2 comments about A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto.

1. This book is an indispensible aide to anyone planning a trip on his own. This book contains over 50 individual entries describing the gardens of Kyoto and environs, grouped by geographic location within the city. Overview maps for the different districts show the approximate location of the individual gardens, so that the traveller can put together itineraries for daytrips in the Kyoto area.
   
   Each entry gives details of opening hours, historic background and special features of the garden described. The name of the garden and its location are additonally specified in Japanese characters, making this book the ideal travel guide for those embarking on a trip to Kyoto.
   
   There is a limited number of photos, so that those wanting to plan a trip using the guide might consider referencing other books with numerous color photos to pick the specific gardens they are interested in.



2. Don't leave home without this book! Anyone who is planning a trip to Japan (resident foreigners included) and has even the slighest interest learning about the Gardens of Kyoto should buy a copy of this superb book, which is small enough to carry in your shoulder bag. The book contains gives the balance of detail,giving good a historical background and landscape points overview. This is a buy you will not regret. Well done to the authors.

5 comments about Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses.

1. I live in North Carolina, where Ross made his home--at least in the fall, winter, and spring. There's almost a holy reverence for the man around here but there's a lot of bluster and phoney-ness too. For example, there are plenty of clubs that say they have a Ross course when they have anything but. I remember a guy at a country club here telling me how fortunate they were to have an original Ross course. At the time, I didn't know any better and so I believed the dafty. I soon discovered that little of the original routing remained. Why? Because Trent Jones came in at some stage and pretty much blew the place to smithereens plus the large oak trees of which members are so fond had changed the original routing beyond recognition. And if you cut down those trees at that club, you're dead. Dead. The original course had a handful of trees.
   
   The beauty of Brad Klein's book is that it demystifies Ross while providing those with Ross courses a blueprint for renovation or restoration. It's a coffee table tome but it's much more than pretty pictures on coated paper. It's a thoroughly-researched thesis from someone with an advanced degree. It's also very well written and even passionate. Klein also resists the temptation to go PC, sensibly preferring to place Ross within the context of his time and place. Ross wasn't the greatest golf course architect (that's HS Colt) but Ross was a brilliant router; he understood the value of a golf course that everyone from the weekend hacker to the scratch man or woman could enjoy. Modern golf course architects need to make their courses easier, not harder. Take a look at one of the few remaining relatively untouched Ross courses. Which living golf course architect could make it better, or, more importantly, more enjoyable? On the 'real' Ross courses I've played, apart from Pinehurst #2, you have to work very hard to bag a lot of big numbers.
   
   Klein's book features details about the man and also discusses several of his courses. There's also a useful directory in the back. The book is also the story of one man's version of The American Dream. Ross arrived here pretty much penniless but managed to build a useful empire through hard work and some smart thinking. The book shows that Ross was a "Canny Scot" who knew how to promote himself and satisfy his clients. Nothing wrong with that. It's a happy story.
   
   It might have been tempting for Klein to get all cuddly with the group that calls itself The Donald Ross Society. I've met some members of said conglomerate, including one of its officers, and they are all a bit full of themselves. Klein mentions the society but it's very much his book, his thoughts, and his ideas. I like books with opinions and character. The book is respectful without being gushy and authoritative without being pompous.
   
   I hope that my buddy at the Donald Ross/Robert Trent Jones golf course that's currently under renovation reads Klein's book. He needs to. So too should anyone who is interested in golf course architecture and wants to know what a real Ross golf course looks like. Hint: it's rarely like Pinehurst #2.



2. Whereas Bahto in the Evangelist of Golf is focused on the National more and how it came to define C.B. MacDonald, Brad Klein produces a broad overview of Donald Ross and is less focused on any one aspect of his life and career as a golf designer.
   
   Donald Ross was the Henry Ford of golf design. Some 400 courses confirmed to his credit with, of course, Pinehurst being his crown achievement.
   
   I think this is a solid overview of Donald Ross in general, but I was hoping to really appreciate "why" his courses were so special. We get to understand that for Donald Ross, his routings and greens were some of his strong points. However, the Ross hole and green diagrams along with the course plans only convey so much about this. Yes, they're great but the text I feel isn't in depth enough to really bring out what's buried in the diagrams, plans and pics. Instead, we are exposed to tid bits of some of the more popular courses he's produced. There's an attempt to explain Ross strategies and golf design philosophy in chapter 7, but it's high level and general. I also don't quite grasp why chapter 7 wasn't placed sooner in this book. Maybe I was expecting too much on this. Indeed, this is not a "Confidential Guide" of Ross courses as John Conley states in his earlier review.
   
   At any rate, I think the strengths of this book lie within the quality production, tremendously thorough research (especially when it comes to how Ross did things), very good photographs (especially when it comes to before and after course pictures), and the historical perspective.
   
   The Pinehurst section is very interesting from a background and historical perspective, but you won't learn much about why the course is great.
   
   The renovation / restoration segment is also very informative. Some great pictures illustrate what can happen when proper care is given to a renovation / restoration effort.
   
   There's a nice comprehensive compilation list of Ross's courses, but unfortunately it won't help you figure out which one's you can play. Maybe in the next revision, Klein can indicate which courses are public vs. private. Even tracking back some of the courses within the book won't help either, as you're never too sure which one's are public or private.
   
   Overall, I'd recommend this volume in a heartbeat. Just don't have grand expectations about understanding what makes such and such a Ross course so great. Rather, view this work as a very good and thorough review of what was involved in being Ross the person, family man, hard working course designer, and creator of many great golf courses.



3. Brad Klein has done a superb job in this lavishly illustrarted story of Donald Ross,long recognized as one the original "founding fathers" of the golden era of golf architecture. While it shows dozens of courses in detail,it is much more than a picture book, since it tells the story of Ross right from his earliest days in Scotland. Klein weaves a very readable and interesting picture of the life and accomplishments of Donald Ross.

   The book is well named since it a wonderful journey of discovery. There are all kinds of new insights for even the Ross fans who thought they read everything about DJR. But it will hold the interest of any reader who loves to read about a rich, full life told well. About a man who left Scotland for America without enough money to buy his second meal but who worked so hard he became one of the best paid individuals in all of sports.

   And it is about a man who never forgot the meaning of family and his employees.

   Brad Klein's book is throughly researched, well written and shows a genuine love for golf and for one of the men who made it great. Mr Klein is on his way to join that list.

   John Purcell




4. There is little doubt of the time and effort it took to reasearch this phenominal book on one of Golf's Great Heroes.

   Author Brad Klein gives the reader a inside view of not only who Donald Ross was, what he represents to the game of Golf today, as well as a revealing throwback to an age gone by.

   Aerial photos, course diagrams, and other pertinent data show the reader just how much the game's playing grounds have changed, and the effort to hold on to their design critieria as was intended by this soft spoken man from the North of Scotland.

   I would highly suggest this book to all who love the game of Golf itself, as well as the courses of Donald Ross; and for those who love golf courses, in general.




5. In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.

No comments about Urban Spaces: Squares & Plazas.

2 comments about Treehouses: Living a Dream.

1. I bought some books on tree houses cause I want to build one. This was no help. Nice pictures (and ideas, maybe), tough.
   If you want to look pictures and dream, buy the book. Otherwise don't.



2. There are an awful lot of 'pretty house' books out there. Some of them offering quite unusual house designs. But nothing I've ever seen compares with the designs in this book. ==I've seen houses built on poles because they are located in a flood plain. Of course the Swiss Family Robinson and the Ewoks of StarWars fame lived in tree houses. I had one as a kid, and when my daughter came along, she had one (she could pull up the ladder and keep her brother out).
   
   In this book however professional architects from all over Europe, Tasmania, and the U.S have been used to design houses that live up in trees. The houses are mostly not the entire living structure but are offices, retreats, studios, and some of the most exciting entertainment areas imaginable. The results are unbelievably striking.
   
   The integration of the advanced design with the natural look of the trees gives a feeling of working together that I wouldn't have expected. This is true if the tree house is ultra modern, traditional, or some that I guess I'd just call unconventional. A surprising book.

3 comments about Making Gardens Works of Art: Creating Your Own Personal Paradise.

1. I love Keeyla's style and artistic touch. This book inspires the creative in you!



2. Having met Keeyla Meadows several years ago at the San Francisco Flower Show, I was thrilled to read this book. This is a woman who loves art and gardening and expresses it real life. Her book brings her joy to the reader and inspires that reader to experiment in their own space, enabling them to create their own "personal paradise". She also includes information on soil and plants, which is invaluable in creating an artistic, thriving garden that blends with the home and location. Well worth the read for anyone who LOVES art and gardening, or wants to learn how to create their own "paradise".



3. Making Gardens Works Of Art by award-winning landscaping and gardening expert Keeyla Meadows is a beautifully illustrated guide to creating living, growing, breathing artworks of greenery in one's own backyard or greenhouse. Packed with vibrant color photographs showcasing some truly splendid and stunning examples of gardening artistry, Making Gardens Works Of Art Is a superbly practical, informative, and delightful book for devoted horticulturalists seeking to turn their traditional gardens into thriving, blooming, living works of botanical art.

1 comments about Cool Pools and Hot Tubs.

1. This book has some innovative pools -- especially the one under a set of glass stairs in the entryway of a London building. There are indoor pools, outdoor pools, indoor-outdoor pools, the now-ubiquitous "infinite edge" pools and even "rustic" pools that look like natural ponds. Gorgeous! The book also covers Jacuzzis and pool-related structures, such as cabanas, waterfalls, and so on, but the focus here is high-end "cool" pools.

No comments about Optical System Design, Second Edition.

5 comments about Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History.

1. Excellent excellent text- very thorough, good pictures. Even if you're not in a class, good reading!



2. As the founding president of the famous Central Park Conservancy and of Cityscape Institute, Elizabeth Barlow Rogers summarized her experience, research and observations and her extensive training in art history and city planning in "Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History."
   
   "Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History" covers architecture, landscape architecture, conservation, city planning, earthworks, and other landscape designs in many different cultures from dawn of humanity to present, such as Stonehenge, ancient Egyptian royal cemeteries, gardens of Renaissance, Baroque Europe, English naturalistic Landscape, the Forbidden City of Beijing, Versailles, and New York's Central Park, etc.
   
   For many years, "The Landscape of Man: Shaping the Environment from Prehistory to the Present Day" used to be the only comprehensive book covering landscape architecture at a grand scale, with striking bird's eye view photos showing how brilliant human beings can be. "Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History" can supplement "The Landscape of Man: Shaping the Environment from Prehistory to the Present Day" since it provides more in-depth discussions.
   
   "Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History" has 544 pages and 633 line drawings and dazzling interior photographs (many of them are color). It is a valuable landscape design history book for landscape architecture students, seasoned design professionals and ordinary garden lovers!



3. This is one of the most tedious books that I've ever read. It focuses more on historical, cultural and politcal influences than actual garden design. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're in need of a good night's sleep.



4. This is a great book. It is very readable, and even if you are not particularly interested in landscape design/architectural history, Elizabeth Barlow Rogers will inspire you. This book follows landscape and cultural architecture through history and makes me wonder why all schools - from elementary on up - don't attack history lessons from such a practical and fascinating point of view.
   Also, compared with other landscape Arch books this is much less narrow and really weaves in many many threads of cultural and historical interest.



5. I had to purchase this book for my LA class and it's a bug squasher. While the pictures are impressive, and the coverage of the subject in-depth, the author can be long winded. What she covers in a page could have easily been said in a couple of paragraphs. I also don't care for the glossy pages. While they make the pictures look nice, reading the fine text that it's printed can give one a headache.

5 comments about Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden.

1. This book is not Landscape as "Spirit" but Landscape as "Symbolism". Which is ok but that is not why I purchased this book. I wanted a book that taught or "pointed" towards how to create or how a Zen garden is created. To see what the inner Zen world looks like when projected outward into a Zen garden.
   
   The book starts out with the idea that a garden designed from the Zen perspective is a Mandela. Then the Mandela is created using elements in the garden to symbolize Heaven, Earth and Man. Then the book goes on to say that one level down, the garden can be created using garden elements to symbolize Earth, Fire, Water, Fire, Air and Space. For me this "Spirit" theory was very incoherent. A Zen Master experiences "The Tao" and reacts intuitively. This Spirit theory seemed to contradict Zen teachings. In fact the arrangement of stones in many of the photographs and plans are "too" ordered; too balanced and unnatural; unintuitive.
   
   Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful book with many beautiful "details" to learn from. But good eastern minded landscaping "responds" to the site NOT created things like miniature mountains, miniature trees that represent fire, perfectly placed stones, perfectly placed plants in between perfectly placed stones and so on and so on???
   
   Nature and Zen are natural not contrived. Zen is natural or consists of "a suchness" or an experience of "The garden IS" not something that reflects levels of symbolic hierarchy.



2. This is a great book that one can return to time after time. It presents landscaping principals in the context of the garden as a place for reflexion and meditation. As gorgeous as the photos are, I find the text even more meaningful.



3. This book is remarkable in at least three regards. First, it is so finely produced that we, as readers, can actually feel our way into the gardens it is showing us. Second, the principles of garden-making it offers us are profound, simple and flexible: we can see how the Mosko gardens emerge from them, and how our own might too. Third, and most unusual, it is deeply spiritual, coming from years of meditative practice in the Zen and Tibetan tradtions, as well as in unnamed native traditions of spirit. In the deepest sense this book is beauty as instruction.



4. this book's title, if the picture of the cover is real, is different from the Amazon title. who proof's this stuff?



5. This gorgeously made and printed book will inspire ANY gardener or person who enjoys gardens. The photos take you into a world of amazing gardens. I'm not a garden nut, but I love a beautiful book and this one is on my coffee table. The writing is clear, creative, and very informative. This book is an excellent gift to anyone who loves architecture, design, or landscapes.

No comments about Creating Central Park (Metropolitan Museum of Art).