4 comments about Simplified Irrigation Design, 2nd Edition (Landscape Architecture).

1. I have some basic knowledge of irrigation and right off the bat I was irritated with the way the chapters where laid out. He starts right in with sprinkler head performance and layout before going into the explanation of irrigation, and the basic principles of hydraulics that I believe should be the foundation what you learn first before anything else. The other thing that was that for the money I don't believe it was worth it maybe more like $20-25. Most of the information you can find on the internet searches. But, all in all it was a very easy reading book that did help me fill some holes in my irrigation knowledge.



2. This resource is excellent. Extreme detail, great illustrations, and information that is not provided by other typical irrigation books you'll find at Home Depot. I'm a landscape designer and highly recommend this resource.



3. I read this book to get ready to take my Texas Irrigation License exam. It explained how to properly install a professional quality sprinkler system in an easy to read and understand format. This book goes into detail about how to layout the sprinkler heads, how to pipe it all together, and how all the parts work together. I have read many irrigation books...This was the best book to get a good understanding of sprinkler systems without becoming an expert in the field of irrigation. Perfect for the do it yourself homeowner or individual wanting to get into the irrigation industry. I now have my license and highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn to install a good sprinkler system without having to read an irrigation reference manual.



4. I was very disappointed with this book. The author places emphasis on the use of one brand of irrigation equipment, seldom mentioning other options that may better fit the application. I also found several errors in the enclosed calculations... not simply a typo, but in the methodology of the formulas. I would not recommend this book...

No comments about Live/Work: Working at Home, Living at Work.

5 comments about 1001 All Time Best Selling Home Plans.

1. The plans are so small you cant even see the room sizes on most of them.



2. I had looked at soooo many house plans and thought I was never going to find a plan I liked. I bought this book as a last resort. Well, let me tell everyone...it is an awesome book. Not only did I find the plan I wanted, I called and ordered it. The girl was very helpful and explained all the ins and outs of buying this plan. I would recommend the book and the company highly.



3. I realize there are one thousand plans in this book, but many are so small on the page I couldn't really make out the names of the various rooms. Maybe I'm getting old, but I'd rather have 200 plans that are big enough to adequately review than 1001 plans that are too small to see.



4. If you are looking for a book just to give you some ideas on different home designs, then this book might be useful.
   If however, your thinking of actually purchasing plans from this book, DON'T!!!
   The companies represented are not exactly full of integrity and do not fulfill their promises of what you will recieve for your money.
   The plans that I have seen are not nearly complete enough to be of any realistic use.
   The best way I could describe this whole operation is to call it a "Dairy Farm", looking for ways to entice you to spend a large amount of money only to discover you have to spend a good deal more to get what they already promised you in your original purchase. It's a very flaky set-up, and you will find their representatives less than helpful.



5. This book was cumbersome to say the least. When looking for a plan I narrowed down my wants to 1) Garage not facing the street 2) 3800 sq feet and up 3) Master Suite very large. After that I found several plans, and pondered them down to my dream house. Then I ordered the plan, spent $1200 and got absolutely nothing useful. These plans are not as advertised. One cannot actually build a house from the prints that are bought. My many phone calls were not returned, the company rep angrily argued with my contractor, my money was not returned and I was lightly threatened. Overall, the plans are nice to look at with a magnifying glass, but performance of promises is nil. I know that my dream house was dashed by this book.

4 comments about The Park and the People: A History of Central Park.

1. This is not just a wonderful study of the park itself but a wonderful route into the social world of 19th century new york....one of the points of the book is that the park's boundaries were never natural, however naturalistic the winning design, but were, in the broadest sense, political. What remains today in the park was always fought over and contested.



2. No park has been so exhaustively researched, photographed and documented as this 843 acre oasis. So in saying this book stands out, I'm really saying something. This history of this park is just fascinating and the photos are just wonderful, Mr. Rosenzweig does fine research and it shows, his love for the park is evident in his writing and it makes the book all the more enjoyable. Central Park is the heart of the city, and to understand New York you really need to understand the history of the park. A New York without a Central Park is just unimaginable. I highly recommend this book.



3. There are several good books about Central Park, but this book, along with Sara Cedar Miller's "Central Park, An American Masterpiece" are among the very best.
   
   "The Park and the People: A History of Central Park" is an exhaustive study, without being exhausting. Generously peppered with wonderful illustrations, the book will entice people who had never visited the 800+ acre park to see it. And it will intrigue those people who use the park every day, to look at it with a more insightful eye. This beautiful park has now gotten a beautiful narrative to complement and compliment it. And take Amazon's advice and purchase Miller's book along with this one!
   
   Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points



4. "The Park and the People" is an exquisite work of scholarship. I've read much about the park but nothing approaches the depth of knowledge and insight contained in this extraordinary book. It's provocative, exciting, extremely well written, and downright readable. I learned something new on every page and simply could not put it down.

5 comments about American Country Houses of the Gilded Age (Sheldon's "Artistic Country-Seats").

1. The author of this book refers to country homes of the Gilded Age as "Country Seats" (or "country cottages"). By the author's definition, these were homes of, "grandiose size and scale with imposing facades complemented by manicured gardens and with large and impressive reception rooms, halls, parlors, dining rooms, and other public spaces."
   
   George Sheldon published a book around 1887 documenting this surge in architectural creativity (expressed via country seats) and called his book :"ARTISTIC COUNTRY SEATS".
   
   Therefore, this book in review, called, AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF THE GILDEN AGE, (by Arnold Lewis) was written to show the homes photographed in the Sheldon book, and to update the information provided by Sheldon, so that we can better understand what the Architects and structures' owners were trying to express.
   
   For a long time, I have been interested in seeing what the opulent homes of the Gilded Age must have looked like, especialy those that were avaialable before they were all torn down or destroyed by vandals, fire, etc.
   
   Since I was not too familiar with "country seats" I wanted to find a good book on this specific topic. Well, by buying this book by Arnold Lewis I think I was able to get a better feel for these "country seats" of the wealthy (aka: "country cottages" of the rich).
   
   
   The "country cottages" owned by the wealthy class shown in this Lewis book, are mostly from 1880 to around 1889. Also included in this book are a few selected Casinos from the same period. Reason for the Casinos being included in the Lewis book is probably because the same famous Architects that designed some of the opulent private cottages also designed Casinos located in vacations spots visited by the wealthy class. In addition, some of the Casinos bear a striking resemblance to the styles of the country seats shown in this Lewis book.
   
   Anyhow, when reading this book, I would advise that the reader reads the INTRODUCTION throughly because it explains the role that Sheldon had, in describing each structure. In other words, before jumping right in (as many of us often do) and looking at all the photos, I would recommend reading the entire INTRODUCTION, because it puts the photos in complete perspective.
   
   For instance: The author of this book has researched the Sheldon photos (and reviews) and then re-vamped the descriptions so that they are more understandable to a reader from our Era.
   
   The photos are large and the reader can see all the details so clearly. In fact, it's amazing that photos taken in the 1880's can be so clear!
   
   The black and white photos, have an almost sepia tone to them, making them even more enjoyable to admire. Each structure's photo has a clear explanation of the Architect of the structure, and also a brief description of the date of production and a background of the actual owners, and also, when the structure was finalized.
   
   The photos include a reproduction (in black and white) of the "blueprint" of the first floor of each structure.
   
   As other commentators have pointed out, the book does not show "blueprints" of the second or third floors, however, the author does attempt to describe the upper floors within the photos' description.
   
   Each Architectural style is described in detail in the INTRODUCTION. However, if you are a novice as to specific Architectural styles of the past, then I would recommend becoming briefly acquainted with Architectural styles (and the elementary Architectural vocabulary) before attempting to fully understand the structures` actual styles. For example, to a novice, a structure that looks like a "snow white castle" may be misunderstood, unless the reader has a brief knowledge & understanding of why the early Victorian and/or Queen Anne homes were designed with so many gables and filligrees and turrets.
   
   I should also mention that this book's INTRODUCTION mentions the COST of each home, specifically at the time of the home's finish. So, I think that the readers will find this fact also very interesting, especially when comparing each home to each other (eg: why did some homes cost $6,000, while others cost $200,000.00?).
   
   Also included in the INTRODUCTION are descriptions of where each home was once located (by State), and also which Architectural firm designed each home.



2. This book is richly illustrated with black & white photos of historic houses in the United States. For the person interested in houses from the gilded age, this book provides clear photographs with a minimum of text that can be studied in detail. The photos, more often than not, set the house in its surroundings, however photos of gardens and landscape architecture is minimal. This book is ideal for someone looking for ideas to incorporate into their own plans for home-building, as well as for students and professionals seeking a good photographic reference to the gilded age that covers houses in many regions of the country.



3. The homes shown and described in this book are wonders of a world gone by, and sadly many of them have fallen to the wreakers ball. Thankfully, this book has saved the images, basic floor plans and stories of these magnificent homes. This book is a nice addition to any Victorian lovers library.



4. "American Country Houses of the Gilded Age" reprints 100 photographs from "Artistic Country-Seats," a book originally published in 1886-87 with commentary by George William Sheldon. This new version of the collection replaces Sheldon's original comments with those of Arnold Lewis. But the real "stars" of the book are the 93 houses and four casinos portrayed in the excellent black-and white photos.

   These houses represent some of the most stunning mansions of the late 19th century. Most of these buildings were built in the northeastern United States. Each plate is accompanied by both Lewis' comments and by a first floor plan.

   The houses themselves represent many of the popular styles of the era: Tudor, "Shingle," Queen Anne, Chateauesque, Richardsonian Romanesque, Colonial Revival, and Exotic Revival. The crisp photography captures a wealth of beautiful details: covered verandas, stone arches, classical pillars, towers, pinnacles, parapets, half-timbering, castellations, fanciful dormers, and intricate decorative flourishes.

   The only disappointing aspect to the book is the fact that only the first floor plans are included. Plans for the other floors would have increased the book's value as a record of social history. Nevertheless, the detailed first floor plans do offer fascinating insights into the lives of the wealthy families of the "Gilded Age." You can imagine yourself wandering through the billiard room or music room of your favorite mansion! If you are fascinated by American home architecture, or if you simply want a taste of this opulent era, you will love this book.




5. This book let's readers see how the wealthiest people in America lived back in the late 1800's. The floor plans are, although small, completely readable. I do wish the author would have included the floor plans for the second, third, etc. floors. Great photographs and good desrciptions of the homes.

5 comments about The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A Photographic Journey.

1. A jaw dropping remarkable ressurection of one of th the most sacred sights on American soil.
   
   This is further proof that the campaign to support the rebuilding of the Alamo as it was then in it entierty should full steam ahead and Mark Lemons work lay the foundations.
   
   Im sorry, I cant say anything that would do justice to this work, except Thank You Mark Lemon, Thank You.



2. I received the book in the mail yesterday afternoon and immediately plunged into it. I stayed up through the night last night, pouring over each page, comments, photos, art and all. I finally set it down around 10am this morning, having gone from cover to cover.
   
   I tried to wrap my head around the sheer volume of effort that Mr. Lemon must've put into researching this book and it seems utterly intimidating to me.
   
   This is precise scholarship and exquisite art in one simply superb package.



3. I HAVE BEEN AN ALAMO FAN ALL OF MY LIFE. I HAVE ALMOST EVERY BOOK AND ALAMO MOVIE EVER MADE IT SEEMS. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS BOOK. FOR A VIEW OF THE ALAMO COMPOUND YOU CANNOT DO BETTER THAN THIS BOOK. WELL DONE. IT'S ABOUT TIME. FOR THE ALAMO EXPERT, HISTORY FAN OR SOMEONE WHO WANTS A VIEW OF THE ALAMO AS IT ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE TIME OF THE BATTLE THIS IS YOUR BOOK. OH FOR THE RECORD NOT ALL OF THE ALAMO DEFENDERS WERE SLAVE OWNERS THEY WERE MOSTLY MEN DEFENDING THEIR LIBERTY. IT WAS ALSO NOT A RACE WAR IT WAR A CIVIL WAR. REMEMBER THE ALAMO. AND I STILL THINK THAT DAVID CROCKETT WENT DOWN SWINGING.



4. If you are looking for a complete detailed description of the Alamo fortress - this is it ...Great



5. I seldom enter Amazon reviews but this book so far exceeded my expectations I had to put up a 5 star review. There is nothing I can add to the very good reviews already posted - if you have even a passing interest in the Alamo or Texas history you will be entranced by this book. A steal at the price.

3 comments about Hugh Newell Jacobsen.

1. There are some old buildings in here that are in his previous books. I wasd expecting all new work.



2. In this, the third monograph of Hugh Jacobsen's work, there is nothing more than the same old beautifully detailed, elegant, refined, clean, crisp, exquisite work by arguably the best living architect on the planet. If this seems to be hyperbole to you, buy this book. If you are trying to learn about architecture, buy this book. If you think you know all about architecture, buy this book. Architecture is about spaces that enrich one's life. This book is chock full of them.



3. Fabulous photographs and succinct, detailed narrative will reward the reader of this new book of Jacobsen's recent work. This is the third publication to be presented to the public of the work of one of the greatest amercian architects of our time. The format, quality of photos, choice of works to be included, and general excellence as well as the work itself is stunning.

4 comments about Architectural Graphic Standards Student Edition: An Abridgement of the 9th Edition.

1. I am a fourth year architecture student and I use this book every semester. I keep it with me at all times. It is the perfect design handbook. If you don't have it, You need it!



2. The book was in great condition as expected. It was delivered during the expected time frame, but it was later rather than sooner. I purchase frequently from amazon and I recieve consistently good service from them.



3. Loaded with tons of reference data all good for Architects.
   Font is a small



4. This book is one of the best reference books an architect will ever use. It contains the necessary information for the beginning and advanced architect. Inside the 568 pages in this book one will find from the most basic to the highly complex architectural graphics. The book provides reference for the various arcchitectural plans such as the floor plan, elevation and perspective drawings. No other reference material can surpass the amount of information provided in this excellent book.

2 comments about Infinity Pools.

1. I purchased this book to get an idea of infinity pool designs. Really it's more of a coffee table book. The pictures are beautiful, but it's very difficult to really assess what the pools look like as the pictures are more artistic than technical. The photo assignment for this book must've been a blast as the pictures are from luxury locations around the world.



2. Infinity pools, sometimes called infinity edge pool is a pool that has one or more edges of the book being submerged below water level so that the water surface merges with the horizon, providing the illusion of an infinite plane. As seen in this book this effect is particularly impressive when the invisible edge is set against a larger body of wter such as the ocean, or perched on an elevated so that the sky becomes the backdrop.
   
   This is an expensive pool, with the requirement for a trench to collect the water escaping over the submerged edge and then for a pump that will recirculate the water into the main pool. But when it is done correctly by skilled designers and contractors, the result is often stunning.
   
   This book pictures and describes thirty houses from literally around the world that incorporate infinity pools into their design. The book is beautifully photographed and printed and will serve as an idea book for architects and their customers.

3 comments about Japan Modern: New Ideas for Contemporary Living.

1. I've long been interested in the Japanese approach to design of all sorts, but especially architecture. Coming from a much different tradition, the solutions to problems and needs for shelter are often very different than those arrived at by architects with Euro-American tastes and training. Some of the examples depicted so beautifully and discussed so shrewdly in this volume are rooted strongly in Japan's history, such as an old farmhouse relocated to Tokyo and fitted into an urban neighborhood. Others are playful, like the house with a lawn on the peaked roof, watered by a sprinkler system on the ridgepole, and with the courtyard floored in clay roof tiles. There's a two-story "miniature" house with a footprint not much larger than two parking spaces, but which still manages to be a very comfortable environment for actually living in. And, naturally, there are structures *so* experimental, you might not realize they were houses if you weren't told. There are homes in this collection I would love to live in, and others that would probably give me nightmares, but all of them are fascinating.



2. This book provides total eye candy for design enthusiasts. Not your typical formulaic shoji screen stuff. Very original solutions to design problems from a Japanese perspective. I find it very inspiring and look at it all the time.



3. This book is filled with page after page of stunning rooms and living spaces in Japan. A must for anyone who believes all Japanese live in cramped, dark, unattractive homes. An excellent conversation starter and coffee table book.