book is also late enough into the century that we can take interior bathrooms for granted; the 1920's are quite modern compared to a 15 years earlier. Other plan books, from 1912, for example, still have half the houses without indoor baths, and many not wired for electricity. On the other hand, it's still long enough ago that there are a few houses with thatched or wooden roofs; there are not yet garages featured automatically with the houses, and the kitchen stoves still need a chimney vented to the outside. I greatly enjoy comparing books from a few years apart, to see the progress being made.

   In summary: the extensive number of articles/ads in the plan book make it a valuable addition to a collection, because they provide so much information about what daily life and average tastes of the time were like, not just what architectural styles were popular. Fun reading, fun to browse, and also a valuable reference for anyone who is studying old houses and neighborhoods.




3. The plans in this book are very similar in design to my bungalow home. From general interior layout to exterior apperance, this book has given me ideas to improve the exterior of my home! I've read this book over and over many atimes. Purchase it and use it for future referance, as I will when I build a home from one of the plans in this book!



4. If you're as nostalgic as I am about all things old...cars...music...houses...you'll find this book fascinating. Use it as a reference for restoring your old house or as a creative resource for ideas in your brand new custom home. There are even mentions about built-ins like disappearing beds, sleeping porches, and telephone cabinets. I especially enjoyed the explanation about the differences between New England Colonial, Dutch Colonial, Gothic, and Modern English styles of architecture.

2 comments about The Old-House Journal Guide to Restoration.

1. The first house we bought was a 1920s-era Spanish Med Rev. It had been "updated" in a horrendous way in the 1980s and our first task was to undo the updates. The book has been an indispensable resource that helps us understand many of the basic principles involved in old house construction and trim work. Besides allowing me to perform DIY more effectively, it also has been very useful for understand when contractors do--and do not--follow the principles as they work on our old house. On one occasion, when a contractor started to do some work incorrectly, the book allowed me to discuss with him some aspects of the window trim that I wanted done differently. I've had this book for over 10 years and it is one of the most-used books in my collection. I don't want to lend it our because I'm afraid I won't get it back!



2. When we purchased and moved into our "remuddled" (the previous owners paneled over the fireplace in the living room) 126-year old home, we were completely overwhelmed. My husband and I took turns being stumped by all the things that needed repair. Then a friend told us about this book. I finally have answers to the questions I thought were unanswerable. I can tackle the calked-shut windows, the sagging staircase, and even the holes and cracks in the plaster. On some issues I even know more than the home improvement store people I used to seek out for help.

   If you have a pre 1939 home, then you NEED this book. It is the owners manual!

No comments about Spectacular Homes of the Carolinas (Spectacular Homes).

No comments about Mackintosh's Masterwork: The Glasgow School of Art.

2 comments about Creative Watercolor Techniques.

1. This book will provide some interesting ideas for those looking to explore watercolor as a painting medium. Different techniques are illustrated such as drybrushing vs. wet-into-wet painting, opaque vs. translucent colors, creating textures and using salt, solvents, sponges and other tools to manipulate paint application. I definitely took some inspiration from this book to try different things when I was first learning watercolor as a medium, though as is noted in the book itself, some of these techniques should be used sparingly as they can look gimmicky in a painting if overused. Still, it is nice to have a book that shows one how to experiment with the medium and not be locked into certain schools of thought that insist on a very regimented approach to watercolor.
   
   The biggest problem with this book is that there are not enough color illustrations to really appreciate what is being described by the artist. There are only 32 color plates in a book with more than 175 black & white images. This shortcoming makes the book visually less appealing and some of the technique explanations harder to fully appreciate.



2. Quick response book was satisfactory but slightly outdated. Would have desired more color illustrations.

5 comments about Mosaic Techniques & Traditions: Projects & Designs from Around the World.

1. This book creates instant inspiration the moment you open it. When I need the "Juices" to get going, I take 20 minutes to browse through this wonderful book and I'm ready to start a new project!



2. I had the good fortune to take a class with Sonia King. She is very talented and has a wealth of informaton which she shares very effectively in her book. Not quite like taking the class - but the next best thing if you can't meet her in person. The book is very inspirational and informative.



3. Para una autodidacta como yo, ha sido fantástico poder contar con este libro, en el cual la autora entrega todos sus conocimientos, tanto de historia, materiales y técnicas. Es un libro completo y didáctico.



4. Great book with wonderful pictures. While techniques and methods are shown, the projects are a bit advanced, so I wouldn't recommend it for complete beginners. Other than that, a very good book.



5. This is a very complete book about mosaics. Contains historic and up to date information about the world of mosaics. Contains advices, projects and recommendations. If you are interested in this art you shouldn't missed it.