1 comments about Moving Horizons: The Landscape Architecture of Kathryn Gustafson and Partners.

1. This book not only provides great photos of Kathryn's built works, but it describes and shows her design process, as well as the transitions her practice went through as it grew. Well worth the read and great to have in the design library.

No comments about Design Your Garden: 10 simple steps to transform your garden (Garden Style Guides).

4 comments about Berkeley Rocks: Building with Nature.

1. Not surprisingly, it took an Australian trained geographer/rock climber to point out the obvious beauty and value of East Bay geology in the landscape design for private homes and parks in this wonderful pictorial work.
   If you think rock is something only the landscape architect has to design around, see the photos of how some banded rhyolite boulders look in a billiard room, or examine a mass of in situ chert protruding through a homeowner's bathroom wall (the geologist's 'dream' WC). Berkeley loves its rocks. While Chester never gets into it directly, this region's desire to protect rocks and outcrops is geoconservation in practice. For more on that, see my review of GEODIVERSITY.
   
   Chester includes a Berkeley Area map to locate these local geologic treasures, and a decent map of the bedrock geology of the Berkeley Hills on page 14. My only complaints would be 1) the title--the word 'nature' should be changed to 'geology', and 2) references to geologic works mentioned in chapter one are not included in the recommended reading section.



2. We liked this enough that we bought a copy as a present for another Berkeley resident. This is a fun book to look through.



3. I grew up one block from Pinnacle Rock in Berkeley, where my dad (Dick Leonard) and his pal Dave Brower climbed every Sunday with their Cragmont Climbing club buddies (1940's, 50's). This is an absolutely wonderful book about Berkeley's beautiful rocks and architecture, most of which are very familiar to this Berkeley native. I gave it to my husband on Christmas, and everyone was glued to it. Thanks so much.



4. For much of my life I held hope to be able to own a home in
   Berkeley with one of those great rocks filling the front of the lot and obscuring part of the house. It never happened, so finding this excellent book fulfilled part of my wish. The photography really captures the feeling of being near the geologic history of the area and there is a
   great source of geologic detail in the text, for anyone who
   wants to know why those rocks are there. Excellent photograpy and very informative text.

No comments about Desert Architecture (Extreme Architecture).

1 comments about Arcosanti: An Urban Laboratory?.

1. In this book Paolo Soleri exposed the ideas he have in the design of Arcosanti. I find the book really interesting although I don't agree 100% with his ideas, Soleri exposed his ideas in an orderly matter. This makes the book really easy to read. With each idea there is also a short paragraph outlining how this could be implemented or applied in Arcosanti. I enjoyed very much the book and also got a chance to understand better Arcosanti. Moreover the books seem more interesting to read because Soleri is not only writing his ideas but he is also building Arcosanti in Arizona. I recommend this book to architects and urban planners that are interested in new ideas and solutions to solve the urban mess that we are currently living.

1 comments about Bird Gardens (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. BH & G's newest gardening publication is a combination of the usual bird-gardening book array of garden styles, ideas, and bird and plant lists but it is also stuffed with inspirational photos, how-to projects, and a plethora of quick tips accompanying nearly every photo in the book. The book's loose flow seems created for browsing, and each time it is opened a new tidbit is found. Especially nice is the emphasis on being a little messy in the garden. Attracting birds means letting things to go to seed, including allowing lettuce to bolt, not hard pruning shrubs in the spring to allow for nesting, and letting some of those dropped branches stay put. It's so nice to see these ever so slightly sloppy gardens that are still aesthetically pleasing.
   Plant descriptions detail the plant's worth in the bird garden and list what birds will use them for - fruits, shelter, nesting, etc. Descriptions also include common and botanical names, general cultivation information and full color photos. Bird descriptions include information on habits, habitats, preferred foods, nest types, and common and Latin names along with full color photos and range maps.
   BH & G books have come a long way in recent years taking steps to marry inspirational photos with sound gardening practices; Bird Gardens is no exception.

No comments about Manufacturing Montreal: The Making of an Industrial Landscape, 1850 to 1930 (Creating the North American Landscape).

No comments about Garden ideas A to Z.

1 comments about 08 Suzhou: Shaping an Ancient City for the New China (Landmarks).

1. This book is an essential guide for students of the master planning process and for those planners interested in developing sensitive and historic areas like the ancient and garden laden city of Suzhou. Prentice takes the reader on a rich visual, historical and political journey along slow moving canals, over resonant foot bridges and into quiet, shady courtyards. Simultaneously, one follows the progress of the master planning workshop lead by the internationally known firms EDAW/Pei group. The account presents surprising and often poetic insight into cross-cultural negotiation and provides a vivid understanding of the nuances of the charrette process. Included in the book are descriptive and elegant presentation drawings and lush photographs of one of China's top tourist destinations.

1 comments about Rustic Garden Architecture.

1. If you like gardens and nature you will enjoy this book. My girl friend gave it to me and now I am buying a copy for a friend. I have already made one bench from ideas in the book. A must have for the creative gardener