2 comments about Timeless Cities: An Architect's Reflections on Renaissance Italy (Icon Editions).

1. Mr. Mayernik transports the reader to the glorious past of Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, and Pienza; a past in which city builders sought to make their cities into reflections of the perfect heavenly City of God; a past in which every stone, every building, every piazza was an episode of the larger urban narrative that played itself for its citizens as a great "theatre of the mind."

   Mr. Mayernik's writing allows us to view the urban mythologies of these places not as History, events frozen in by gone times and no longer capable of speaking to present generations, but as living lessons in city building; he invites his audience to learn the 'language' of these five cities so that we too can build memorable places.




2. Timeless Cities is indeed a wonderful journey, a voyage across time and ideas. The author tells a poetic, scholarly and delightful story of five Italian cities and how they became meaningful and memorable places, remaining so to this day.

   For those who have experienced the magical, transforming impact Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena and Pienza have on their visitors, David Mayernik unlocks the richly poetic ideas which are their very essence. An architect and traveler, his writing is filled with the passion of one who truly loves and understands the tradition of those great cities: the tradition of humanism.

   For all for whom life is, above all, a cherished series of discoveries and experiences, Mayernik extends a masterful invitation to explore those places which stir our souls and which demonstrate the highest fulfillment of our collective potential for cultural and artistic achievement. He then challenges us to again seek to create cities "through which dance the Muses", cities which are "built Ideas suffused with cultural Memory". Accept his gracious invitation. It is a journey you will treasure.

No comments about Jean Nouvel by Jean Nouvel: Complete Works 1970-2008.

3 comments about Myanmar Style: Art, Architecture and Design of Burma.

1. I own at least a dozen books in which the second word of the Title is "Style", but this is certainly one of the best. Well organized, informative and full of beautiful photographs. Looking through this book you can learn about the Architecture and Design of Myanmar. The book is divided into sections dealing with Religious and Secular Architecture, Early and Modern Architecture and Arts and Crafts. At the end of the book there is a section of Textiles and Costumes, and another entitled the Pagoda Market which shows photographs and gives descriptions of vendors of various types of handicrafts. Thus a cross section of the different aspects of the Myanmar Style are given, without adaptations by Western Interior Decorators. Some "Style" Books are misleading because they show the adaptations, primarily in the West, of Stylistic Elements. While these books are ok, I prefer to see the Style as it actually is in Myanmar, not a Architectural Digest type of interpretation. This book is free from this. The text is concise and informative. Not overloooked should be the quality of the photographs and the paper and printing, which in this case are all excellent. Some other books of this genre are not up to high quality. No worries here however. I highly recommend this book. It will make you want to visit Myanmar, or at least think about redesigning in your home.



2. Finally, a book on art and design in Myanmar/Burma that does justice to the living traditions as well as the colonial and pre-colonial empires. Superb photography, thoughtful text, and some quirky subjects, too, such as the chapter The Great Pagoda Alley. Enjoyable.



3. This book adds both novelty and inspiration to an otherwise dull coffee table or mind. More touristically, this is one of the special books that make you go to the place and find where the interesting buildings not in the travel guides are. The pictures are excellent, not cropping so much as to glamourise rubbish, and not putting things out of context: in short, well edited text and visuals. One note, it has nothing to do with the experience of being in a third world country, but it is for the visual pleasure only.

No comments about The English Park, Royal Private & Public.

1 comments about American Colonial: Puritan Simplicity to Georgian.

1. Wendell Garrett once again produced another great collection on fine furnishings and architecture. There is great range from simple colonial design to grand represented in this book. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in colonial furnishings and architecture, or who simply likes the finer things!

No comments about Structures of Our Time: 31 Buildings That Changed Modern Life.

No comments about Barn Building: The Golden Age of Barn Construction.

1 comments about John Galen Howard and the University of California: The Design of a Great Public University Campus.

1. This book is the best source of inofrmation I've found on John Galen Howard. It was a great help in my research realted to a house he designed in Georgia, especially the chapters on his early years before moving to California.

2 comments about Chinese Architecture.

1. This survey of pre-modern Chinese architecture is very similar to the other books ("Chinese Sculpture" and "Chinese Painting") in the Yale series: it's big and expensive; generously photographed in color; multi-authored; organized by usage type (palace, temple, other) within dynasty; and consists essentially of a parade of individual items (buildings, in this case) with commentary. If that's your thing, then go for it!
   
   The book is very skimpy on technical topics like bracketing, joinery, roofing, and decorations. Its lack of a glossary, and its hit-and-miss index, are additional minuses. There are hardly any architectural drawings. It does have numerous site diagrams, although *none* of them has a distance scale attached.
   
   In short, this book omits an awful lot of needful information, just in order to survey an endless parade of individual buildings. That's why I think it will be more often consulted in a university or public library, than purchased by individuals.



2. I bought this book for a college-level Asian Art History class focused on China. This book proved an invaluable source of information on a subject not widely written about and not often found in your local bookstore. Each chapter is sectioned off by dynasty and gives the reader a short but informative background on the how the dynasty started and its major characteristics. Later within the chapter it delves into major sites of Chinese architecture and the terrific history and detail of the place.
   I highly reccommend this book.

No comments about Matière d'art / A Matter of Art: Architecture contemporaine en Suisse / Contemporary Architecture in Switzerland.