Architecture Books

I was paid a lot for this book and it was well worth it. I am a photographer and find art books useful. This is one of my favorites!

I knew Harley Brown wouldn't let me down after having read his first book and numerous articles. His first book is from the mind but this one comes right from his heart. I ejoyed it thoroughly - enough to briefly reveal to you some of the stories he tells:

1. The moment he decided to become an artist. At the age of seven. Parents take note.
2. There's a story about an enigmatic woman named Paula. Where is she? I'm in love with her!
3. How he dealt with what he felt were his plain physical features and his shyness. I can relate.
4. Going on an alcoholic bender for 15 years. How did he stop?
5. Why he got kicked out of art school. It really made sense.
6. He even makes a toothache into a monumental saga. Soon to be a major motion picture.
7. Selling his art door to door. It was that or "work" for a living.
8. Establishing his first art gallery just a few minutes after staggering out of a bar.
9. Down and out in London, England. But not for long.
10. Dealing with the pompous of the art world.
11. How he tried to get his wife to "take the rap." This took courage to reveal.
12. "The General Theory of Mary" gives all newcomers in the art world extra hope.

These are only a few of Harley Brown's one of a kind stories. It is not your typical autobiography. This book really connected with me and others. I was a student of Harley's many years ago at the Scottsdale Artists' School. I learned so much from him in just two weeks. I hear he teaches no more. This book brings him alive again.

I'd originally given the book a 4-star rating, but it really does rate a full 5.

This book is the perfect follow up to Brown's "Eternal Truths." He tells what he endured to find those truths. He talks about being kicked out of art school, dealing with acute shyness, addiction, barely able to support his family. Even more important, how he soared above all the hair raising tales with the right attitude. As an artist I've made some bad decisions that have bogged me down; this book helped me understand my insecurities and take better control of my life. I've never read a more honest, and because of that helpful artist's autobiography in my life. One more thing, there's a killer step by step demo that I wasn't expecting. My colleagues and I are discussing this book like few others. It's the one to get. Harley Brown, thank you again.

Halfway through the book I decided I must seak him out and take a class or workshop from him. Unfortunately he no longer teaches. So the book is all we have and I must say it is absolulely essential for any artist. Or any creative person who ever doubted themselves or just needed a kick in the pants to make them try a little harder and enjoy the heck out of what they're doing.
Thanks Harley, for sharing.

Excellent book, everything you wished to know about construction, it's there explained, in theory, in in technical drawings, and with images of contemporary buildings.
The way it is organized is very straightfoward, good index, with all themes and sub-themes making sense.
One of the buys of the year for me...

The English title might be misleading--this book is not about 'construction', but rather about what the Germans call Baukunst, the art of construction, or the art of 'putting buildings together', considering the spatial order as an inseparable part of that putting things together.
The book provides a structured approach to the basics of contemporary architectural composition, several essays introducing fundamental concepts and giving you the bibliography to go into them in detail (the key part is making them all fit into an overall framework, and pointing at the sources that normally take years to discover), and illustrate several remarkable buildings in remarkable detail, with excellent descriptions reaching a depth and quality of analysis unfortunately missing in typical architectural publications.
Andrea Deplazes, the editor and author or co-author of many of the articles, teaches at the Zurich ETH (and I would guess the same must be true for the authors of most of the other articles), which for well over a hundred years has been one of the few true schools of architecture in the world. The book glows with the power of this accumulated knowledge developed in a true academic environment since the times of Semper. It also gives a glimpse at how the ETH consistently produces first class ordinary architecture, and for that matter first class extraordinary architecture too.
This book will be of huge value to every architecture student, teacher, and architectural designer. I bought it by a fortunate mistake --I thought a construction book from the ETH was sure to be an excellent reference book on technology, and the mail delivered a treasure trove of architectural knowledge instead.

I have reviewed many attempts at a comprehensive description of the complex subject of architecture, and this is the best. This book is far better than the exhaustively recommended Francis Ching (all due respect), and even better than Unwin's Architectural Notebook, which is also excellent. This is the very first book I would recommend for any serious architecture student. It covers tectonics and construction in elegant detail but, even more importantly, this book delves into the conceptual intentions behind the tectonics, at every scale. Telling examples, well chosen, illuminate the ideas, and the case studies feature some of the finest contemporary architecture in the world today. Simply the best.

I purchased this book for a construction class and as an architecture student, I find it very helpful. The book is not a construction how-to and the images are not very detailed nor are any of the images in color, but it is a compilation of a variety of architectural examples that use different or innovative construction methods. A great supplement to a studio course for inspiration and incorporating interesting structure into projects.

This book covers all the protocols and schemes for delivering voice and data over IP, frame relay, and ATM. The author has an easy-to-follow writing style that makes the book a joy to read.

This book really brings together every aspect of converged network architecture in one place. From voice communication networks to data networks to voice packet processing to a softswitch model for IP, this book has it all.

If you read Ibe's ATM book and like it get ready because you are going to LOVE this book even more. Dr.IBE knows his staff.

If you are a technical person this book will became your bible. If you are not a technical person this book will make you feel as if you were technical but most important will help you understand the subject in not time. (SALES, Managers, QA... Guys take note).

I do not know how he does it but a difficult subjects become clear after he explains them. I been following his writing and I must say that there is no one in my opinion who can explain complicated subjects the way he does. Check his ATM book and you will understand what I mean.

WELL DONE IBE...

This is a great book that goes beyond VoIP. It covers all major network architectures, and the latest enabling protocols like SIP, H.323, MPLS, and H.248. I found the discussions of Voice packet processing and Access schemes particularly helpful.

Copywriting giants deserve equally large books to showcase them, so this Copy Book is the perfect literary wax museum to learn more about some of the advertising industry's greats. In it, you can almost, just almost, get into the minds of legends like Neil French, David Abbott and many others, and possibly get a glimpse into how their minds work and what makes them tick. Besides their professional advice, you might get some inspiration from the award-winning advertisement classics (check out the infamous Volk Wagon and Stella Atois ads) that accompany each of these wordsmiths. (The price is) worth every cent of it.

Sitting on my shelf are, oh, about 30 books on advertising. Maybe more. Ironically, "The Copy Book" isn't one of them -- it's too damn large! So it lays kinda slouched against the wall. But not for long, 'cos that baby tends to spend an obscene amount of time in my hands. And yes, as some other reviewer points out, Neil French is in sparkling form -- what's new? --, dispensing advice you wouldn't read about (Australian expression) -- except here. Abbott ... amazing. Steve Henry. Jim Durfee. Richard Foster (great essay!) They're all here and more. A must-read several times over. Ads are a little dated, but so what? The advice is priceless.

I read a copy of this book that belongs to my CD and quite frankly,I was awestruck. Been looking for my own ever since. You'll find all the writers you admire in there. Neil French in his element, David Abbott,name them, all the superstars telling you how they do it. And how not to do it. An unputdownable read for all in this noble profession, very inspiring.

Tired of advertising books that are big on art, but short on copy - full of page-shots where the body copy's been reduced or screened beyond legibility?

The Copy Book, by Alastair Crompton ("The Art of Copywriting") is different. In it, 32 top advertising writers share their views on how they write, and what makes a great ad.

It's full of good advice, and full of very good - and awarded - ads. Some of them are even long-copy!

This is beginning to sound like an ad. I'm not getting paid, so I'll stop.

Vaughn Davis
Auckland, New Zealand

I love to read and I love houses on the water. When I need to relax I grab this book. It has also given me some ideas to use in my own home to give it that cottage look. Very inspirational and easy to read.

Great source of architectural interior details and inspiration for small residential structures.

When I picked up this book I was surprised to find it so filled with a wonderful variety of cottages. Cottages on the Coast is a small and wonderful glimpse of styles around the coasts of the United States. A small "photo album" near the beginning shows early pictures of some of the cottages that are featured later and as those same cottages appear today. A great selection of cottage styles, representing different regions of the country, are fascinating with their accompanying stories. This is a book I will go back to over and over again, to look up something I remember, to find something new and to just plop down with it in my lap for pure beach imaginings. I love this book!

Wherever they are located, seaside dwellings share several common traits. These hearty homes are crafted from tried and true materials that age gracefully in the sea air and reflect local building traditions and styles. They balance the storms of winter with the peaceful days of summer and maximize beautiful views whatever the season.

Cottages on the Coast presents an extensive variety of homes from sea to shining sea. Linda Leigh Paul selected more than 25 examples from Bainbridge Island, to Big Sur, from the Florida Keys, to Tybee Island, and north to Maine. You will be captivated by hundreds of beautiful photographs of vernacular exteriors and very personal interiors.

Cottages on the Coast stands out because the interiors and exteriors exude a lot of personality, and they seem authentic and attainable. New England is well represented with houses in Maine, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The tranquil cover image, Treasure Cottage on Key West is truly a cottage at a mere 500 square feet. Treasure Cottage is filled with the owners carefully arranged antique collection, which does not clutter the small space but gives the home so much personality. Other examples, a modernist cottage designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright pupil in Carmel, complete with loads of natural light, and built-in furnishings. Or a cottage recently built on a private island in the Puget Sound, built on a solid rock foundation, with enormous interior beams to withstand the fiercest storms, decorated in a simple manner re-using found materials such as driftwood for a mantel and stair case railing.

Cottages on the Coast will be a source of inspiration for readers who are considering rehabbing, designing, or decorating a seaside dwelling. Or if you are an avid armchair traveler Cottages on the Coast will fill you with travel ideas for your next coastal break.

Professor Walker's book is a solidly researched, comprehensive history of the environmental movement in the Bay Area. Written in a clear, accessible style, the book covers a century of landsaving, from the early days of the Sierra Club to the exciting years from 1965-75 when most of our environmental protection laws were passed, to the recent use of land trusts , conservation easements, and urban growth boundaries to safeguard the Bay Area's precious green heritage. This book will stand, along with John Hart's "Legacy" and Amy Meyer's "New Guardians for the Golden Gate" as the canonical texts in the environmental history of California for years to come.

THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY: THE GREENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA should be a 'most' for any San Francisco Bay Area or comprehensive California library, whether it be a college-level or public lending collection. Students of California history and geography alike will appreciate this story of how the Bay Area's greenbelt was planned into an urban environment - and how each piece of it was fought for. From environmental battles which spread out to affect urban policies across the country to the involvement of businesses and individuals like, THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY is packed with insights on how early conservation affects today's urban environment, making it a fine pick for any collection interested in urban planning, ecology, or Bay Area history alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book really helped me understand the world I was born into--Berkeley in the late 1950s. As Richard Walker points out, that world reflected the work of countless Bay Area activists reaching back to John Muir. Many were civic-minded and dedicated women, and some started or built environmental organizations with national impact. This book describes it all: the people, the organizations, the issues, the victories (always temporary), the challenges, and the movement's shortcomings and unintended consequences.

Always attuned to class issues, Walker acknowledges that these movements were mostly led by upper-class folks and ultimately turned parts of the Bay Area (e.g., Marin) into lightly populated enclaves for the well off. Working families in the Bay Area have had great access to public parks and the coast, but activists so far have done little to impede the siting of toxic nastiness in low-income neighborhoods. Walker questions the link between efforts to slow or stop growth and the Bay Area's high housing prices, but he notes that the growth that has occurred--in the eastern part of Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley, for example--isn't very smart and may be linked to the inner Bay Area's aversion to virtually any growth at all. At the end of the day, though, it's hard to resist Walker's conclusion that Bay Area residents have plenty to be thankful for. Highly recommended.

While this book was a bit academic and long on details, I found it a pleasant and easy read. I am a Bay Area resident and a NYC transplant and have marveled at the accessibility of the Bay Area's natural beauty and recreation.

I love the SF Bay Area for its beauty and outdoors and I wanted to know how it happened and who to thank. Now I know.

Another book worth considering, which is much more specific to the creation of one area is New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park

Nita Leland's book not only gives ideas to develop your understanding and appreciation of art, but quotes artists' thoughts about their art and even their difficulties in achieving what they were looking for. She gives"tips" to release the creator in you, encourages hard and constant work as a way to loosen up and discover your skills beyond shape and color. She explains how after an accidental stain or assemblage of papers, fabrics and objects, you can get to artistic creation by emphasizing and developing the "accident" by means of color knowledge, tehnique and sensitive approach.

This book has been a great inspiration to me in revisiting my talents in art and many other things such as graphic design & music. The Creative Artist has opened my mind and helped me to reach farther goals through its guidence and activities. There is also some very inspirational quotes. I highly recomend this book to beginners and those who have gotten caught up in daily life and need to refind themselves.

I haven't been able to put this one down. This book has given me the courage to begin making my art again. Every time I pick it up, I get ideas for paintings, drawings. I like how it is written like an art class, and has activities to get you unstuck. The activities are just vague enough to get you thinking of possibilities. This is far and away the best book to get you going!

I have been painting in watercolor & teaching watercolor for over 15 years and find this to be the most inspiring, motivational, & instructional book on the market.

Very well done! I love this book-the projects are to die for.
Great for any stamp artist!

If you're looking to combine great rubber stamping with another medium, off paper, then this is a great addition to your stamping art library. The book shows great ideas, and shows enuf material on technique that you can do it easily.

Barbara has done it again with another fabulous addition to the annals of polymer clay! Using her expertise as an artist, Barbara does an excellent job of show how limitless the possibilities of stamping with polymer clay can be. Her attention to detail and eye for color, form and function are well expressed in this book. The projects are well timely, well thought out and brilliantly executed. As always, Barbara does an extrodinary job with the finishing of each piece. And as always, her text is full of extremely helpful hints and tips that even the most experienced polymer enthusiast can use. I highly recommend this book!

This book features many projects using rubber stamps and polymer clay. The pictures are great and the step-by-step instructions are clear. Instructions are given for many different techniques. Some use ink to stamp the designs, some use the stamp to create an impression in the clay. Others use mica, foil stamping and embossing powders. Projects include jewelry, small book covers, decorative insets for boxes and many other varied projects.

Also, the projects are not bright, cutsey, whimsical items. They are more sophisticated, with simple shapes, relying on rich surface texture and images. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on your tastes. As it is sometimes difficult to find good polymer clay books for those of us who are not into whimsical, I would recommend this book highly.

WONDERFUL PICTURES AND YES, THE PAPER IS EXCELLENT QUALITY. DEFINITIVELY A COFFEE TABLE PIECE. CAN ANYONE SAY COHIBA? THE TEXT IS VERY CLEAR AND TO THE POINT AND INFORMATIVE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. ARCHITECTURE YOU NEVER THOUGHT EXISTED THERE.

great book. awesome pictures and paper quality. Very good price in amazon.
Thanks.

One of the best pictorial books on Cuba that has ever been published. It's the realization of profesionals and very objective, a very difficult achievement considering Cuba. Highly recommended to those willing to discover the real Cuba.

Lots of beautiful photography (by Andrea Brizzi) for anyone who dreams of Cuba and would like to feel the cobblestones of Old Havana underfoot, taste the mojitos in the lobby bar of the Hotel Nacional, hear the strains of the mariachi band at sunset, and learn about the history of our most enigmatic, so-close-yet-so-far neighbor through it's architecture and the very readable text by Rachel Carley.

My daughter and I absolutely LOVED this book when she was growing up. The story is beautiful and the drawings are fabulous. A book about the longings of a younger sister, who in her heart is ready to dance, even though she is told she's too little.
This is THE book I give to [kid] girls!! Their mothers will love it too.

Little Tanya loves to dance. Like her sister she practices plies, pirouettes and arabesques and the two often practice together, but as of yet Tanyette (as she is sometimes called) is too young for lessons.

This all changes one day when her family, celebrating the performance of big sister as a flower in Swan Lake, finds out that little Elise is no longer the cute toddler mimicking the actions of her older sister, but a little girl that is ready for academy

Five Stars. A delightful book that shows two sisters who share a love of dance. My five y.o. daughter loves the talk of `first, second, fourth and fifth' positions. Good read-aloud, the artwork is pleasing with it soft watercolor drawings.

A sample of text follows:

And while nobody was looking, Tanya found her tutu,
and her scarf. And Tanya danced too. All alone.

The music played loud and sweet, and she did a plie
and arabesque and five grand jetes right across the floor.

"Dance, Tanya," her sister said, and her mother held her breath.
Grandma looked over her glasses. "You have two dancers
in your family," she said. Everyone in the room clapped. Elise did too.

This was a childhood favorite of mine, and the pages are tattered from reading it over and over. A young girl wants to be a dancer and is saddened because her older sister can take lessons, but she is too young. She looks up to her graceful old sister and dances with her, but wishes she herself could be in the spotlight...The book is a wonderful story for all ages, young and old.

My 3 and 6 year old daughters enjoy the story for the talkabout dancing and for the "little sister looks up to big sister" and "little sister feeling left out" themes. The adults in the family get misty-eyed over a little girl's discovery of the beauty of dance (if you've ever shed a tear of joy when Linnea is finally atop the bridge in Monet's Garden, you'll know what I mean). This will be one to save for the next generation :-)

Beautiful water-color-ish illustrations appealed to all ages in our family.