Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. Individual Architect    4. Individual architects    5. USA   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Commercial - General    4. Design - General    5. Individual Architectural Firms    6. Architecture / General    7. Product design    8. Technical design   

Reviews (6)

Utterly fascinating. The best book on FLW in 20 years
This book absolutely blows the lid off the Taliesin idyll. Hails Wright (and rightly so) for the genius that he was but exposes his faults, many of which are so utterly shocking to anyone with even a minimal knowlege of Wright's life. Be prepared: it will definitely change your opinion of Wright. Book goes into a huge amount of detail on the relationship between Wright, his wife Olgivanna, and their involvement with her former mentor Gurdjieff, who had coveted Taliesin as the base of his American operations. In short, everything in Wright's life was far from calm. The apprentices are the real story here. The authors portray them as talented, but inexperienced amateurs, and it is fascinating to read how they had to work in such difficult situations on such monumental works as Fallingwater and the Johnson Wax building, all the while dealing with Wright's idiosyncracies. The apprentices were really the physical manifestation of Wright's genius. Most (sadly) faded from view or were hesitant to write books of their own lest they were perceived as riding their Master's coat tails. I'm glad their stories are now being told. The authors present a great story and a very eye-opening book on what had been a relatively little-known aspect of FLW's life and legacy.

Error on Page 355
Paragraph #2 on page 355 is in error.The two Linclon Continentals were not a gift to Wright from the Ford Motor Company as stated. Wright purchased the 1940 Lincoln Continental Convertible from Monart Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 11, 1940 for $3195.50. He was given a $1495.50 trade in price for his 1939 Lincoln Zephyr convertable. The Lincoln Continental 2 door sedan was purchased by Wright from Monart Motors in 1941 the first year that it was available. The cars were therefore not purchased together as the authors stated.The documentation for the sale of the cars to Wright can be found in the Frank Lloyd Wright archives at The Getty. Unfortunately this example of the use of inaccurate secondary sources causes me to ask the question: How much of the authors' other research is equally questionable? Otherwise, the book is a great read.

Not to be Missed
For any student of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and of the arts in general, this interpretive history is not to be missed. While Wright is credited with creating some of the most astonishing buildings of the last century, the setting surrounding their creation is another story in itself.
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Subjects:  1. 1867-1959    2. Architects    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Individual Architect    9. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    10. United States    11. Wright, Frank Lloyd,    12. Wright, Olgivanna Lloyd    13. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    14. Biography: general   

Reviews (7)

MASTER ARCHITECT
This is the benchmark when it comes to books on homes of Frank Lloyd Wright.The text is scholarly and highly informative, while being easily accessable to even the most nyophite Wright follower.The images are crisp and well executed, they just bleed off the page.I have not always been a huge fan of Wright, frankly he was a racist homophobe, interesting considering most of his devotees at Taliesin where gay, and the man had a voratious ego that would make The Donald blush.He was by all accounts just a nasty piece of work, and I at first found his architecture to be austere and cold, but now i am a huge admiror of his work, if not the man.This book shows in vivid focus, what makes his homes so unique and what made him an American Icon.I may not think much of Wright the man, but his work is for the ages and this book is simply fantastic.Highly recommended.

Must have for Wright fans
If you have already read the other reviews you know how good this book is. I wish they had this available when I first started getting interested in Frank Lloyd Wright back in college. All they had then were the dingy, dark, older pictures that really didn't convey just how great some of Mr. Wright's houses were. These new pictures really show how much genius he had in design. What is even more apparant when you see some of these new pictures is just how much mastery he had for setting up a home with natural light. Simply put, if you have the money and are even a casual fan, you should just treat yourself and get the book.

Frank Lloyd Wright - The Houses
I think this is not only a beautiful book but an excellent reference source for anyone who is interested in F. L. Wright's dynamic works.I have just one complaint:why did they NOT identify the front and back inside cover photographs of the Lykes House in Phoenix--everything else was carefully listed in the credits.If one didn't know, he/she would have to dig through the entire book to find which house was important enough to show so prominently but not enough for credits where other houses with just one picture were listed.This is indeed an omission that should be corrected on later editions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    4. Residential Buildings Architecture    5. Architecture / Individual Architect   

Reviews (2)

clear thinker and builder
Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
Highly recommended
A thoroughly engaging book about meaningful architecture - it now holds a very special place in my architecture library, right next to Michael Benedikt's For An Architecture of Reality.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architecture    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Architecture / History    6. Individual architects    7. Zumthor, Peter   

Reviews (5)

Arcadian splendor
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson have a long illustrious history stemming from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Seattle, Washington.As such, this beautiful collection of twelve "arcadian" homes represent the tip of the iceberg of their collective work.In these immaculate residences you will find their signature details, many of them by James Cutler, who worked with Peter Bohlin on the Gates Residence and other projects.You will marvel at the romanticism of the Adirondack Retreat on Lake George, New York, with its granite boulder fireplace and natural cedar and fir interiors.Then there is the Endless Mountain House, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with its projected balconies atop crumbling fieldstone walls with a towering chimney anchoring one end of this evocative residence.The house appears as though it were built over ancient ruins.Nestled within these idyllic residential projects is the Pacific Rim Estate, co-authored by Bohlin and Cutler for Bill Gates on Lake Washington, near Seattle.It is a stunning work, not so much in its assemblage as in its marvelous kit of parts, from a barrel-vaulted garage buried into the wooded landscape to the beautiful timber connections in the main body of the residential complex.Here we see brute concrete and heavy timber blended naturally into the landscape, making for a surprisingly unassuming compound that incorporated many sustainable design features, including recycled heavy timber posts and beams.

Stunning Hardcover on Top Architect
This is one of the most well crafted books on a single architect. The scale and quality of the photographs, the packaging, it is the best gift you can offer to someone who has a passion for materials and detail.

outstanding!
an absolute treasure.this quite weighty volume covers thetop-notch residential work of BCJ in great detail - beautiful drawings and photography all work together to illustrate these wonderful buildings...highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Firms    2. Architecture    3. Domestic    4. Individual Architect    5. U.S. Architecture - General    6. Architecture / Individual Architect    7. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Editorial Review

Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of more than 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington, D.C., making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful Read more

Reviews (85)

A slice of Rennaisance life
The subject may be the legendary dome, and the man who built it, but thebest part of the book is its characterization of everyday life during that era.The author knows a lot about Rennaisance Europe, and his writing is enjoyable as well. He is no engineer, so it's never clear why this is such an engineering marvel. For that, see Why Buildings Stand Up, although the readibility of that book pales alongside this one.

Easy-to-read, great intro to the subject; but, never attempts to explain its own title
In this book, author Ross King provides an easy-to-read narrative not only of Brunelleschi's procedure in building the dome of the Florence cathedral, but also of the political context, particularly within the Opera del Duomo, the office of works in charge of the cathedral.It's a nice intro for a general audience, but lacks historical analysis and fails to satisfactorily address the statement made in its own subtitle.
The Dome, Yes, but also much, much, more.
Santa Maria del Fiore may just be the one perfect piece of architecture.I dare you to go to Florence, see it, and not be moved.Read this book, and then go climb il Duomo's stairs, passing the frescoes inside the dome to enter the passage between the two domes.Feel the changes in the sharpness of the stairs' angles.Climb out at the base of the Lanterna with the city's red roofs stretching beneath you at every angle.The experience would be exhilerating of itself, but with Ross King's description of the building process echoing through your head, you might find yourself full of wonder and moved to tears like I was.
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Subjects:  1. 1377-1446    2. Architecture    3. Brunelleschi, Filippo,    4. Buildings    5. Design and construction    6. Domes    7. Europe - Italy    8. Florence    9. Florence (Italy)    10. History - Specific Styles    11. Individual Architect    12. Italy    13. Religious Buildings    14. Renaissance    15. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedr    16. Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral : Florence, Italy)    17. Architecture / History    18. Brunelleschi, Filippo   

Reviews (2)

Very Similar to Houses
I thoroughly loved his first residential book "Houses." With the amount of work he has done I expected this book to focus on new work but many of the same projects and pictures from the first book were used in this one.

Stern Yet Elegant
This book on Robert Stern, the latest in a series, is very well executed.Mr. Stern really has a knack for anachronistic grand homes, they are a throw back to another time, but with all the modern luxuries money can buy.Stern has a real feel for the kind of gardens that complement each type of home, and the interaction between the two is often quite breathtaking.The images in this book are first rate and the homes are amazing.If you appreciate excellent photography, elegant architecture, and spectacular homes and gardens then you will love this book ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Individual Architect    4. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    5. Residential Buildings Architecture    6. Architecture / Individual Architect    7. Individual architects   

Reviews (1)

Splendor Indeed
Wow, what a book!These estates are just incredible, the images are vivid and first rate and the text is very interesting and easy to navigate.Jeffrey Smith really knows how to design grand homes, his houses though mammoth, really fit Palm Beach, I mean one expects grand mansions in this Vallhalla of the truly rich, but Jeffrey Smith's homes are tastful, they are huge, but they fit their environment and are respectful to the neighborhoods in which they reside.Very nice book on a most deserving subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Eclecticism in architecture    4. Florida    5. Individual Architect    6. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    7. Palm Beach    8. Architecture / Individual Architect   

Editorial Review

Our contact with great architecture tends to be indirect, through representations. Few of us have seen the Taj Mahal, yet we all know exactly what it looks like. The useful act of photographing buildings can be an art, particularly when the photographer's presence seems to recede, and a great architectural shot suggests that you're seeing things as they are rather than through someone else's prism.Read more

Reviews (6)

Brillant Book
This book has been my bible. From the pure joy of looking at the visuals to the wealth of knowledge perched on it pages. For anyone interested in architecture and photography this is a must read.

Buy this book
If one is ever to purchase a book concerning mid-century modernism, purchase this book. The photography is amazing, and inspiring. The text is informative without being verbose. This is definitely one of the top ten favourites in my collection. Shulman - A great Photographer of Architecture
A terrific insight into the professional career of Julius Shulman. His work, his thoughts on Architects and their work and a cross section of some of the most beautifully crafted Photographs of Architecture from his files. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architectural & Industrial    3. Architectural photography    4. Architecture    5. Architecture, Modern    6. History - General    7. Individual Architect    8. Individual Photographer    9. Individual Photographers And Their Work    10. Photo Essays    11. Photography    12. Photography of art    13. Pictorial works    14. Shulman, Julius   

Reviews (1)

Great monograph for your collection~
This is the latest monograph on Tadao Ando and despite its steep price, its sheer size alone can justify its value.Although the title states "complete works," the monograph focuses onselect projects from the mid-70's to the present (there is however, a list of his complete works in the back with single b/w photos in an index format). Although many of the projects that are featured here can be found in other Ando monographs, the extra large photographs of his projects reveal a new sense of space to projects that we are already familiar with.In addition, this monograph also features preliminary sketches of projects and some photos that have not been published before.New projects that you won't be able to find in his other monographs include the 4x4 house, Ground Zero Project, etc.A great book to have in your collection and so far, the grandest of all of Ando's publications.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. International Architecture - Asian    4. Individual architects   

Reviews (1)

Belisima
This is a very well executed book.The pictures chosen are perfect and the authors do a commendable job with the research.The book gives an exhaustive cross section of Mr. Popes work and one gets a real appreciation of his talent.The book publisher deserves credit for creating such a finely made book, one never doubts they are perusing an expensive book.The only qualm I have with the book is that they didn't do like the authors of the book on Delano and Aldrich and include some fine current color pictures to compliment the wonderful vintage B&W photos, that would have made it perfect, but this is close enough.Congradulations to the authors for this fine piece of work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1874-1937    2. 20th century    3. Architecture    4. Criticism and interpretation    5. Design & Construction    6. General    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Pope, John Russell,    9. United States    10. Individual architects    11. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful, Dramatic, and Still Fairly Small Houses
To word it simply, the houses designed by the Hariri sisters are the most dramatic small buildings I have ever seen. Here you will not find gigantic homes built to use size to impress. The Spartan House, built in the Hague, Netherlands was required to have a house footprint no bigger than 26 by 33 feet. Yet even in that small a space their house standa out.
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Subjects:  1. Architectural Firms    2. Architecture    3. Domestic    4. Individual Architect    5. Individual Architectural Firms    6. Residential Buildings Architecture    7. Architecture / Individual Architect   

Reviews (5)

A Beautiful book of New York History and Architecture
An exquisite book! There are stories about each apartment house and how it came to be. I found the two architects, Candela and Carpenter, to be very interesting characters. The homes they designed are ahead of their time. The floor plans are fascinating. The book also shows, by the floor plans, how people lived and what their needs were. The authors even quote costs of building and tell of the people who lived there. If you like real estate you will find this fascinating.

Grand New York
Let me first say that I loved the period black and white photos of the buildings, I also appreciated the fact that all of the buildings mentioned came with requisite photos, that is a must in book of this sort.I really didn't know that much about these buildings nor the architects so this book gave me a real education, I came away more knowledged and very impressed. The attention to detail the architects employed in these buildings is amazing and the fact that so many are still extant is a tribute to the artistry and talent that went into designing and building them and obviously contempory wealthy apartment seekers appreciate these attributes or else we all know these buildings would have been pulled down long ago, just like so many of the Gilded Age mansions they replaced.This publishing house puts out such finely crafted books and this one does not disappoint, I highly recommend it.

Andrew Alpern's Labor of Love
Candela and Carpenter were two of New York's most noted architects of the inter-war era, specializing in luxury apartment buildings. Architectural historian Andrew Alpern has assembled a reference text of their buildings, organized in geographic sequence. In this book, a typical building has two pages dedicated to it. One page consists of a floor plan, and the facing page has a photo or rendering of the exterior, combined with a one-to-six sentence description. Also, there are several brief essays at the beginning of the book.Read more

Subjects:  1. (James Edwin R.),    2. 1890-1953    3. Apartment houses    4. Architecture    5. Candela, Rosario,    6. Carpenter, J. E. R    7. Catalogs    8. Domestic    9. Individual Architect    10. Interior architecture    11. New York    12. New York (State)    13. Planning   

Features

• Box set

Reviews (5)

The definitive statement on Modern Architecture
While there have been many monographs of Le Corbusier, this is the definitive edition.It is the set of volumes that inspired everyone from Alvar Aalto to Zaha Hadid, shaping the way we look at Modern Architecture.There is a typo in the number of pages.This set is massive but it doesn't weigh in at 176,000 pages.The 8 volumes, about 200 pages each, were originally released individually from 1929 to 1969 with Boesinger and Stonorov working directly with Le Corbusier.These are the original drawings and photographs, so if you are looking for glossy prints of Corbu's more famous works, I suggest purchasing monographs by Kenneth Frampton or William Curtis, which have contemporary photos of his better known buildings.Also, much of the text is not translated, presented in the original French. You have to have a great appreciation for Corbu's work to consider such a purchase, but given how rare first editions are, not to mention expensive, this is the best price by far for this invaluable collection.

Well, you know, it is the gold standard
I agree with the earlier review, if you are looking at this, then you likely know what you are getting into.A few comments:
print quality issues but still fantastic
If you are looking at this book, you probably already know that this is the most informative collection of Corbusier's work short of the Corbusier Archive. That said, I won't review the content.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. 20th century    4. Architecture / Individual Architect    5. Individual architects    6. Le Corbusier    7. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

Ravishing Renzo
Renzo Piano is without a question one of the worlds greatest architects, his talent is singular, it's just awesome...as is this amazing book.It is THE book on Piano, and that is saying something because there are quite a few good books on the man and his work, but if you feel you can have just one on Renzo Piano then make it this one.The text is scholarly and highly informative and the images are just what you would expect in a book of this caliber..first rate.I often visit the Menil Collection here in Houston and never cease to marvel at how beautiful yet function it is, and that really is his genius.I recently visited his building for the Nasher Collection in Dallas and again was blown away at the elegance and beauty of the building, yet it works perfectly as a repository for Mr. Nasher's world class collection, it works on every level, as with the Menil, it is highly functional,yet beautiful.The two buildings could not be more different, but they both bare Mr. Piano's penchant for a building that works.It's not enough that the building is takes your breath away, it must also work and Renzo Piano understands this and as an admirer of great architecture and someone who appreciates function, thank you Mr. Piano.I highly recomend this beautiful book on this amazing talent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. International Architecture - European    4. Architectural structure & design    5. Individual architects   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. 20th century    4. Individual architects    5. United Kingdom, Great Britain    6. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

Spectacular Homes Designed in Brazil
Mention modern residential architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright comes to mind along with some of the designs coming out of places such as Scandinavia. At just about the bottom of my list would be houses designed in Brazil. This book points out how clearly wrong such thoughts would be.
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Subjects:  1. 1907-    2. 20th century    3. Architecture    4. Architecture, Domestic    5. Brazil    6. Criticism and interpretation    7. Domestic    8. Individual Architect    9. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    10. International Architecture - General    11. Niemeyer, Oscar,    12. Architecture / Individual Architect    13. Individual architects   

Reviews (8)

i doubt
Regarding Frank Gehry's Acceptance Speech, Pritzker 1989: he says: " Our problems as architects increase in complexity as time goes on. We have difficulty with the art of city building. We are finding ways of working together, artists and architects, architects and architects, clients and architects. The dream is that each brick, each window, each wall, each road, each tree will be placed lovingly by craftsmen, client, architect, and people to create beautiful cities. Adding the extra time and the money at the beginning is essential." BEST pictures of the Museum
I first heard of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on National Public Radio. NPR offered a commentary on the Museum on its opening day. I was utterly fascinated. I started my college years as an architect, but later changed my major. No regrets about my decision, but I still have a passion for buildings and bridges. A Must Read for Gehry's Enthusiasts
I rather enjoyed this offering.Because I was such a great fan of his, I bought the book anyway despite the reviews written by other readers that it didn't contain much insight.In fact, this book was rather insightful.It was realised after the involvement of the author with the maestro himself over a period of 7 years.It's amazing to read about Gehry's inspiration from his favourite items, the 'fish' & the 'snake', & how it gradually evolves into something else completely different.The book explores his previous realised & unrealised projects, & their corelations with the Bilbao Museum.After exploring his subconscious & conscious minds thru random sketches mostly done in the plane or in hotel room, he would have his colleague, Chan built the models which they would constantly refine.I also learnt here that Gehry isn't a great fan of both computer & drawing plan.The blessing by Gehry of the usage of the computer program, Catia is a God sent because the other Principal understood that without its usage, it would be almost impossible to finish the project on time, on budget, or at all. The part about why he chose titanium instead of copper despite that it costs more is interesting to read.Here, we also learnt that Gehry is a team player & he credits other people's contribution to his project. One of them is Krens, the Guggenheim Foundation Director who assisted Gehry in forming spaces to display arts.He's the person who urged Gehry to trust his intuition to come out with huge spaces & yet, sculptural in nature.In other words, Gehry is fortunate to work with professionals who remain objective in their judgements & never steer him away from his vision.This book oozes with beautiful pictures, taken from all angles imaginable, in different lighting, & even pictures of the Museum under construction.There's also Appendix at the rear of the book mentioning all you need to know about this iconalistic project of our time.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Criticism    3. Individual Architect    4. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    5. International Architecture - European    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    7. Specific Public Buildings Architecture    8. Individual architects    9. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc    10. Spain   

Subjects:  1. 1859-1934    2. Architecture    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Criticism and interpretation    5. Gilbert, Cass,    6. Individual Architect    7. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    8. Public Buildings Architecture    9. Public architecture    10. United States