General Books

A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams

Michael Pollan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Don't Be Conned!! 1 out of 5 stars.
11 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I love Michael Pollan. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food" changed the way I eat forever. Both are brilliant. So, when browsing here I noticed a new book by him. Thought it sounded interesting. The book wasn't to be released until a few days ago. Everything leads me to believe this is a new work by Pollan. WRONG! This book was published over ten years ago. It garnered mediocre to terrible reviews, including one by Library Journal -- normally a very fair, even generous, book review instititution -- that was a complete pan, going so far as to advise libraries NOT to buy it. If you go to other editions of this book you'll find one with a different cover that does have 17 reviews. Except for the reviews clearly written by his friends the book was basically panned.

Disappointed to learn all of this I braved on and tried to read it. It's not a bad book, but clearly not what we have come to want from Pollan. His Thoreauian meditation on building a cabin behind his house in the Northeast with his own hands is very slim material indeed. I put the book down. I have a lot of books to read and I eagerly put this at the top of my list, but now it's been deep-sixed forever. I buy books by the authors I have loved in the past, reviews -- after combing through the inane ones and the ones by the author's fan club -- and other factors. Putting this out in a new cover does not change the fact that it is decidedly minor Pollan. I would probaby give it three or four stars, but because I was conned, because I'm angry that I can't get my money back on the purchase of books, I give it one star. Shame on you and your publisher, Mr. Pollan. Shame on you. I hope others won't be deceived.

Editorial Review:

Michael Pollan’s unmatched ability to draw lines of connection between our everyday experiences— whether eating, gardening, or building—and the natural world has been the basis for the popular success of his many works of nonfiction, including the genre-defining bestsellers The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. With this updated edition of his earlier book A Place of My Own, readers can revisit the inspired, intelligent, and often hilarious story of Pollan’s realization of a room of his own—a small, wooden hut, his “shelter for daydreams”—built with his admittedly unhandy hands. Inspired by both Thoreau and Mr. Blandings, A Place of My Own not only works to convey the history and meaning of all human building, it also marks the connections between our bodies, our minds, and the natural world.

Le Corbusier Le Grand

Editors of Phaidon

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND is the only book you'll ever need on the world's most influential architect.


''He is the Leonardo of our time.'' - Eero Saarinen


''He has provided enough for a whole generation to live on.'' - Walter Gropius


''The world's greatest architect.'' - Oscar Niemeyer


''Without question No. 1.'' - Philip Johnson


Le Corbusier (1887-1965) is known as of one of the giants of twentieth-century architecture and design. The Swiss-born, self-named architect was not only the creator of some of the most impressive buildings of the last century, he was also an accomplished painter, sculptor, furniture designer, urbanist, and author. His work and social theories continue to be a dominant force today, and his elegant manner, typified by his iconic round black eyeglasses, is still the signature look for architects around the world. Only a book grand in size could encapsulate such a legendary figure.

Phaidon Press is pleased to announce the publication of LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND, a spectacular visual biography of the life and work of the father of Modern architecture. Weighing in at 20 pounds, this massive book is packed with 2,000 images and documents, many rare or previously unpublished. Drawing on an array of archival materials, this sumptuous volume depicts not only the vast and varied output of Le Corbusier, but also the major events, people, and forces that shaped the life of a man who continues to fascinate those in and outside the architectural world.


LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND follows the same dramatically oversized design of the critically acclaimed Andy Warhol Giant Size (Phaidon, 2006). The large format enables the reader to explore in detail a myriad of fascinating photographs, letters, personal correspondence, art works, notes, press clippings, sketches, and ephemera all featured in this one of a kind publication. The rarely seen photographs and correspondence shed new light on Le Corbusier's relationships with Josephine Baker, Eileen Gray, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, and many others. A separate booklet includes transcriptions and translations (from French to English) of all featured documents.

LE CORBUSIER LE GRAND includes an insightful introductory essay by Jean-Louis Cohen, one of the world's most authoritative architectural historians, and incisive chapter introductions by Tim Benton, a highly regarded Le Corbusier scholar. This luxurious book is a striking addition to any coffee table, making it an extraordinary gift for anyone with an interest in art, architecture, or design.

Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders

William R. Drennan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Completely inexcusable mistakes & shoddy research 1 out of 5 stars.
14 of 22 people found this review helpful.

While Drennan wrote about his amount of research done for this book, he came to incomplete conclusions; completely misinterpreted his research; or lost his references in (I am sure) his piles of notes. It's apparent to those who have studied Wright, or have an interest in him, that, while Drennan refers to books in the bibliography, he didn't study them, particularly in his misunderstanding of a proper floor plan for Taliesin I.

There are things that he just gets plain wrong (page numbers refer to the hardcover version of the book).

Page 6, he writes that Taliesin is on the "banks of the Wisconsin River." It's not. It's just down from the top of a hill (on the brow of the hill, leading to the name "Taliesin", "shining brow" in Welsh) and also separated from the river by a road.

Page 16, he states that Wright spend "five summers" working on his family's farm. Wright spent summers there from the ages of 11-18.

Page 19, He writes that Wright went to Chicago and spent 2 dollars on a concert. Wright wrote in his autobiography that he spent $1.

Page 31, he states that Wright met CR Ashbee in 1896. They met in 1900, which Drennan would have known if he had read one of the books he cites in his bibliography, _Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence_, by Anthony Alofsin.

Page 67, A statue shown in a photograph on this page is referred to as "an [Alfonso] Ianelli sprite" (from Wright's Midway Gardens project in Chicago, IL) when it's actually _Flower in the Crannied Wall_, designed by Richard Bock for Wright's Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, IL (which he would have known had he read Narciso Menocal's article about the statue in _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, v. 1_, which Drennan cited in his bibliography).

Page 161 he writes that, "When Miriam Noel learned of Olgivanna, she lay siege to the place and dragged out divorce proceedings for five turbulent years." Wright and Noel were married in 1923, and divorced in 1927.

Page 168, he states that Wright had been buried "next to" Mamah. Their graves are about 20 feet apart. Drennan refers several times to the valley that the Lloyd Joneses lived in as "Bear Creek," but it's never been called that (Helena Valley is acceptable).

He also writes that Wright's family had come across the United States directly to Spring Green, Wisconsin, when in truth they'd actually settled in Ixonia, Wisconsin (on the eastern side of the state) for about a decade before coming to Spring Green.

There are various statements he made that have no citation in the endnotes:
Page 14, Wright's father's turn as a Unitarian minister is described on page 14 as "a 'sop,' it has been called" - no citation

Page 15, he states that Wright's half-sister Lizzie charged that his mother was "spoiling Frank rotten..." - no citation

Page 15, he states that Wright's father "pointedly" called Wright and his two sisters, "Anna's children" - no citation

Page 137, he refers to "One online source" with no citation

Et cetera.

All the while, he writes that all of these other writers have gotten things wrong or misinterpreted things. He is the one who misinterpreted the area, misunderstood Taliesin, Wright's family, and Wright's background.

If you want to know about Wright, read Meryle Secrest's biography. If you want to know about Taliesin I, get _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, volume I_, ed. Narciso Menocal (this will also provide you with a Taliesin I floor plan). If you want to read about Wright's relationship with Mamah Borthwick, read Nancy Horan's book, _Loving Frank_. It's historical fiction that is better researched than _Death in a Prairie House_.

Editorial Review:

The most pivotal and yet least understood event of Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated life involves the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Supplying both a gripping mystery story and a portrait of the artist in his prime, William Drennan wades through the myths surrounding Wright and the massacre, casting fresh light on the formulation of Wright’s architectural ideology and the cataclysmic effects that the Taliesin murders exerted on the fabled architect and on his subsequent designs.  

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

Ross King

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 104 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A dome for eternity 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The dual papacy had been resolved in favor of Rome (1416). Florence was the interim home for the Pope while permanent quarters were being readied in Rome (1420). Florence considered itself the new Athens of the western world, and on August 19, 1418 Filippo Brunelleschi submitted his design for the dome of the city's new cathedral. His design pushed the technology of bricklaying to never seen before sophistication, producing a dome 143 feet in diameter; a dome which is still the largest masonry dome in the world. His radical design and construction techniques for the double-walled dome required no temporary central scaffolding and support.

The work was interrupted by disease, war and political upheavals. Finally, the octagonal dome was completed in 1436 and the lantern on top of the dome was completed in 1461, fifteen years after Filippo's death. Ross King weaves a wonderful story about this technological feat. This book should appeal to all art, architecture and history buffs.

Editorial Review:

The superb story of the architect Filippo Brunelleschi and the design and construction of the Great Cathedral in Florence - one of the most magnificent achievements of the Italian Renaissance.

Paul F. Aubin's Mastering Revit Architecture 2009

Paul F. Aubin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

MUST HAVE 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Aubin's latest edition engages Revit users successfully, whether they are firt-time newbies, intermediate users, or experts looking to refine their best practices.

The book is helpful for those attempting to get HOW and WHY to do things, not just WHAT to do as tutorials or software courses tend to focus on. This is especially critical for somewhat more "advanced" topics, like creating and managing parametric families. Furthermore, Aubin does well to back up concepts and best practices with practical how-to examples provided on CD which accompanies the text.

There is still room for improvement in the text, and Aubin should consider expanding future editions to introduce case studies or examples of how a particular person/role in industry might use the tools differently. For example, although Worksharing overviewed in an appendix, it deserves more full attention where the complexities surrounding Worksharing issues could be made more relevant in hypothetical, narrative examples from industry. "The project architect will be concerned with X, while contrary to that the construction manager should watch out for the following..."

That said, the book is a MUST HAVE for anybody serious about learning and applying Revit Architecture 2009 in their practice. I highly recommend this book, and will be referring to it frequently as I teach my colleagues to embrace BIM tools in my practice.

Editorial Review:

Master the software that industry professionals use to create compelling architecture! Experienced-based practical advice is at the core of this concise reference guide by veteran author Paul F. Aubin, who makes learning Autodesk Revit® Architecture 2009 easier than ever. Designed to shorten the learning curve, this book focuses squarely on the rationale and practicality of the Revit® Architecture process through a series of hands-on lessons that promote a clear sense of the value of the software and an understanding of each tool's potential. In completing their building design projects successfully, readers will develop a first hand knowledge of what it takes to build design development models and create a complete set of construction documents for architectural production.

Frank Lloyd Wright The Houses

Alan Hess

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Frank Lloyd Wright is not only synonymous with architecture, his name is also synonymous with the American house in the twentieth century. In particular, his residential work has been the subject of continuing interest and controversy. Wright's Fallingwater (1935), the seminal masterpiece perched over a waterfall deep in the Pennsylvania highlands, is perhaps the best-known private house in the history of the world. In fact, Wright's houses-from his Prairie style Robie House (1906) in Chicago, to the Storer (1923) and Freeman (1923) houses in Los Angeles, and Taliesen West (1937) in the Arizona desert-are all touchstones of modern architecture. For the first time, all 289 extant houses are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses is an event of great importance and a major contribution to the literature on this titan of modern architecture.

Frank Gehry in Pop-Up

Jinny Johnson, Roland Lewis

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For over forty years, postmodern architect Frank Gehry has changed skylines with his dramatic forms. Among several other awards, his enchanting body of work earned him the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize-the “Nobel Prize of architecture.” Experience for yourself Gehry's captivating deconstructive designs in a new interactive book, Frank Gehry in Pop-Up. This beautiful pop-up book illustrates Frank Gehry's greatest works of architecture and their natural environments, demonstrating his gift for radically redefining structure and space. Discover the inspirations behind Gehry's light and lively designs in a three-dimensional way, and learn how he combines building elements with an innovative approach. Featured within are his most iconic works, including the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the pioneering, pulled-apart structure of Gehry's Venice Beach House. Get to know the man behind the buildings with a brief yet in-depth look into Gehry's personal history and lifeworks. Compare and contrast the many different sides of Gehry, from the whimsical laid-back Californian to the closet elitist-and sometimes obsessive perfectionist.

Design Drawing

Francis D. K. Ching

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Design Drawing Book and CD - ROM Francis D.K. Ching with Steven P. Juroszek Author and architecture educator Francis D.K. Ching shares his unique command of visual language in this new presentation of drawing principles and techniques. Design Drawing is a comprehensive introduction to drawing and more-its innovative book-plus-CD-ROM package sheds new light on the relationship between perception, drawing, and design. In his distinctive graphic style, Ching takes us on an exciting journey through the process of creation. He unmasks the basic cognitive processes that drive visual perception and expression, incorporating observation, memory, and rendering into a creative whole. But the author sees drawing "not only as artistic expression but also as a practical tool for formulating and working through design problems," showing us how to apply "visual thinking" as a versatile tool for approaching design projects. Design Drawing covers the traditional basics of drawing, including line, shape, tone, and space. Different types of artistic conventions such as multiview, paraline, and perspective drawings are also lucidly explained. The final section, "Drawing from the Imagination," fuels the creative spirit to find its own direction. Throughout the book you'll find over a 1,500 hand-rendered drawings and exercises which reinforce the concepts and lessons of each chapter. The supplemental CD-ROM is packed with brilliant gems of information and instruction, elucidating a broad range of design drawing concepts through the communicative power of animation, video, and three-dimensional models. Intended for use with the book or as a stand-alone supplement, the CD-ROM includes 25 interactive lessons which demonstrate concepts and techniques in a way that a 2-D book format cannot. For example, the CD-ROM contains video of the author demonstrating freehand techniques in a step-by-step manner, as well as the author's voice throughout the CD-ROM explaining the various lessons. For professional architects, designers, fine artists, illustrators, teachers and students alike, this all-in-one package is both an effective tool and an outstanding value. System Requirements: Windows(r) Processor - 486DX 66 MHz (Pentium recommended) RAM - 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Graphics card and monitor - 640 × 480 SVGA display/256 ColorSound Blaser compatible sound card and external speakers Windows(r) 3.1 or Windows '95(r) 4X CD-ROM Drive Macintosh(r) Processor - 68040 25 MHz or PowerMac 601 (Quadra 650 or/PowerMac 6100 or better) RAM 16 MB Hard disk space available - 10 MB Monitor - 256 colors (640×480) Standard internal Mac sound (external speakers optional) Operating System: System 7 or later 4X CD-ROM drive

Peter Zumthor Thinking Architec*OP*

Princeton Arch Staff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

clear thinker and builder 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 21 people found this review helpful.

Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
"How to become a 21 century Samurai..." I guess that sense of delusion rises because the content and the tone of book has this (quasi) idea of medieval perfection achieved through a repetition of hands-on practice. "I do not work towards architecture from a theoretically defined point of departure, for I am committed to making architecture,," writes Zumthor.

Moreover, a reader, at the back of her/his head, has those powerful images of Bath House in Vaals (tour de force of phenomenological experience) that intensifies the delusion. One would think, 'Zumthor must be a man from Mars to build architecture like that' and 'his writings must be a strong sleeping pill.' Usual Suspect !

He writes extremely clear with extremely simple terms. This slim book tells us how an architect of such originality thinks and experiences daily life. It's a great pleasure to find out what kind of music (Mozart's piano concertos) zumthor listens; what kind of artists (Beuys and Merz) he likes; what kind of film he watches (Ettore Scola's film Le Bal); what kind of books (Calvino) he reads; and what kind of sayings ("the hard core beauty") in the radio show captivates him. A former cabinet maker, his book is carefully jointed, just like his buildings. Anyone who found this book fun/inspiring to read should also try Alvaro Siza's "Writings on Architecture"

Editorial Review:

The creative act in which a work of architecture comes into being is beyond all historical and technical knowledge. Its focus is on the dialogue with the issues of the time. At the moment of its creation, architecture is bound to the present in a very special way. It reflects the spirit of its inventor and gives its own answers to the questions of the time through its user-oriented form and appearance, its relationship with other works of architecture, and its association with the place where it stands.

Stanford White, Architect

Samuel G. White, Elizabeth White

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Through all-new, full-color photography, Stanford White, Architect is the first book to explicitly feature the work of the principal genius of the illustrious American architecture firm of McKim, Mead & White. The firm was also a prime mover in the realm of residential design, with Stanford White as its visionary head. As an architect of opulent houses—in Newport, Rhode Island, along the Hudson, on the Long Island Gold Coast, and elsewhere—Stanford White had few peers. His genius for this form is expressed nowhere more wonderfully than in such personal masterpieces as his country home Box Hill and his city home in Gramercy Park. Along with residential commissions for such eminent American families as the Vanderbilts, Astors, Pulitzers, Paynes, and Whitneys, Stanford White lent his eye and hand to New York’s Pennsylvania Station, Brooklyn Museum, The American Academy in Rome, and the Boston Public Library, as well as many diverse commissions, including social clubs, public buildings, churches, monuments, university buildings, and many other forms, each of which is represented in this landmark volume.