1 comments about Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. (Vintage).

1. i loved this book--i had the good fortune to find it in the national gallery bookstore while in washington DC and read most of it before i left the city. it is a fascinating story that has been explicated in extreme detail by berg. l'enfant was incredible--a big dreamer with the connections to get much (but not all) done. my only complaint, and it is a petty one, is that the book is overwritten. berg has much to say and a vast vocabulary in which to say it, but too often he uses 40 words when 10 will do. it made the journey a bit taxing; a bit of editing and trimming would easily make this a 5 star book. very interesting tale--if you have the time and inclination to learn about the origins of washington DC and about late 18th century history, definitely read this book.

No comments about South Carolina's Plantations & Historic Homes.

5 comments about The Baltimore Rowhouse.

1. only wished it had more photos... great research for design ideas and historical renovation... chock full of information.



2. It's true, those from cities with rowhouses will find this book most interesting, but so will all interested in the history and geography of urban development and how land development, new building technologies, and individuals' working and family lives are interwoven with this development. By referring back to a single family and its trajectory within the city throughout the book, the author makes some of these larger-scale trends much more personal, and by following the paths of a few major developers within the city, you get a sense both of how the city and its hot neighborhoods shift over time, and of how literally a very small group of people can shape the physical space in which thousands live and work. Students of rowhouses or of Baltimore will be better able to see the continuities and the changes in rowhouses-- such as how the technology to make larger panes of glass changed the front facade, and how a simple setback from the sidewalk of 10 feet or so alters the feel of the buildings and the neighborhood by adding a little green. Formstone is also explained (to the extent that's possible...). Specialized, yes, but exceptionally well crafted. Architectural, urban, and social history and their intermingled best.



3. I enjoyed the pictures of these houses, and thought the book was especially well written. It's impossible to separate the evolution of these houses from the changes in the city itself, so some history is inevitable; there is also a great amount of detail involving the lives of the owners and developers. If you are not overwhelmed by all this, you will uncover some interesting bits: the ads for Formstone, the fact that basements were hand-dug by a crew of nine in two days, the tales of the "night soil" removers. Really concentrates on the local history, though, so it may not of interest to others.



4. The rowhouse is far more common in Baltimore than other US cities, and these authors have documented its history and development up to the present day. Every nuance of design change is thoroughly discussed, and the amount of detail allows a street-by-street discussion at times. We're told about the various developers who, parcel by parcel, converted old elite estates into street grids covered with rowhouses of varying quality. The book ends as an advertisement for new urbanism, in which dilapidated old rowhouses are renovated and run-down neighborhoods undergo renewal.

   The quality of writing is particularly high. There are approximately 140 b&w photos, which for the most part are grouped together so they can be printed on high-gloss paper. This is an awkward arrangement that requires the reader to flip back and forth to the glossy photo pages. There are approximately ten cross-sections and floor plans. There are very few maps, and a detailed knowledge of Baltimore geography is assumed. Because of the highly specialized nature of this book, it is unlikely to appeal to anyone outside Baltimore, but it would probably be a delight to architectural enthusiasts within the city.




5. ...and the time to read 'The Baltimore Rowhouse' is now! I'm telling you'se- this book has it all. ; )

   You not only get the expected descriptions of the architectural styles of rowhouses, and a historical review of the development of this style of housing, but the author weaves in the chronological social climb of an immigrant family throughout the book. Following the family's real estate history gives the book a story-like, biographical feel; unusual for non-fiction of this nature. It is in a sense, a well documented account of one way the "American Dream" has been realized.

   From a social/cultural perspective, the 'Baltimore Rowhouse' is a social commentary on Baltimorean (and American) housing development past, present and future from visionary authors who love the City of Baltimore.

   I received the book as a Christmas gift and read it in about 3 days. I couldn't put it down and was a little saddened that it had to end. I say this rarely- IT IS A MUST READ.

2 comments about Plantations & Historic Homes of New Orleans.

1. This book is a severe disappointment, and what is dilapidated are none of the pictured selections but the creative imaginatiion that envisioned such a paltry display of the city's beautiful homes. Its focus is almost exclusively the French Quarter, with the jacket photograph misleading the purchaser into thinking that magnificient estates bordering St Charles Ave would be featured or at least included. Instead, historic relics of a bygone era, interesting in themselves,stand alone without any of their more recent cousins (50-100 years). Hardly one of the splendid Garden District homes is included, and the alleged "plantations" of New Orleans are such as Burnside, along the river road and some distance from the city's precincts. Instead of becoming a Christmas gift, as intended, this tome will be tossed in the trash, unworthy of any current or former New Orleanian. - Ernest Carrere



2. In 2005 New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katerina. Fortunately, many of the city's most treasured and historically important homes and mansions were spared from the French Quarter and Garden District to Uptown, Marigny, and Bayou St. John. Professional photographer Laura McElroy has created a superbly beautiful photographic guide to the best of these surviving architectural wonders, complete with their impressive columns, beautiful balconies, spacious verandas, impressive parlors, and even the historic servant quarters. Enhanced with an informed and informative text by Jan Arrigo providing context for the photographs, "Plantations & Historic Homes Of New Orleans" is highly recommended browsing, especially for students of architecture in general and devotees of New Orleans historic buildings in particular.

2 comments about Marrakech: Living on the Edge of the Desert.

1. What an inspirational book, beautiful photos, just makes you want to go and visit, so instead you can create I little bit of Marrakech in your own home which I have decided to do with some lovely paint and lots of cushions a great book to flip through and dream



2. 
   Marrakech, that magically mysterious place in Southern Morocco - just the sound of the name gives birth to visions of intrigue, romance, secrets. It is, perhaps, the city many of us dream of visiting. Well, if Marrakech is not included in your vacation plans this year you can enjoy an in-depth colorful tour through the pages of this beautiful volume.
   
   Readers will find a telling description of the glories of this city: "With the coming of twilight Marrakech gives itself up to all manner of seduction, the senses discover the thrill of happiness. On the horizon it seems that all the purple in the world, in its infinite shades, has chosen the Atlas chain as its domicile...."
   
   Thanks to the spectacular photography by Florentine artist Massimo Listri we know this to be true. His camera takes us behind the high walls and enormous cedar doors of Moroccan houses to discover magnificently decorated interiors, with a melange of colors, fabrics and lighting all reflecting the blend of cultures found in the city - Berber, French, Spanish and Arab.
   
   One finds traditional homes called Dar as well as the magnificent palaces with interior gardens known as Riad. Some 27 residences are featured as well as twelve outside of the city. Each is unique, delightful with shaded yards, fountains and pools enhancing the lives of those who dwell on the edge of the desert. Where else would we find a pool with mother-of-pearl lining the bottom or a home in which artists have used "what might be called chiffon painting," which involves "processing the layers of plaster with a thin fabric, the only way to obtain certain faded blues and linen grays...."
   
   Daniel Rey, author of numerous travel accounts for Conde Nast Traveller and the Louis Vuitton City Guides, divides his time between Rome and Marrakesh. His narrative is a splendid companion to Listri's photographs as he details behind the scenes life in this contemporary Eden.
   
   If you have not already dreamed of Marrakech you surely will after browsing through this lush volume, which is surely one of the most enticing books to be found.
   
   - Gail Cooke

2 comments about San Francisco Modern: Interiors, Architecture and Design.

1. What a great book packed with pictures. The design is very modern and unconventional (read expensive). This is a very fun book to review. If you can't afford the architecture costs there are many ideas you can incorporate into a more typical home design.



2. Coffee table book showing all the nicest spots in the Bay Area. The spread on the family compound in Sonoma is worth the price alone!

No comments about The Architecture of Modern Italy: Volume II.

No comments about Pende: Visions of Africa.

4 comments about Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History.

1. With all that one can read and see of the impressive country homes of England's landed classes, the reasons the houses were designed as they were and the role they served is not always apparent. Architectural historian Mark Girouard addresses this critical gap in understanding in "Life in the English Country House: A Social and Architectural History", explaining whom these households comprised, how they functioned, and how their design served its purposes from the Middle Ages until World War II. Over the course of centuries, the style, nature and number of rooms changed, as did the relationships of those who occupied them, so examining the homes of the ruling classes proves to be a fascinating lesson in social history.
   
   Girouard presents the history of the country home alongside that of its household according to era: The Medieval Household and House, The Elizabethan and Jacobean House, The Formal House 1630-1720, The Social House 1720-70, The Arrival of Informality 1770-1830, The Moral House 1830-1900, and The Indian Summer 1900-1940. One chapter digresses to recount the history of books, collections and the rooms that housed them, and another talks about the evolving technologies used to heat, light, supply water, and dispose of sewage through the ages. Included are over 200 illustrations: floor plans, photographs, and drawings in black-and-white and color. "Life in the English Country House" is a literate and enlightening history of the homes and the power that they both reflected and fostered for eight centuries.



2. This book is brilliant. It reminded me of a paleontology book where the author looks at the shells of ancient marine fossils and reconstructs their lives from the shape of the shells.
   
   From the structure of the English Country House Girouard recreates the lives of those who lived in them. Not just the Lord and Lady but all those who lived and worked there. How many people were in this room during dinner? How did the food get to the dining area (usually a long trek. This minimized the chance the kitchen would burn the place down but mimimized the chance dinner hadn't congealed). How many people (ladies in waiting, servants, servants of servants) were sleeping in the room together in 1500, 1700 or 1890? The idea that one would actually have any privacy is a very recent concept.
   
   A fascinating reconstruction of what life was like not just for the head of the household, but for all who lived on the estate.



3. Don't be put off at first by the black and white photos. This book has some color photos, and I was at first hesitant to purchase this book because it seemed to be mostly black and white photography.
   However, once I began to read this book, all thoughts about photos went out of my head! This book is informative, intelligent and thorough. The author has studied his subject very well, and writes in a clear and easy to follow manner. I really do find the floorplans to be an invaluable tool towards understanding the buildings the author is describing.
   I am currently using this book as a research tool for my novel, but I did buy this book just for the love of the subject and I was not disappointed.
   I would recommend this book again and again to anyone with a love of history and architecture.



4. Mark Girouard, an architectural historian, has traced the roles of form and function in England's Great Houses in this densely illustrated, sensitively written book. Floor-plans, innumerable photographs and drawings (many of homes now destroyed), and portraits pepper the text, which is readability itself.

   The book follows a chronological path from the Mediaval Household to the present day. The text isn't dry at all. Delicious details abound: Bess of Hardwick pacing her Great Chamber of Hardwick Hall, waiting for the royal visit that never came in the instantly-dated house she'd built for this very purpose, ... The origin of the phrase "backstairs intrigues" (both political and sexual).... the slow but persistant birth of the aristocratic ideal of "privacy"--and how it affected dining halls....the rise of the great dilettante libraries (and the rooms to house them).....and the advent of the freakish innovation of indoor plumbing (and a picture of the Duke of Wellington's elaborate WC) are just a few tidbits.

   Mr. Girouard doesn't neglect the "downstairs" portion of a Great House, because he's interested in the whole institution as a functioning unit. Some of the most intriguing photos are of beloved servants' portraits, and the almost Shaker-like beauty of a working kitchen or laundry. Included, also, is a printed "Summary of Livery Men's Duties, Etc., Etc.", of Hatfield House, and darned if it doesn't sound like instructions for empoyees at an indifferent New York hotel!

   This book is a delicious retrospective, and will make any red-blooded Anglophile who longs for one of these faded leviathans very happy indeed. Now, if you need me further, I will be in the Orangery.

3 comments about The Royal Palaces of Tudor England: Architecture and Court Life, 1460-1547 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis).

1. This book is very extensive on the history of the Tudor palaces, it has great information and great pictures. A must buy for your collection of Tudor history.



2. I grew up in England and have visited many historical buildings from the Tudor period. If you are fascinated by the Tudor dynasty, especially Henry VIII, and the buildings and living conditions of the Tudor monarchs, this book will satisfy your thirst for knowledge. I thought that I had a fairly good knowledge about the Tudor period until I bought this book. Simon Thurley is an expert in this field and it shows. The book contains maps of the palaces, pictures of parts of excavated palaces that I have never seen before, and many, many paintings of the palaces how they "used to look". Many of these fine buildings have been lost to modernization and demolishment, but their images live on in this book. Excellent job Dr. Thurley!!



3. Dr. Thurley has done a great job with this reference book. A great addition to anyone's personal reference library on Tudor history.