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Art and Photography - General Architecture books

Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Katherine Samon. By Clarkson Potter. The regular list price is $37.50. Sells new for $24.75. There are some available for $21.25.
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5 comments about Ranch House Style.

  1. Buying a second book for friends moving into a house needing an overhaul. Every page full in useful ideas and good taste in whatever your era.


  2. A keeper, this coffee table book has some great architectural ideas in it. Like, page after page. If you live in or are thinking about buying one of America's [so-called] boring, brick (or non-brick) ranches, this book has a wealth of ideas, many quite delicious.

    The book doesn't just stick with atomic, Eames era decorating, but also shows homes decorated in Mexican, Victorian, French, etc.


  3. My purpose in purchasing the book was to get some idea of the style of ranch home architecture. I really did not get that. It is a very interesting book of ranch style homes that have been transformed by renovation. In many cases even the skeleton of the old house has been changed so much that it gives the appearence of a new species.
    The photography is of a high quality, and the lay out is nice. It led me to contemplate a range of possibities for my 50 year old rancher.


  4. This book is chock full of ideas for reinventing a ranch house. It includes an interesting history section with alot of original information. It's fun to look through and it's been helpful to me.
    I highly recommend it!


  5. Gives alternatives to "dressing-up" a ranch home. More of a coffee table book, which will make you proud to live in a ranch home.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Urs Peter Flückiger. By Birkhäuser Basel. The regular list price is $44.95. Sells new for $54.32. There are some available for $35.69.
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2 comments about Donald Judd: Architecture in Marfa, Texas.

  1. I'm naturally biased about this book because I was lucky enough to have Urs Peter Fluckiger (Upe) as a professor at Texas Tech University. In fact, he was the first person to introduce me and my fellow classmates to Donald Judd in a freshman class called Design Environment and Society. I had the opportunity to hear Upe talk personally about Donald Judd and his influence in the field of Architecture.

    When I bought this book, I was eager to see how well Upe's enthusiasm and passion about Donald Judd's work and philosophies would shine through. I was very satisfied then when the book arrived. The picture of the book's cover on Amazon doesn't do it justice. It's a very beautiful book with a great feel to it. Inside are wonderful drawings depicting everything including site plans, both of Marfa, showing where all of Donald Judd's projects are, and of the individual projects themselves. Each building is shown in plan, elevation, and section; giving the reader a great understanding of all Judd's completed works.

    Along side the drawings are beautiful photographs; some of which show the building's lives before Judd's touch was applied to them. The photos do a great job of documenting Judd's lifelong work and come very close to capturing what it's like to see the works in person.

    Most importantly though is Upe's commentary. His words give the reader a good basic knowledge of what brought Judd to Marfa and why Judd's legacy should include his architectural abilities along side his artistic methodologies and curating beliefs. Both in German and English.

    If I had one criticism of this book, it's that the book lacks more personally touches by Upe. From first hand experience, Professor Fluckiger has so many beautiful sketches, stories and memories involving Donald Judd and Marfa, TX. I'm sure he was tempted to include some little tidbits here and there, but decided against it. It would detract from the main subject at hand.

    I wonder if Donald Judd would like this book? I really think he would. I never met the man, and certainly couldn't speak for him, but if I was an influential, minimalist, creative spirit who laid eyes on Marfa, TX and thought it was the perfect place to permanently present my architectural and sculptural work...I would be proud if this book was made about me and my work.


  2. This book is a great resource. The photo documentation is very extensive for each project. Its also nice to have all the plans, sections, and elevations. Flueckiger did a great job. A must have for any architect or student interested in the work of Donald Judd.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

By Hill and Wang. The regular list price is $17.00. Sells new for $9.39. There are some available for $4.95.
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2 comments about Variations on a Theme Park: The New American City and the End of Public Space.

  1. This is a very thoughtful and provocative collection of eight essays on various simulated spaces which have infiltrated the American landscape. The book's overall thesis is that public space and "authentic" urban life increasingly has been replaced by simulations of urban life, usually as spaces of commodification (e.g. malls, gentrified districts, theme parks). In this process of replacing public space, aspects of American public life--open space for assembly, the interaction of different people, concern for communities--also get erased. While simulated spaces may seem to improve public space and public life, they do so at a cost, one that the critics seem to suggest is the loss of real public space and perhaps even of democracy.

    The purpose of this book is not only to describe these spaces, but to oppose them. Each of the authors point to the negative effects of simulated space. In many cases, the essays' implications jump right out of the page and into your neighborhood. Margaret Crawford's essay on the Edmonton shopping mall could be applied to any mall in Anytown, USA. Neil Smith's essay on gentrification points out the high price that comes with "revitalization"; one is reminded of many similiar projects outside his NYC example: Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle,and so forth. Edward Soja and Trevor Boddy both contribute well-written essays which demonstrate growing chasm between the "haves" and the "have-nots." With these essays, extended and local comparisons with dying urban areas and suburbia, sprawl, gated communities, and so forth are appropriate. Michael Sorkin's own essay on Disneyland turns a well-wrought phrase, and gives the Disney Studies scholar much to think about. (NOTE: Those interested in Disney should read this article if nothing else in the collection, although many of the essays are applicable to the study of Disney.) Of the essays, it is perhaps the one least obviously applicable to "real" life. But then again, Sorkin notes the distance between the simulated environment of the theme park and the reality of the city is decreasing.

    Of course, the scholars' analyses are dark and even depressing. And more than once, the authors manage to sound like angry young critics filled with more agenda than action. More than once, extended discussion of the issues raised in the essays would have helped--although many of these authors do have full-length treatments elsewhere--or perhaps alternative perspectives which would have varied the collection's tone and helped sustain readers' interest. And like any collection some of the essays are stronger than others. Overall, though, the collection makes a reader stop and think. Many readers will end up carefully reconsidering 1) the state of American life and its public space and 2) one's participation in these developments. Variations deserves recognition for addressing these issues.



  2. This book enlists many different authors, who all have an amazing point of view on the built environment. From gated communities to Disneyland, every chapter expresses concerns of fast-changing developed environments. Our cities are quickly becoming cold, enclosed enclaves. This book helped me realize how our society has snubbed the utilizaton of public space. This is definitely a book for every person interested in city planning, urban studies,or sociology. Whether a student or leisure reader, this book will open your minds to what is really taking place in our cities, suburbs, resorts, and recreational facilities. Any place in which society is forced to interact with one another is referred to in "Variations on a Theme Park". Read it. It will open your mind!


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Caroline Clifton-Mogg. By Ryland Peters & Small. The regular list price is $35.00. Sells new for $13.43. There are some available for $8.75.
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5 comments about Provencal Escapes: Inspirational Homes In Provence And The Cote D'azur.

  1. i bought this book a year ago and have probably looked through it 25 times. i subscribe to so many home decor magazines and buy the others at the stores. i have loads of books on this style of decor and am often disappointed when i look at said books and magazines to find they seem all too styled and not lived in. maybe its just me and i love a little old with the new and a little time worn with the shiny....but the rooms in this book look as if people actually live in them and therefore to ME it is the quintessential french country look book. you want to know how these people live?? this is it to be sure.


  2. This book has given me many ideas for my own provencal escape in the country and takes me to a place in my mind that makes me feel calm.
    This is a special book.


  3. A nice inspiration source for charming, rustic country french design. I wanted more out of the book though - perhaps photos of full rooms rather than vignettes of tables and kitchen counters. It makes it hard to get a sense of design style without a full room effect in my opinion. The book does ooze charm and if you have other books on this style and just want a little extra something this would be ok. If however you really need a good book to learn all about french country style I would not suggest this one.


  4. This book oozes with charm! The homes featured in this book are very old and beautifully brought back to life by its owners while respecting the history and integrity of these buildings. The title "Provencal Escapes" is appropriate since this book lets you escape into a dreamy and ancient world of Provence. The photos are gorgeous and you feel that you are actually walking through some of these homes. This book is a must for any fan of Provence or just of beautiful escapes. I highly recommend it!


  5. This magnificant book consists of photographic studies of some 22 homes in the Provence and Cote d'Azur regions of France. These homes are primarily older (as much as 300 years) that have been seriously redecorated to make them into jewels of plesant styling.

    For the most part, the redecoration of the homes has been to retain (or return to) the styling of the time they were built. Magnificant old beams show off well with modern appliances and decorations. The traditional outside of the houses hides the modern interiors. The original builders could not have imagined things we take for granted such as electricity that now has been fitted into their houses.

    Redoing an old house is easily as expensive as modern construction, so these houses have not been done for cost savings but for other reasons like living in a part of history.

    While this book concentrates on this region of France, many of the techniques used in these houses could well be applied to houses in the United States where old houses be they farm or city center can be made into something unique and wonderful.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann. By New Society Publishers. The regular list price is $24.95. Sells new for $12.19. There are some available for $9.81.
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5 comments about Superbia: 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods.

  1. Although I haven't purchased this book, I have read a copy that I borrowed from a library.

    This is a very practical book. It is nice to know that there is a way in which suburbanites can become less car-dependent, and that you don't have to live in a city's downtown core to become less car-dependent! I also like the idea of suburbs becoming more like traditional towns surrounding each big city. If suburbs were like traditional towns, they would be much more pleasant and more interesting places to live in.


  2. "Researchers have demonstrated that a feeling of community reduces suburban depression."

    The first pictures I observed upon opening this book were of a lovely neighborhood in much need of comfort and the beautiful results after the streets had been lined with trees. Sidewalks had also been created and pathways up to each front porch created a very inviting environment. The trees shaded the walkways and people enjoyed riding their bikes down the streets. The contrast was eye opening and the results very comforting. You can imagine the people living in this area finally feeling like they were home.

    The contents include:

    The Changing Face of Suburbia
    Reinventing Our Neighborhoods for Health, Profit, and Community
    Imagining a Sustainable Neighborhood
    How to Remodel a Neighborhood
    Germination: First Steps
    Leafing Out: Bolder Ideas
    Your Neighborhood Blossoms: Boldest Steps
    Suburban Revitalization I: Can This Dream Become a Reality?
    Suburban Revitalization II: Making Bold Dreams Come True
    Taking Care in the Neighborhood

    This book helps to emphasize the isolation of the typical suburban house and shows how the community design seems to emphasize private space instead of community. This promotes a lack of connection. Could the way we live promote depression and a lack of friendships? Could the way we build communities lessen domestic violence, encourage community interaction and promote a general feeling of well-being?

    Like Feng Shui, this book gives ideas for building or restoring neighborhoods to promote happiness and to reduce stress. While some say we are not a product of our environment, it only takes a little research to find out that where there is more hope and a greater sense of community, humans seem to thrive.

    "...research reveals that in a closely knit community, levels of serotonin (a natural anti-depressant) are higher, so the neighborhood is collectively more optimistic and energetic." ~pg. 26

    The transformations in communities is revealed in pictures that explore the role of nature in our comfort level. Would you rather live behind high brick walls or enjoy a more peaceful and serene landscape of short fences and flowered walkways? In one section, an alleyway between living spaces is transformed into a little piece of heaven.

    Some of the features include:

    Ten Basic Design Principles for Remodeling Neighborhoods
    How to Sponsor Community Dinners
    Neighborhood Clubs
    Organic Gardens
    Replacing asphalt with porous pavers - to reduce heat absorption

    As a child, I remember two types of homes. One with a backyard, tightly fenced in, and another with wide-open spaces and easy access to walking through community spaces. I can tell you, I preferred the latter.

    This book is filled with wisdom and great advice for city planners and I've seen the idea of producing an edible landscape work efficiently in some areas. As a child we used to pick fruit off trees on the walk home from school. It is a dream that can come true and this book has many ideas that once implemented will improve the lives of everyone in the community. By reading this book, you may also decide to move to a location that values these ideas.

    ~The Rebecca Review
    Currently living in an area without fences and lovely tree-lined walkways


  3. Superbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods is a "self-help" book for urban and suburban neighborhoods. The suburbs are often car-dependent, land-hungry, strictly residential neighborhoods that are often isolated from schools, workplaces and civic centers. They often lack convenient links to parks and mass transportation and are typically not developed in ways conducive to meeting people.

    But, these challenges provide numerous opportunities for positive change! People can reinvent their neighborhoods based on economic, environmental, and social values. Superbia! provides a checklist of Easy, Bolder, and Boldest Steps that can lead to safer, friendlier, livelier, healthier, more productive, diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Neighbors can chose the steps they think will create a stronger sense of place and connection to people, nature, and culture.

    Easy Steps include sponsoring community dinners, establishing a community newsletter, and creating car and van pools for work commutes. Some neighbors have started book and investment clubs. For example, the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sponsors a book club where neighbors "get together with fellow book enthusiasts to converse, discuss, and debate current bestsellers and classics," according to the group's website. Superbia! describes how there are hundreds of potential links between people within neighborhoods - links that can reduce time, human energy, and money spent by individuals on tight schedules as well as tight budgets. Easy Steps help people know one another better helping them discover links that lead to Bolder Steps.

    Planting a community garden or orchard is a Bolder Step. A composting project can serve the community garden and individual yards. Planting shade trees and windbreaks reduces energy costs, provides wildlife habitat, and increases property values. The Highlands Neighborhood in Littleton, Colorado, took a Bolder Step by tearing down fences. There was already a neighborhood tradition of parties in backyards, but neighbors decided to go a step further and took down their six-foot fences and opened the space to the neighbors creating a better sense of community.

    Boldest Steps include creating a community energy system and creating a common house and community-shared office. A Boldest Step was taken by New York's Darrow School when the failure of a conventional wastewater system provided an opportunity to install a Living Machine - a greenhouse-contained biological waste treatment facility that uses natural methods rather than harmful chemicals to recycle human waste. This system is also used as a hands-on laboratory for a variety of classes including science, chemistry, mathematics, and even art.

    With a history of how the suburbs came to be, 31 ways to make the suburbs better, examples of people who have created more sustainable neighborhoods, and a Resource Guide, readers can actively transform their suburbia into Superbia!

    Authors Chiras and Wann walk their talk. Chiras built and lives in a sustainable, solar home, and Dave Wann helped develop and lives in Harmony Village co-housing. They are also co-directors of the Sustainable Futures Society's Sustainable Suburbs project. Visit www.sustainablecolorado.org to learn more.

    Susan Bilo is an energy and resource conservation consultant with Sustainable By Design, LLC.



  4. To inject life, fun and spontanaeity into North American suburbs will not be easy. Many neighbourhoods were built after WW II, when land and resources such as electricity and gasoline were plentiful and cheap; developers, government and the public were not very conscious of there being limits to, or issues with, creating vast car-centric suburbs. Now, many of us live in an energy-inefficient home on a long, straight street that forms one line in a grid that is populated by far more motor vehicles than pedestrians. Here, we easily grow fat and sedentary, often not knowing who lives one or two doors away.
    In Superbia!, the authors prescribe 31 steps to transform neighborhoods into places where there is a true sense of community, and where hard resources (e.g. cars, washing machines) can ultimately be shared by groups of families, and consumable resources (electricity, gasoline) are used in more environmentally responsible ways.
    The encouraging news is that neighborhoods in the USA, Europe and elsewhere have implemented these 31 steps. It often took a lot of persuasion of local politicians and bureaucrats to, for example, tear up existing streets to make them narrower, for the purpose of calming traffic. While the authors, to their credit, indicate that some of the 31 steps are plainly challenging to implement, and ential people changing their mental models, the authors at times neglect to address the role and response of some key stakeholders as neighborhoods transform themselves. For example, as I read the steps about removing fences between people's yards, and subsequent encouragement of kids in the neighborhood to congregate in certain areas of this newly-created 'open' space, I visualized the trepidation that the insurance companies covering these homes might have; what happens when you encourage everyone onto your property, and then someone gets hurt? In general terms, I felt that the book could at times have been more rigorous in tipping off the reader as to what to expect from other stakeholders relevant to the transformation process.
    I support what the authors propose. The main message I got from the book is: don't wait for politicians or developers to be the ones to build or retrofit neighborhoods that are environmentally sustainable, and offer building structures and juxtapositions to foster social cohesiveness; rather, strike out on your own, with the modest first step being to organize a potluck supper for your immediate neighbors. From there, transformation events can evolve; the authors have demonstrated, through numerous anecdotes, that this process can indeed work.


  5. Superbia! is a strikingly simple book, proposing that neighbors can create
    friendlier and healthier neighborhoods by getting to know each other and
    working together. The beginning Steps it suggests are easy - things like
    having neighborhood potlucks and baby-sitting coops - but the advanced steps
    will take some real teamwork. You and your neighbors won't set up a
    neighborhood energy system or buy a house for use as a common building until
    a high level of trust is established. By the time the advanced steps are
    taken on, the neighborhood will be like an extended family, with all its
    benefits -- as well as liabilities.

    But Chiras and Wann argue that the benefits far outweigh the liabilities.
    For example, they don't propose a loss of privacy, but rather an increase in
    options and flexibility. What do we do when the car won't start, we go on
    vacation and the plants need watering, or we just need someone to talk to?
    Call a neighbor.

    This book is well-researched, documenting how neighborhoods took the shape
    they did, with wide streets, huge lawns, and barricade-like garage doors.
    The 50 million suburban homes in the U.S. (and all their associated
    infrastructure) are then seen in the book as ingredients for cooking up a
    better neighborhood. As the authors suggest, why can't we create common
    areas for the kids and a community garden by donating parcels of our
    backyards and creating a pathway where alleys used to be? Why can't we
    establish a neighborhood recycling system, a carpooling and even car-sharing
    system? Why shouldn't part of our yards also become low-maintenance, "edible
    landscapes" that provide cherries and grapes rather than just grass
    clippings?

    As the book compellingly asks, Why can't we work together to save time,
    money, and human energy, and in the process, have some fun? In the median
    income U.S. household budget, $3,000 a year could be saved if our costs for
    food, energy, entertainment, health, and transportation were reduced through
    neighborhood efforts that also meet an often- expressed need for a sense of
    community, and a sense of place.

    What Superbia! is about is basic improvements in the quality of our
    lifestyles. Less of an emphasis on buying our lives, and more on just living
    our lives. Far from being just a Utopia-like dream, the book's ideas are
    already being implemented in neighborhoods across the country, and several
    chapters in the book are dedicated to case studies of each Step - where and
    how it was implemented. Another series of chapters presents a fictitious
    neighborhood that walks the reader through the evolution of the Fox Run
    neighborhood, from suburbia to Superbia!

    If your neighborhood association needs a spark of energy, get a copy of this
    book and form a discussion group around it. At the very least, you'll
    emerge with a roster of neighbors and a fresh perspective on what a
    neighborhood can be.



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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Kevin Lynch. By The MIT Press. The regular list price is $44.00. Sells new for $31.92. There are some available for $19.99.
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2 comments about Good City Form.

  1. As one who straddles the two worlds of practice and scholarship with great ease and comfort, I am struck by that rare work of craft which is at once profoundly thoughtful as well as clearly directed. Most serious scholars bend over backwards to embrace the myth of "objectivity", while most practitioners salivate over superficial "best practices". Kevin Lynch's masterpiece, Good City Form, avoids both traps while offering a template for judging the effectiveness of different types of urban form and providing a guide for successful urban design projects. His starting points, a masterful overview of models of urban form throughout history and a sensitive ode to humanist values, help establish a foundation for performance dimensions to measure "good city form": Vitality, Sense, Fit, Access, Control, Efficiency and Justice. I would highly recommend this book to reflective practitioners, scholars interested in the practice of urban design, and others simply interested in shaping the future of our cities. In addition, the book works well with two others as an excellent advanced introduction to the field of urban design: "The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History" by Spiro Kostof, and "Urban Design Downtown: Poetics and Politics of Form" by Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris and Tridib Banerjee.


  2. In the world of urban design, obsessed with spectacular novelty and superficial aesthetics, this ambitious and profound work of Kevin Lynch is refreshing, yet enduring. He suggests a theory of urban design based on fundamental human values and examines how such values lead to the notion of a "good city form". His performance dimensions (e.g. access, fit, vitality) are broad enough to be interpreted and re-interpreted for specific contexts and sites. And the appendix, which briefly summarizes other theories of city form, is a tour-de-force by itself. A masterpiece which deserves greater attention and consideration, especially by those under the illusion that urban design is more or less architecture writ large!


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Vicente Wolf. By Monacelli. The regular list price is $50.00. Sells new for $21.97. There are some available for $18.85.
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5 comments about Crossing Boundaries: A Global Vision of Design.

  1. This book lacks consistency, and although the pictures might be technically good, the interiors design itself has little to do with the story the author is tryng to sell to us: that he has seen certain things in his 'exciting and sophisticated'journey that inspired him to create special interiors. What we get instead is a twisted, dated, unrespectful and pasteurized concept of what other cultures could give us in our every day living. Please, don't buy it.


  2. My wife and I plan to remodel, and bought this book for inspiration and design concepts. We ended up quite disappointed.

    The book has 5 chapters organized around 5 places that Mr. Wolf traveled to. Each chapter consists of two parts: travel log and design. Both parts show many colorful photographs, some of them quite beautiful. In general, the travel log part has more pages then the design part. For example, in Madagascar Scale chapter, travel log has about 24 pages vs. 18 pages for design. The pictures are even more lopsided towards the travel part. Often the relationship between the design and place seems rather superficial or contrived like a blue/yellow color scheme that is somewhat similar to an umbrella on a photograph or a light color bedroom inspired by a misty landscape. Also, Mr Wolf's design schemes are not as varied as you would expect if they were inspired from all over the world. Most of them use very similar style furniture and color schemes.

    Worse still is that the book does not present design concepts in any systematic fashion. It does not say much about the places that Mr. Wolf designed, what were the challenges, or how different rooms fit together. There is not a single floor plan in the whole book, and rarely it shows the same room from different angles to give the reader a feel how things fit together.

    Conclusion: If you are looking for a travel diary with pretty pictures, this book might be for you. If you are looking for design ideas that are of practical use, stay away. You might consider Kelly Hoppen's book ``Home'' instead. We bought it together with this one and found it packed with useful interior design concepts and really helped us to think through all the elements of designing a house or apartment.


  3. I regret that i have bought this book! It does not show anything special and the objetcive of the author of showing misery people and then show glamorous spaces is a shame!!!!


  4. This book with it's exciting interior pictures captures interior design at it's best. Mr Wolf's incorpration of ethnic items makes these interiors personal and interesting. His use of color and his inclusion of Benjamin Moore color numbers is a nice feature. I very much like this book and his style. I am an interior designer also and I'm not easily impressed by most other designers work.


  5. mr wolf in his travels search for inspirations in the most unusual places: ethiopia, burma, syria - most of times acquiring local handcrafted items which he will use in his decorations. Although his palette is a bit neutral, with pastel colors most of times, his interiors are extremely beautiful, with subdued elegance and charm. Interesting is how he manages to mix the objects from his travels, with modern furniture, mirrors in abondance and white walls.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Colen Campbell. By Dover Publications. The regular list price is $24.95. Sells new for $15.65. There are some available for $17.93.
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3 comments about Vitruvius Britannicus: The Classic of Eighteenth-Century British Architecture (Dover Books on Architecture).

  1. Unfortunately for book lovers, the earlier editions of this book have been cut up so the handsome plates showing the plans and elevations of stately English country houses could be framed and displayed as interior decoration. This book, a replica of the original contents, provides a valuable reference for those who appreciate a resource of classical architecture at an affordable price.


  2. It's been a long wait; as the previous reviewer pointed out, until recently any one interested in this greatest classic of English architecture would have needed to deplete his bank savings in order to get a copy. Fortunately Dover (who else?) finally issued this beautiful reprint of the complete three volumes of Vitruvius Britannicus. For anyone interested in 18th century architecture or the English country house, there can be no greater delight - the reader, as Mr. Campbell in his introduction says he hopes, is indeed 'agreeably entertained' with a rich array of elevations, floor plans, interiors and perspective views. All the greatest houses (Chatsworth, Blenheim, Castle Howard, Grimsthorpe, Drumlanrig, Houghton) are featured, as are many more modest ones, and some that were never actually built, were dramatically changed in later years, or were lost altogether (Lowther castle seems a particular painful specimen of the latter category, by the look of it). In addition, several public buildings (e.g. the Royal Hospital in Greenwich), as well as St. Paul's cathedral and, somewhat incongruously, St. Peter's in Rome, are portrayed. The plates allow detailed study of the composition, proportions and decoration of these masterworks.

    As always, Dover also provides the full text of the original, which allows interesting insights into the social world of the early 1700s. The introduction, in which Campbell scolds Borromini for 'debauching mankind with his odd and chimerical beauties', and proudly proclaims Britain at least the equal of Italy in matters of architecture, is an entertainment in itself. The lists of subscribers show that no fashionable nobleman of the time could afford to go without his own copy.

    The plates are clearly and beautifully reproduced, on lightly cream-colored paper, without blemishes. My only niggle concerns the two-page spreads, of Castle Howard and Blenheim for instance, where inevitably the centerpiece of the composition is lost in the center fold of the book. Otherwise this is as good as it gets.


  3. Anyone interested in domestic architecture, especially 18th century British, must have this book. I once priced the original (published in the 1700's)--it goes for about $20,000! That makes this a pretty good deal.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Morgan Beard. By Running Press Miniature Editions. The regular list price is $6.95. Sells new for $2.95. There are some available for $3.97.
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4 comments about Build Your Own Stonehenge (Running Press Mini Kits).

  1. this little model is very well done and when assembled it looks like the real thing. Very enjoyable indeed.


  2. so much detail went into the creation of this product! I'm so impressed with it I'll be buying it for friends as well! Anyone who loves miniatures will go nuts for this tiny kit!


  3. Yes, it's tiny. It's supposed to be tiny, that's the point. The whole thing fits in a tiny box, it's the same with the rest of the Running Press Mini Kits. But, like most of their other kits, this is a lot of fun and really cool. You get a tiny model Stonehenge to build and display in your home/office/whatever. If you're quirky, eccentric, or just into this kind of thing then you'll love this. I do!


  4. Pay close attention to the Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 3 x 1.3 inches. It's very small, with TINY pieces.


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Posted in Art and Photography (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)

Written by Judy Sheridan. By Gibbs Smith, Publisher. The regular list price is $24.95. Sells new for $14.48. There are some available for $12.50.
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