1 comments about Sacred Places: War Memorials in the Australian Landscape.

1. Inglis took 15 years to write this book. The book has been written in easy to read non-academic style that makes for easy access by the casual reader. I read this book with ease finding it full of useful and interesting facts. Inglis does not attempt to analyse the theory behind memory or memory representation but does allow enough material for the investigative reader to develop his or her own thesis.

   In short it is a long book, but a good book and certainly one that helps to remind us that there are those that we should not forget.

No comments about Montecito, California's Garden Paradise.

3 comments about Learning from the Japanese City: West Meets East in Urban Design (Studies in History, Planning and the Environment Series).

1. The book is fantastic, the writing insightful about a subject on which it is hard to get information on in English. It is one person's perspective, and a foreigner one at that, but I liked what he had to say, and I don't think its uninformed.
   
   As a well travelled architect and planner with experience in Asia, I recommend it highly...



2. This is the only time I have ever written a review for Amazon.com, and I freely admit it is out of annoyance at the high price I paid for this book. Shelton has very little to say, and he says it badly. His "research" seems to have been no more than anecdotes from his own observations during wanderings of Japanese cities, and skimming through books by other people who did real research. There is almost no analysis of the reasons for Japanese urban form, and no convincing explanation of what may be "learned". Examples: he notes the strange juxtapositions and visual incoherence, but gives no information about the zoning and subdivision laws that allow this. He notes that many small buildings have exterior staircases as their street facade, but does not research the fire code laws that encourage this. Above all, he seems to assume that the ostensibly random results must be the result of random processes, and so ignores the importance of big business interests, and especially private railway companies, in the shaping of Japanese cities.

   The photos are poorly reproduced and the diagrams (Shelton's own?) are laughably crude. He seems to consider every Japanese city to be generically interchangeable, and he caricatures Western architecture and urban traditions perhaps more than those of Japan.

   If this is not intended as academic research but as quirky anecdotes/opinions along the lines of Alex Kerr or Peter Popham, fine, but in that case Shelton's awkward prose is not worth the effort to read.

   In short, the only valuable information that Shelton provides is quoted or from sources that include: Ashihara's "The Hidden Order", Barthes "Empire of Signs", Jinnai's "Tokyo: a Spatial Anthropology", various texts by Bognar, and Popham's "Tokyo: the City at the End of the World". All of these books are highly recommended, along with Sorensen's "The Making of Urban Japan" and Atelier Bow Wow's "Made in Tokyo Guidebook". I promise I am not the author of any of the books I am praising (although I wonder if the same could be said about the other review on this page). This is definitely a low point in Routledge's usually high quality output. Don't waste your money.




3. A magical book ... that opens your eyes to the dual - complexity and simplicity - that lies within the heart of both Japanese Culture and the Japanese City

1 comments about Quincy's Market: A Boston Landmark.

1. I wanted to give a quick thumbs up to this book. If you are the type of person looking for nuggets of information about a city and her landmarks, this is the book for you.

No comments about British and American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century: Eighteen Illustrated Essays on Garden History.

No comments about The Garden Bench (Library of Garden Detail).

1 comments about Gardens in Normandy.

1. Has anyone seen this book

1 comments about Turfgrass Chemicals and Pesticides: A Practitioner's Guide.

1. Never have I seen a more comprehensive text that covers the basics of what I face on the job on a day to day basis. I highly recommend this book for any turfgrass professional who is looking for a practical and scientific guide to some of the biggest challenges they face. This is a must read!!

4 comments about Japanese Courtyard Gardens: Photographs.

1. I work in 1 inch scale with miniatures and want to start a Japanese Garden Roombox. I found some wonderful details in this lovely book and can hardly wait to reproduce them. In fact, I found exactly what I was looking for. My "Japanese Gardener" and my "Geisha" are waiting patiently for their habitats to be created. These are the figures I found that gave me the idea to do a garden and a tea room. It will be a fine winter's project.



2. This book is by far one the best collections in my library. The pictures alone are worth the money. I can't tell you how much inspiration I extracted for future projects. A definite buy for any gardener.



3. Very beautiful photos. Nicely printed. Each photos has detailed description. Good for someone who loves Japaense culture, or who just loves gardens. I got this for a gift, but I will have to get some more for other friends, and for me!



4. Inspiring book. Both traditional and contemporary courtyards are covered

No comments about Urbino: The History of a City and Plans for its Development.