1 comments about Provence: The Art of Living.

1. I bought this book for ideas on paint colors for my 1920s Spanish Colonial home. It is beautifully done, full of design details and the gorgeous colors of Provence, the south of France, that derive from the paint colors, the food, the gardens, pottery and the surrounding dry, burnished mediterranean landscape. It is the perfect inspiration for any California home or a richly hued coffee table book!

1 comments about French Riviera: The 20s and 30s.

1. This book is a delight for any fans of art deco/art moderne. The photography made me long to return to the Cote d'Azur.

2 comments about Singapore Sketchbook: The Restoration of a City (Sketchbook).

1. A very beautifully done tour of the restoration of colonial Singapore rendered in watercolors and charcoal sketches. The book gives glimpses into the everyday street life of Singapore in the 1980's. A provocative Journal which makes the reader long for a spur of the moment trip to the orient.



2. The watercolours of colonial architecture by Graham Byfield do greater justice than mimetic photography in this instance. There is a nostalgic quality that is retained by preserving images of old Singapore buildings - some of which are no longer with us, such as the Katong Red Bakery, in this manner.
   
   Great attention is paid to detailing, such as in the Chinese Baroque facades of the terrace houses ("shophouses') in the Blair Rd district.
   
   As an added bonus, there are many little vignettes scattered around recording life in Singapore in the mid 80s - coffee shop life, ice cream street carts etc.
   
   For anyone who loves Colonial and Straits Chinese Singapore architecture, this book makes a lovely keepsake.

1 comments about Architecture and Ideology in Eastern Europe during the Stalin Era: An Aspect of Cold-War History.

1. This book links text and image very well. It provides excellent photographs of architecture though some are small and most are in black and white. However, most photos are taken from the original journals of the day. The text is lucid and engaging, the author does not shy away from some of the enigmatic of the topic. He uses diagrams and common themes as useful literary devices to enable the reader to pull all the information together. All in all a well produced book that I would wholly recommend.

No comments about Spectacular Homes of New York: An Exclusive Showcase of New York's Finest Designers (Spectacular Homes).

No comments about A Guide to Tucson Architecture.

3 comments about The Vanishing American Outhouse.

1. I bought this book when it came out as a gift for my father's birthday, he always talked about the outhouse outside his school, from when he was growing up.
   
   The book is humorous, but also a very interesting, and a touching look back at a different time in our history. My father got a kick out of it, but really, everybody that picked it up to thumb through it, couldn't put it down.



2. Privy plans, photos, poetry and folklore are collected in The Vanishing American Outhouse, an intriguing memoir of an early American fixture, the outhouse. Many photos are in full color and accompanying details cover construction, changes in design and features, and still-standing antiques around the country. A unique, fun guide.



3. No, seriously. Very humerous, very cute book. Great for history buffs. Makes at great gift, I enjoyed it immensely.

1 comments about Southwestern Ornamentation and Design: The Architecture of John Gaw Meem.

1. In Southwestern Ornamentation & Design: The Architecture Of John Gaw Meem, Anne Taylor (Distinguished Professor, School of Architecture and Planning Education, University of New Mexico), offers a direct and knowledgeable analytical survey of one of New Mexico's most renowned architects. Black-and-white photographs drawn from the archives of the Meem Room in Zimmerman Library at the University of New Mexico help present John Meem's bold and visionary ideas to offer inspiration in their own right. Southwestern Ornamentation & Design is a very highly recommended addition to professional and academic Architectural Studies collections.

No comments about Petronas Twin Towers: The Architecture of High Construction.

2 comments about Walking Through Le Corbusier: A Tour of His Masterworks.

1. Haven't read this one but I have in my Corb collection Dominique Lyon's 'Le Corbusier Alive'(VILO International, Paris, 2000: ISBN: 2-84576-007-8) which recounts and rephotographs most of Corb's most famous work on 4 continents. Contained therein is the most literate and plainly written critique of his La Tourette design intentions that I have read. This chapter is a gem and will bring you closer to an understanding of what he sought to achieve in his building.
   There is also a delightful chapter on Mr and Mrs Corbu's weekender in the south of France.



2. It is nice to see that Le Corbusier is "cool" again. However, this is probably one of the "thinnest" books on the master architect, who probably did more than any other architect to define Modernism. For those who want more in the way of narrative I would suggest Peter Frampton's or William Curtis' monographs on Le Corbusier, which provide ample illustrations and a more in-depth analysis of his work. Better yet, check out his Complete Works, which will give you valuable insights into this great architect.