Architecture Books

This book was a requirement for an undergraduate course in Public History. For a student just starting out in the preservation field, it is a wonderful informative book encapsulating everything from the philosophy of the historic movement to homeowners purchasing a historic structure. Mr. Tyler has taken his expertise and knowledge and shared it with those of us within the realm of historic preservation. I would highly reccomend this to anyone interested in saving America's heritage.

I had a graduate class in historic preservation, and while certain books were recommended, none was required.

If I were teaching historic preservation, this would be the text. This is a book largely about Main Street America, not about the U.N. or ICOMOS or preserving the Parthenon, but about preservation in a country that in many cases is philosophically opposed to it.

Toward the end of the book is the best explanation of the use of historic tax credits I have ever read. As Tyler notes, these tax credits are the best friend the American preservation community has today.

If you're interested in historic preservation in America, buy it and read it.

Plus, I'm pretty sure it's the only book on historic preservation that has a drawing of the jewelry store in Huntington, W.Va., where my wife and I bought our wedding rings.

This book provides a concise and thorough overview of Historic Preservation. It has become the building block on which I will continue my studies of Preservation.

Having recently purchased an older home in an historic neighborhood, I thought it would be a good idea to aquaint myself with the topic of historic preservation. Norman Tyler's "Historic Preservation" was originally written as a text for a college class on historic preservation. His purpose was to expose his students to the major themes in the field of preservation.

The book starts with a philosophical overview of preservation and moves onto chapters dealing with historic districts and the legal basis for preservation. I found his chapter on the documentation and designation of individual historic properties to be most valuable. Tyler concludes with chapters on design issues, preservation technology, downtown reviatalization and preservation economics.

This book is a well written introduction that will get you started in learning more about historic introduction. Highly recommended.

Provides an easy-to-read introduction to the field of historic preservation and the key issues. Bibliography is so-so, but would recommend for students and those interested in a clear and concise overview.

This book is filled with rules of thumbs,tables,charts, and drawings to help any architect to design any type of hotel. I can say after reading this book, one will walk away with a general knowledge about the hotel industry and how to design a hotel.

I was assigned to teach at the Master Degree class on "Facility Management" subject focusing on Hotel Facility. I have gone through several books regarding hotel design. I think this book is the best of all. Any designer who reads this book back to back will certainly understand the whole concept. It is not only about how to design the hotel as an architecture piece, but the reader will also understand the hospitality business. This book also covers the design and management issues of related topics such as "Restaurant", "Entertainment Venue" in the hotel. It is the 'must have' for all architects who want to design a hotel efficiently. It can also be a good book for anyone who is in the hospitality business and currently in charge of renovating or upgrading the hotel space; or the hotel's representative who need to communicate with architects or interior designer. This book can be the great tool to evaluate the result of the hotel construction project or even to 'correct' it. The tables and formulas for space calculation in this book are easy enough for anyone to understand. This book can be of great use to all building design professionals. It can also be a valuable one for any people who is interested in hotel business.

The work of hotel design and planning is different from other architectural works; it requires an indepth understanding of hotel business. Therefore, the hotel architecture became one of the toughest job for architects. (Another job is the hospital architecture.)

However, this book proposed design guidelines for a hotel fit to the business pattern. First, it explains various types of hotel properties. Second, it shows not only design guidelines for facilities but also planning approach methods for location selecting and size determination. Finally, if you read this book, you can consider efficient management system of the property from the early phase of design.

Among numerous books on hotel architecture, I think this book is the most outstanding resource.

I am an Interior Design student and found this book very helpful in completing a hospitality design. It provides a breakdown of the areas of the hotel, the different types of hotels, and the type of customers that use them. It really helped me in laying out the floor plan. There are also some awesome color pictures of fabulous hotels in the world. I highly recommend for anyone interested in hospitality design.

This a book that be should always be close to you if you work in the hotel development industry.

Great book. He displays how to cartoon men, women, children, elderly and many types of animals. He does it in an extremely visual way that even a child could follow along. This book is packed with 95% illustrations and 5% text. To me, that's a winner. The 5% text that is in there is invaluable. The print is nice and large and easy to read. I am very happy I bought this book. It is a keeper.

From the beginning of this book to the end, it is filled with (finally) basic, step-by-step instructions on drawing cartoon people, body parts, the "action line", body language and style. And then it starts all over again with animals! Mostly dogs, cats, and different fowl, it also includes less common animals, like beaver, porcupine, raccoon and many sea animals. Can't forget the great alligators and dragon. Finally, the book spends time on placing the characters, reference lines and specialty shots and the all-important "balloon". Another great one by C. Hart. I think I own most of his books and they are all worth great merit, better than the other books I've seen out there by far.

A few years ago, on a whim, I decided to start drawing. I didn't know where to begin so I bought this book. I really believed I couldn't draw. The techniques in this book were so easy to learn that soon I went from drawing stick figures to expressive cartoon characters. My confidence went up and I took on more complicated projects. Now, I work part-time doing illustrations and it all started here!

Christopher Hart has truly done an excellent job with this book. Filled to the rim with illustrations, techniques, explanations and inside information, if you've ever wanted to learn about humorous illustration or cartooning, put this on your list. You'll be glad you did. :o)

This is an excellent book for any beginning artist or anyone else wanting to learn cartooning. Chris Hart publishes some of the best books on art that I've ever seen. This book gives good details on drawing that is easy to follow and understand. All in all, this is one book that should be in every artist's library.

This is absolutely the best reference book for Southern gardeners. If "it" is not mentioned here, "it" is not meant to be planted in the South. Information is easy to understand for beginning gardeners. I am on my second edition.

Although the black/white interface may seem antiquated, the plant list is extensive enough to make this a REAL resource for even the nonprofessional gardener. Great and reliable reviews of nearly everything Southern in a garden.

An excellent reference for the serious Southern Gardener.

Gardening is a lifestyle that sings to my soul. This is THE hymnal. Pick up a copy and sing with me.

I own and operate a nursery and use the book constantly. Not many books focus on the south but finally, one that does. It is very factual and offers a lot of supplemental information in addition to identification of plants.

Hurray for the re-issue of this beautiful book! Paging through this hand-painted, calligraphied book any day of the year is like an escape into the Garden of Paradise! Hundreds of small, engaging watercolors of the garden and whimsical little garden people, harmonized with beautiful calligraphy. Besides being filled with the author/illustrator's charming observations, it is a veritable treasure trove of garden lore, with many quotes from authors old and new and advice from classic, old treatises on gardening and horticulture. Also many enchanting, anonymous garden sayings and quaint herbal folk remedies. The history of fruits and vegetables as a part of our culture. I bought two copies of this book--one to just periodically carry around with me! It's one of my favorite gift books, too. You won't be able to stop dreaming over it. You'll adore it!

What an enchantingly beautiful book! This is one of my favorite books, and I love giving it as a gift to gentle souls. If you like gardens, watercolor paintings, and calligraphy, you will love this beautifully bound book that is filled with Sara Midda's exquisite watercolors. Each page is a miniature painting of breathtaking intricacy and delicacy celebrating the myriad forms of gardens, flowers, vegetables, and herbs in which we delight. The book is filled with boundless garden wisdom, recipes, and poems, all charmingly set forth in Sara Midda's beautiful calligraphy. You have to see this book to know how beautiful and inspirational a gem it is!

This book is so much fun. As a watercolorist, I am enchanted by her use of objects and her interpretation of the human form. Colors are wonderful. Hooray for Sara Midda and I hope she keeps publishing her books.
Janice Lawson - Montana

I purchased this book when I was in Art college over ten years ago. Sara abilility to capture her interest with her illustrative talent is amazing . It is definately the most interesting book I ever read without seeing typesetting, but with her beautifully hand painted type.

I've gone through this book again and again. I think whoever like calligraphy, water color painting and gardening would love this book. Although it's quite difficult to concentrate on the attennuated of water color written content. But it strongly inspires me to grasp by brushes and calligrpahy pens again. It becomes one of my possessive books and always added in my bag wherever I go since then.

The way architects use materials and the effects they are after in the exterior envelope nowadays are quite surprising. "Building Skins" reports to us these exciting limelight phenomena. The book focuses mainly on two issues that pertain to the production of architectural skin; first, is exploration of materiality; and second, is interdisciplinary integrated approach to energy performance. It sounds pretty banal, but because of the cases provided are handsomely put together, the experience of reading is ever afresh and anew.

Schittich's wonderfully written essay in the beginning of the book helps a reader to quickly understand the forces (historical, technological, aesthetical, and environmental) that pushed this global interest in visually-effective or performance-efficient façade making. Attitude towards materials and building skin, the book summarizes into (mainly) three groups of architects.

First group of architects (e.g. Zumthor, reactionary to flickering-aesthetics), uses untreated materials to renew and expose the very attributes of materials. Second group of architects (e.g. Herzog De Meuron, embracing digital-friendly attitude), uses machine-treated materials to explore new visual effects. Third group of architects (e.g. Thomas Herzog, focusing on climatic parameters), integrates solar manipulators into the façade. The book also lightly touches on the issues of artificial lighting that are becoming more crucial to contemporary urban nightscape.

Supported by clean detail drawings, there are ample examples of building skins. Similar to any of the Birkhauser Detail series; the book is richly informative on the technical terms of materials and treatment on materials. It also introduces some German architects that are pretty much foreign to English-speaking audience. The two essays by Lang & Krippner are also worth mentioning.

Seductive building packaging will cool down as time passes by, but meanwhile, this book will serve its purpose.

This books contains mostly low rise building, stadium, and stores in Europe that shows exordinary variety of materials used in exterior skins. A eye opener that give a glimps of the recent development of curtain wall design and the creativity involved in solving various problems. Each case contains at least horizontal and vertical sections drawings with materials table and background introduction of its functions, and some has enlarged photo of particular features which is useful to study how it was constructed. While in some cases I wish more close-up pictures were given, but at least for the most part it was more useful than most of architectual books which only offer overall view of the building and it liveup the name 'in detail' which I was looking for.

A must have for all architects and those interested in how buildings come together and the importance the skin plays. As specially when trying new materials.

There was a time when there was no question as to what the outside skin of a building was going to be, glass alternating with metal panels. Something monolithic looking like the UN building.

Now significant advances in materials, architectural design, creative use of conventional materials like shingles, concrete, or sprayed on foam are producing building where the skin becomes more than just what you see.

The book is organized into two main sections. The first third or so is used to describe the general changes that have been taking place in the general area of building skins.

The last two thirds show where various treatments have been used in actual buildings. The buildings vary from tiny, micro houses to athletic stadiums, stores to factories.

This is European publication. Most of the buildings are in Europe, with a few from Japan. They represent the most significant advances in design I have seen in a long time.

I cannot say enough about the quality of this entire series, and this book is among the best of the set. Few architecture books are of this high quality; one usually expects some level of editorial compromise; either we get lightweight analysis and documentation with beautiful photographs, or you get overly complex, teched out stuff that doesn't understand the fundamental concepts. Or it's just bad architecture. But this entire series, from the quality of the writing, the great beauty and clarity of the drawings, and finally to the aptness and excellence of the finished architecture; it represents the new state of the art. Buy the whole series, but start with this one and "Building Simply", which I'll rave about separately.

An easy, colorful read with beautiful color photos of Kahn's world. Any chapter can be read individually or as part of the whole. Her explorations into the world of design and aesthetics are methodical but by no means boring. This is not your mother's decorating book.

For a lively trip from Central Park West, to Harlem, to Connecticut take this book for a ride.

This book solidly places the creative inspiration of collectors on par with that of designers and artists. Any reader, by following the path that Kahn has set for herself, gets permission to embark on their own path of discovery and exploration, and with the benefit of the copious lessons the author has learned along the way! Clearly, thoroughly and in a enlightened way, acquiring things of beauty and originality is made accessible to beginners and made fun for the jaded....both will be preparing for the thrill of the hunt!!!

The most surprising and impressive art collection and interior design advice. Great photos. I loved it.

While Miss Kahn's taste is quite unique her creative approach to designing and decorating space has resonance for anyone. There is a real sense of excitement and joy in her approach which comes through on every page. There is also a remarkable lack of ego and self importance which makes it great fun to join in this quest for the original and different. The lessons learned and tips are practical and valuable for anyone trying to personalize their own environment. This book is a primer on how to be original and courageous in an area that generally lacks both. Fasten your seatbelt, it's a great ride.

What Jenette Kahn has written here is much more that a retelling of a life (although it is that); rather, it is a marvelous evocation of the refining of a very particular, resourceful, and uniquely demanding taste. What Kahn shows us is her artistic (and artful) obsessions--with space, with self-expression, and with visual delight.

Reading In Your Space felt partly like looking at oneself in the mirror in great lighting (the "recognition factor" of one's own design-maven ambitions) and partly like having someone throw open the doors of (to?) an entirely new world that you always suspected lay just beyond the threshold of what you were able to imagine for yourself, by yourself. And the best part? She not only gently suggests how you might think about designing the spaces you inhabit, but tells you where to go to find what you want, how to make the connections you need, how deal with recalcitrant sources...and then how to rethink it all if need be ("You can always repaint!") and let the spirit of the place--and the prized possessions it it--tell you how and what it wants to be.

In Your Space chronicles a personal journey of education--learning to see (and to trust the seeing) and learning to understand what a space can be coaxed to say about its creator and to evoke for those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a very personal vision. It does so with an execution that is equal to Kahn's own standards: her witty, brisk-but-intimate writing somehow manages not to leave anything out, and the photographs are so luscious they make you want to lick the page.

This book contains big color photographs of interiors; reference guide at the end of the book detailing resources of Arts and Crafts literature and furnishings

This is a user friendly book to have close at hand. If you're like me I am always looking at ways to incorporate colors, designs and arts and crafts style into our 1922 Chalet Arts and Craft's home. I especially appreciate all the colorful pictures and the textiles shown. Paint, stenciling and wallcoverings being modest in cost and are realistic changes that are indeed affordable. Lots of ideas and examples to pull a room together. I refer to the book frequently and I am pleased I bought it.

For newly into the arts and crafts movement and restoring our bungalow, this book concentrates exactly where we needed it to -- the interior. From shots of wonderful restored homes to our favorite section (before and after), this book will become our favorite resource. Excellently focused!

As soon to be purchasers of an 'arts & crafts' home in the Hudson Valley (NY), my husband and I never heard of 'arts & crafts' style homes. This book has been such a wonderful inspiration for us. The book is filled with color photos, wonderful ideas, themes and history! We will borrow from what we've learned and put those concepts, colors etc to great use in our new home. What was especially dramatic was the before and after pix of rooms/homes. You won't be disappointed in this purchase.

Great source for anyone who is considering doing and architectural project, either interior or exterior, with an Arts and Crafts feeling.

Several years ago I bought a reprint of Dr. Morse book and it has become not only a treasured Clasic but a Bible of information. Although there are no pictures, none are needed with Dr. Morse drawings and detail descriptions.
E L Smith

I purchased this book simply to get a quick overview of Japanese domestic architecture. The price is always right with Dover books so I just ordered it without any research. What a pleasant surprise to find myself reading a definitive work on the subject a few days later. The text is thoughtfully written and the illustrations skillfully done. As with any well written and illustrated book, color pictures are not overly missed. As a result of this book I find myself much more interested in Japanese architecture than I ever intended to be and heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in home or interior design.

"Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings" is a great book. If you've any interest in traditional Japanese architecture, get this book. Edward Morse was an American who went to Japan in 1877 to study brachiopods. He ended up recording a vanishing way of life instead. He tells you how Japanese homes were built and why they were built that way. Not much escapes his eye. In serviceable prose and clear drawings, he tells us about carpenters and their tools, houses, furnishings, privies, fences and gateways, water supplies and gardens. Most of it he compares favorably to American and European counterparts.

Best of all, it's a Dover book and cheap.

I bought this book about 3 years ago from Amazon. So you'd think that it would be old hat by now. Yet I find myself picking it up at least once every few months to either refer to it for a construction detail or just to look for something new. What a wonderful resource for traditional Japanese design this book is.

Trained as a Zoologist, Morse put his scientific powers of observation and systematic description to work during the 1880's in producing the sketches and text that describes a world of everyday Japanese design right before it was swamped with Western influence and largely disappeared. There are plenty of books that can show you pictures of ancient Japanese temples and teahouses, but what about the method of constructing the roof of an ordinary 19th century Tokyo home? This was stuff that few people thought was worth recording for posterity. Which is why Morse's book is so unique and valuable to us.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in the way that things are built or designed would do well to put this book on their shelf. Interior decorators, architects, DIY types (such as myself), finish carpenters, contractors and furniture makers should all have a tattered, dog-eared copy of 'Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings' within easy reach. It is a constant source of inspiration.

I picked up the Dover paperback edition at a library book sale and was charmed by the author's detailed drawings as much as the description of domestic life in 19th century Japan. Morse originally published this in 1885, barely 30 years after Perry's expedition, and traveled around Japan documenting as many houses and styles as possible (including those of the Aino culture). There are no photographs, but the intricate line drawings and intimate descriptions of functional households -- kitchens and cooking utensils, washing areas, sleeping quarters -- are minutely detailed and thoroughly described in the text. Not just a book for those interested in architecture but history as well.

I have both this book and Sara Boutelle's "Julia Morgan, architect" ISBN 0-7892-0019-8. I give a slight edge to the Boutelle book for the writing, but both books are excellent and each provides information, images, and insight not in the other. For example, this book shows in detail what a superb engineer Julia Morgan was, which is not something I had gotten from any other source. A must have.

While this is clearly a comprehensive book at JM's work and the photographs are exquisite, the prose could have used a bit more editing.
For example, the introduction, written by JM's niece is a stream of consciousness of memories vs. a more concise piece on Julia Morgan's relationship with the goddaughter and the mother (who was Julia's assistant).

This book is an exceptional coffee table book for oneself or as a gift. It is one of the most comprehensive books I have seen on Julia Morgan and her architecture with a wonderful compilation of photos.

This is a great addition to the Julia Morgan literature. A lovely intro by her god-daughter gives some new biographical information, and there are more pictures and discussion of her private home commissions than in any of the other books I have.

Much new primary source material. Stunning photography and much more. Something for the scholar, the architect, the homeowner, the dreamer...and anyone who craves beauty.