No comments about Dartmouth College: The Campus Guide.

4 comments about Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces.

1. This book shows large, ornate villas and palaces. It has some great interior and exterior pictures and good text. It is an excellent book if that is what you want. I wish that it had some floor plans and more photographs of the gardens. I really wanted something with all sizes of villas with some floor plans as well as photos. Sometimes, there is no substitute for thumbing through a book before you buy it to see what you are getting.



2. This book has a fabulous collection of Villas in Italy. The photography is wonderful.



3. Great Pictures. If you really enjoy old world architect, you'll love this book.



4. Shakespeare's words define the extraordinary structures in this elegant Rizzoli book MAGNIFICENT ITALIAN VILLAS AND PALACES. This is one of those massive tomes to spread on the table or before a nightlight fire and enter another far more beautiful time. Massimo Listri is the gifted photographer who captured the exteriors, landscapes, interiors and art of these places of wonder throughout Italy. With an informative and entertaining text by Cesare Cunaccia, who in addition to being an architectural historian is a frequent contributor to Architectural Digest, this sampler of some of the various interesting villas and palaces found in Italy is one of the finest books of its kind.
   
   The sights and environments of the areas in which these estates exist are captured as aperitifs for the actual examination of each building. The two creators of this book spread their travel from the Villa Borghese in Rome to the Doge's Palace in Venice, including Tuscany for the Medici Villas and the Pitti Palace in Florence and the stops in Siena, to Lombardy (Lake Como and Lake Garda) and Naples, and even Sicily. Each structure is examined for its architectural details, its history, its gardens, and art treasures.
   
   Rarely has a book on architecture felt so comfortable to read and view. The flow is a fine mix between word and image and both Cunacci and Listri are exemplary in their presentation. A magnificent coffee table volume, this. 'We are such stuff as dreams are made on...' Grady Harp, November 05

1 comments about Ranch Style: The Artistic Culture and Design of the Real West.

1. I thought the book was beautiful. But I was looking for a book on decorating my home the ranch style look. So although the pictures were great if I was looking for that kind of thing. It was not exactly the book I needed. Wonderful pictures!!

1 comments about Architecture in Switzerland (Architecture (Taschen)).

1. The overall view of the book is considered to be an excellence book.
   There are a few projects that need to have drawing documentation and in my preferences drawings could be bigger but they are readable.
   The photographs in this book are excellent representation of the essence of the projects under the study cases. Perhaps the narratives could include deeper conclusions of the architectÂ's ideas-to explain the arrival of their conclusions.
   I would really appreciate if all drawings were black w/ grey scale.
   It really needs more drawings and if the book would include detail drawings of the variety of materials the projects used, the book would be perfect.

No comments about Pamphlet Architecture 23 - Move: Sites of Trauma.

5 comments about The Stones Of Venice.

1. The Stones of Venice is beautifully written and a must-read for anyone interested in art, architecture, Venice, and Victorian literature. The massive original has been pared down here into a much more manageable volume without sacrificing its brilliant prose and insightful commentary. It'll easily fit in your carry-on luggage for your next trip to Italy.



2. This is misleading...not even 5% of the Ruskin masterwork is printed in this book.



3. Amazon frequently mixes reader reviews of various editions of a given classic work. Such is the case here. Be advised that if you are now veiwing the Dover 3 vol. edition of Ruskin's The Stones of Venice, it is the UNABRIDGED edition of this work. Not a single word is missing. As such, this is the ultimate edition to own.



4. Hey, guys! A lot of the reviews of this book are complaining that the text is abridged. No! This book is the first of THREE VOLUMES which, together, make up the entire "Stones of Venice." To get the whole thing, you need to buy Volumes 10 and 11 as well, not just Volume 9. (N.B., "The Nature of Gothic," the best-known part, is in Volume 10.) It's all there. You just weren't looking in the right place.
   
   That having been said, it's a shame that one has to spend about $300 to get the complete text in a nice, hardbound format. But it's still a worthy investment.



5. As much as I appreciate and respect the work of the editor, I was distresed to find that passages in which Ruskin addressed labor reform were left out. This was in Chapter 6. In the original, Ruskin argued for preserving the integrity of individual workers. I found that this edition left out pages that concerned labor reform, making the work appear to concern architecture alone. If you are interested in Ruskin's views on society, then, be cautious of this. For my part, I ended up resorting to the Norton Anthology of Literature for the text I needed.
   
   In the "Gothic" passage of SoV Ruskin wrote quite forcefully in defense of labor. He emphasized how important it is for buildings to show the work of individual workers. Signs of their work are an essential part of the architecture, he contended. Much of this argument does not appear in this edition.
   
   It remains a wonderful work for those who are interested in the architecture alone.

5 comments about Hollywood At Home (Architectural Digest).

1. This book is just sumptous! A wonderful look into the lives of Hollywood legends via color and b&w photos. I especially like the older stars featured: Carole Lombard, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, etc. I have most of the Architectual Digest magazines featuring Hollywood stars, but this book includes additional photos for some of the stars and is presented so beautifully that even those who own the mags should get a copy. Printed on heavy glossy stock, this is an oustanding book that every Hollywood fan should have in their library!



2. I saw Hollywood At Home from Architectural Digest advertised one day on HGTV and I was interested in getting it. Occasionally it's fun to take a peek into a celebrities life, which is what this book is all about. There are celebrities from mostly past and some present including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and John Travolta. Perhaps my high hopes made it difficult for me to truly enjoy this book. I was expecting there to be more celebrity homes showcased or perhaps show more pictures of the homes of the celebrities they did spotlight. I've read Architectural Digest many times and I have been more impressed with their single issues than this book. I did enjoy seeing John Travolta's home photos and his amazing wall of aviation. Overall, the photos were decent, most of them culled from archives. If you're into some of the celebrities that are featured in this book then I highly reccommend it. If you're expecting any mind blowing architectural insight, then this is not the book for you.



3. The book arrived in a timely manner in good condition.
   Beautiful photos and lots of inside
   information about some of Hollywood's greatest.
   It's a great book!



4. Architectural Digest has done a fantastic job in creating this book. They have taken some of their best features from their superb magazine on Hollywood's stars and their homes and compiled it into this great book. The stories feature stars from the golden age up to the present time. I highly recommend it! It also makes a great gift!



5. First of all let me state unequivically, I love Architectual Digest, and this book is a dream for those of us who do. The houses vary, some are opulent, some are modest, most are in between. You get a feel for the real person behind the star fascade and because Architectural Digest has been in circulation for so long, some of old guard Hollywood is on display here as well as the more current stars. It's interesting to see the juxisposition of the era's. Highly recommended to anyone with any interest in this subject.

3 comments about The Alleys and Back Buildings of Galveston: An Architectural and Social History (Sara and John Lindsey Series in the Arts and Humanities).

1. I was very surprised to find a book like this one. Some people may not enjoy this particular book but I did, in large part, because I grew up in Galveston and still spend a lot of time there.
   
   Unlike a previous reviewer, I don't find the book a waste of time and I don't find Galveston eccentric-only someone that doesn't know the history and culture of Galveston would make that statement. However, Galveston is unique.
   The alleys referred to in this book are not the type alleys in big city downtown areas where you put the garbage cans. The alleys of Galveston are more like small streets that are between two bigger streets. I have been in many of the buildings shown in this book. I had friends who lived in some of these very same buildings.
   
   The author did a good job. However, if you do not have an interest in the history or culture of Galveston this book is probably not for you.Ellen Beasley has done other books about Galveston that also very good.



2. Wow! It is very unusual to find history regarding average working people. This book is an easy read yet detailed and well sourced. If one is interested in Galveston or just historical views of the working class this is a great book.



3. Talk about a niche book..i mean who green lights a book about alley's? Im sure there might be three people..somewhere, into the alleys of Galveston, but geez are there not worthier topics? Having said that, this is not a bad book, the images are well presented, the text well researched, I guess..but still...Alleys?! Galveston is an odd town, with eccentric people, maybe this is right up their alley, so to speak, I dont know, as for me, I'll pass, I really dont like alley's of any kind, because, well, there alley's.

5 comments about Seaside.

1. This book makes me want to pack my things and move to Seaside. If you love the beach and small towns, you will love Seaside. It was very interesting to learn the history of this beach town.



2. This book is mostly a historical account as Seaside, the development in the panhandle of Florida, is being developed. It mostly shows photographs of the different houses built so both architects and designers can get an intimate view. It is a great book as a reference for building in the Florida vernacular...



3. I have an abiding interest in homes on the sea. I've ordered a batch of them. When I saw this book, I assumed that it was a book about a variety of seaside homes of varying architectural styles. I was disappointed to find that it was a book about a single community in Florida, most of the homes being done in an architecturally consistent style. If you're looking for a book of relatively contemporary homes in Florida, this might be of interest to you, as it's well done from that perspective. Otherwise, I'd look at the other available titles, many of which are quite beautifully done.



4. This exquisitely-photographed book about the 80-acre northern Florida community is the perfect antidote to the winter blues or for anyone wishing to take an armchair trip to this breathtaking beach area. Located approximately 70 miles east of Pensacola in the Florida panhandle, Seaside was featured as the perfect city in the movie "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey. The movie itself was dreadful, and the real star was Seaside. ( )



5. Brooke's book accurately portrays the rewarding small, Florida gulf town of Seaside-an architectural delight. I had the opportunity to visit recently, and didn't want to leave it's relaxing environment. The book contains a good description of the town's history and it's founder, Robert Davis, as well as vivid photography. As the town continues to grow, I'd like to see updates on new features in Seaside, as well as more information on the cottage owners and how they choose the decor and color schemes for their individual homes. It's a great coffee table book and must-have for visitors to Seaside.

No comments about Case: Le Corbusier's Venice Hospital and the Mat Building Revival (Case Series).