1 comments about 99 Historic Homes of Indiana: A Look Inside.

1. This book fits its purpose well. Interesting vignettes into the quirks of old homes ad their owners. Rich photography of homes actually lived in by families. If you don't expect too much you won't be disappointed.

5 comments about African Architecture: Evolution and Transformation.

1. I have not read this book from cover to cover, but I have read a bit of it, and more importantly I have a personal relationship with the author, as Dr. Elleh has overseen my own graduate thesis work and I have sat in several of his lectures.
   
   The bigger picture here is that in the early 1980's, Dr. Elleh, a scholar originally from Nigeria, found himself attempting to work on building a deeper understanding of Architecture, Power, and Africa when he came to the United States as a student. Yet there was very little ground work for this study, and so as a grad student, he built it himself. This book was actually his own master's thesis.
   
   It has many flaws, mostly dealing with the writing, yet with very little to work with, Elleh contributed greatly to the foundation for the study architecture and Africa. His work has since gone a great distance and his held in high regard by the international community of architectural historians.
   
   This book isn't perfect, yet its flaws will forever fail to undermine its significance.



2. Good:
   1. How many books have you read on African Architecture?
   2. How many books have you read on African Architecture by a person of African descent?
   3. The book does not limit African architecture to rural village designs.
   4. Neither does it separate Egyptian architecture from African origins.
   
   Bad:
   1. It has few good pictures and too many black and white illustrations.
   2. Though it includes various aspects of African architecture its main focus is on Ancient Egyptian, North African, and contemporary architecture. Emphasis on West African adobe architecture, Medieval Swahili cities, and Ethiopian architecture was lacking severely, especially considering how much they truly represent the whole continent.



3. Dear Sirs,

   When I have ordered the book I thought it will be excellent sourse for me before studing some particular topic. But I was disapointed when I read it from the very begining. It is simply poor. African architecture is very rich. It is hard to imagine how the author could write such a poor book. Photos are also not very good. Everyone who understand and can "read" arcitecture would write that there is not enough information even on the subjects which are described in the book.

   I would say this book should cost less.




4. Elleh's effort is well-worthy of praise for its scope, but lacks in scholarly quality. Her triple-heritage theory is interesting but poorly-applied in many instances throughout the book, especially because of the broad timeline the book attempts to address. The images are marvelous, and inclusive, though some are incongrous to the articles they accompany. This is a very basic book, good for a coffee table or an introductory course on the subject, but one I could not recommend for the more serious scholar.



5. This book was a noble effort to shed light on a subject that most people know nothing about, but it misses the mark in literary style. In other words, it would be nice to have for reference, but it's nearly impossible to read. The style is akin to what I'd expect from a high school student writing a research paper. Elleh's triple heritage theory (traditional, Islamic and colonial influences on African styles) appears throughout the book, but never is it defended clearly and cohesively. I'd like to see this book re-written and professionally edited. With the amount of research that Elleh put into this work, the potential is there for a truly great book.

2 comments about Imagining Ground Zero: The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site (Architectural Record Book).

1. Everything you need to see about the design proposals for the WTC site. It provides the visual aspect, that combined with "Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York" (ISBN: 1400060176), presents a comprehensive picture of who, what and when. Hundreds of illustrations showing also tech. details are beautifully printed in color on glossy paper on a very high level. They reveal brutally the shortcomings of proposals including the winning one and its evolution from the unrealistic wish that could not have been built at a reasonable cost (incl. the grim pit and gigantic free standing, enormously expensive spire for... coffee drinkers and directly in front of office tower windows) to its more feasible shape and surrounding changed (by others) so much that the overall plan stops resembling the winning proposal, as if the award was only a pretext to install the predetermined winner, and to have the actual planning done by others.
   CONTENTS:
   7 Preface
   9 Foreword
   11 Time Line
   12 Introduction
   26 Official Proposals
   32 Freedom Tower
   36 Memorial Competition
   48 World Trade Center Transportation Hub
   52 Innovative Design Study
   94 First Round in the Planning Process
   104 Press-Generated Proposals
   107 New York limes Magazine Proposals
   119 New York Magazine Proposals
   132 Max Protetch Invitational Exhibition
   186 Independent Submissions
   222 Bibliography
   223 Acknowledgments
   224 Illustration Credits



2. The architectural designs for the Ground Zero space were imaginative and inspiring. This book treats the various solutions comprehensively and respectfully. The solutions fell into 3 catagories, a memorial for the greatest American tragedy since Pearl Harbor, a huge transportation hub, and the rebuilding of office, retail and residential space. This book displays unofficial and unrequested designs to each or all solutions. A favorite was Hani Rashid and Lisa Anne Couture's skyscraper which reminds one of interlocking links of chain, and therefore conveys a feeling of security. The memorial should be at or near street level to maximize public viewing, so the ones that were many feet underground were not appealing.
   S E Campbell

1 comments about Hanoak: Traditional Korean Homes.

1. This is the first book ever published on Korean architecture in English. It does a remarkable job listing the salient aspects of traditional housing design from both a sociological and formal perspective. The book is illustrated with loads of gorgeous photos and helpful diagrams. Even though my knowledge of Korean architecture is fairly advanced (it is my graduate major), I still found some new information in this great volume, written by a cadre of experts in the field.

1 comments about Architecture and the American Dream.

1. "We admire a building or a group of buildings because they express, how subtly, certain images and ideas we have about ourselfs." This book is the only book a young studying architect will ever need. It will make a great addition to your library, even if you have never been interested in Architecture before

No comments about Water Spaces of the World - Vol. 4: A Pictorial Review (International Spaces).

1 comments about A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina.

1. This book is exactly what its title suggests: It's a survey of HISTORIC architecture in eastern North Carolina, one of the richest concentrations of colonial, federal, and early Romantic architecture in the country. Eastern North Carolina is a feast for anyone who enjoys small coastal towns packed with historic churches and houses, small regional cities that aspired to metropoli but failed and are now preserved gems of early 20th century urban architecture, and rural plantations off the beaten path just waiting for that late afternoon thunderstorm. This book, along with its two equally good companion volumes covering the Piedmont and West, is a joy to simply browse for a quick daydream or a resource to pour over as part of a larger research project. They're really that good.
   
   In the world of architectural surveys, the variation in standards can be frustrating. Some are generally excellent, complete and (relatively) objective, while some are grossly incomplete or out of date. Some are packed with structures that have otherwise been demolished or destroyed (what's the point?). Some are so overstuffed with editorial political correctness and arcane archi-speak that they can't be enjoyed for the art itself. Also, some like to use what I call "iconoclastic postdating." That's the process by which an expert tells you the gorgeous old plantation house you thought was built in 1785 was REALLY built mostly after World War 2. It allows that expert to express the fact that he or she knows far more than you (and the general public) about such matters. If you've ever seen Antiques Roadshow, you know what I mean.
   
   This guide, miraculously, resists ALL of these flaws. It is of the highest scholarly and editorial quality. There are no significant omissions to reveal the author's political or aesthetic bias. The summaries are concise and well researched. The coverage is truly exhaustive. The photographs are largely functional rather than artistic, but are well chosen to reveal the structures in entirety.
   
   If you're a fan of architectural surveys, these are among the very best and every bit as good as Oxford's BUILDINGS OF AMERICA series. If you're a fan of rural and small-town historical architecture, these books are representative of the genre. Buy all three and you can carry historic North Carolina around with you in your briefcase or backpack.

No comments about A History of Domestic Space: Privacy and the Canadian Home.

1 comments about Housing Design and Society in Amsterdam: Reconfiguring Urban Order and Identity, 1900-1920.

1. This book is a brilliantly researched work of great significance to the literature of 20th century housing in Europe. Part of four great housing movements of the 1920's including Vienna, Frankfurt and Berlin along with Amsterdam, together they tell an important story of housing by and for people. One of the best parts of this book is the guide at the end which shows all of the most important projects on a map with detailed information about each including the number of units, the architects and the housing society responsible for each. This will be come a classic in its field.

No comments about The Texas Rangers: Notes from the Architectural Underground.