2 comments about Dictionary of Landscape Architecture and Construction.

1. I was extremely disappointed with this book. It was unavailable for preview at my local library, so I took a chance.
   
   First, there are no pronunciation guides. Granted, several of the words are common ones, but still, shouldn't a dictionary have them? Particularly in an Appendix that offers a selection of Latin-derived adjectives frequently used in a plant's botanical name?
   
   The back cover states that "300 illustrations illulminate both definitions and methods." Hmmph... Several of them are poor quality photographs of items one learned to identify in pre-school. To wit: bench, statue, pickup truck, hard hat, and the like. You're out of luck, though, if you'd like to see an illustration of something less common like a sheepsfoot roller. Plant-related drawings are adequate. Drawings used to illustrate mechanics are frequently too small, or poorly drawn, to offer much detail.
   
   At least this book's format is consistent: if it takes too much effort, don't bother. Caveat emptor.



2. This book is exactly what its title announces. It is an excellent source for students and professionals of design. Plenty of terms, well explained. I truly recommended. It is very useful for the foreign designer, for it explains technical terms one finds in lanscape books and doesn't understand. Very good.

No comments about Backyards and Boulevards: A Portfolio of Paver Projects.

4 comments about Landscape Architecture Construction (3rd Edition).

1. I know one of the authors; he was actually a professor of mine before he retired. I know that he knows his stuff, so I'm praying that this mess of a book is the fault of the publisher.
   
   The typos alone make this text incomprehensible. Add to that illegible diagrams and a complete disorganization between text and headings, and you end up with headaches from just trying to read this silly thing. Unfortunately, this text is the only one of its kind, as far as I can tell.
   
   This book is meant as a comprehensive landscape architecture construction text for students and professionals and covers everything from grading to irrigation to structural load, although not deeply enough to be your only reference.



2. It is unbelievable that this book is $80. I agree with the other reviewers that this book falls short of what a professional reference should be, and the typos are plentiful. For the money, Time Saver Standards is a much better buy.
   
   Unfortunately, there are not a lot of other good options for a construction reference at the time being, so if you run across a cheaper copy of this book it still might be worth picking up. Though none of the topics are treated with great depth, it does manage to get the ideas across and could be helpful for someone just entering the profession or needing a general refresher.
   This book is just a very basic overview of construction, and other supplemental references about the topics covered would definitely be a must.



3. this text is filled with so many errors. sentences end in the middle of an explaination leaving you without any conclusion. this text is a required purchase for my landscape construction class at my university and i can't believe the errors have not yet been corrected! without a knowledgeable instructor to correct the many errors, this book will confuse anyone who is trying to learn from it. i do not recommend this book.



4. Without a doubt, this is the worst edited publication I have ever read. While the information contained in this book is valuable, the editorial missteps and omissions are maddeningly distracting. Some examples include sentences that don't finish with periods, formulas with typos, poorly reproduced graphics, mathematical errors (in the examples!), objects omitted from sentences, and a contour map that requires a mirror to decipher (figure 3-5). As a teaching tool, this text inspires confussion and frustration rather than delivering clarity and instruction. A 4th edition might correct the many errors, but this edition is far too expensive for it's lack of professionalism.

No comments about Tourism and Recreation Handbook of Planning and Design (Architectural Press Planning and Design Series).

No comments about Olmsted's America: An "Unpractical" Man and His Vision of Civilization.

No comments about Handbook of Regenerative Landscape Design (Integrative Studies in Water Management & Land Deve).

No comments about English Literature: Opening Up the Canon. Selected Papers from the English Institute, 1979 (Selected Papers from the English Institute).

No comments about Ken Smith Landscape Architects Urban Projects: A Source Book in Landscape Architecture (Source Books in Landscape Architecture).

No comments about Japan Towards Totalscape: Contemporary Japanese Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape.

1 comments about Gardens of Paradise: The History and Design of the Great Islamic Gardens.

1. well, its a good book, but not enough pictures