MBR: The Architecture Shelf
Midwest Book Review
Vizcaya
Witold Rybczynski & Laurie Olin
University of Pennsylvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4112
0812239512, $34.95 www.upenn.edu/pennpress 1-800-537-5487
An impressive architectural achievement of the Gilded Age when country
manors and their gardens were a conspicuous documentation of personal
wealth and power by their owners, the Miami estate of Vizcaya was the
equal to such famous contemporary structures as the Bilmore and the
San Simeon. The collaborative work of Witold Rybczynski (Martin and
Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism, University of Pennsylvania) and
Laurie Olin (Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture, University
of Pennsylvania), Vizcaya: An American Villa And Its Makers" is the
complete story of how this magnificent building came to be
constructed, landscaped, and utilized as a 180-acre estate on Biscayne
Bay complete with lagoons, canals, citrus groves, a farm village, a
yacht harbor, and a 40-room Baroque mansion. Enhanced with a wealth of
seventy color and 96 b/w illustrations, "Vizcaya" is an informed and
informative body of impeccable scholarship presenting a seminal study
that is very strongly recommended as an addition to professional,
academic, and community library American Architectural History
reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Return of Sacred Architecture
Herbert Bangs, M.A.rch
Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
1594771324 $24.95 www.InnerTraditions.com
Both architecture and spirituality collections will relish Return of
Sacred Architecture: The Golden Ratio and the End of Modernism: it
contrasts and modern religious architectural structure with the grand
monuments of the past, revealing how modern dysfunctional buildings
bring out the worst in humanity and how ancestral masterworks focus on
the best. Architecture once was closer to expressing the sacred
between man and cosmos: THE RETURN OF SACRED ARCHITECTURE focuses on
the elements of this expression and is especially recommended for any
college-level architectural library.
Merrell
49 West 24th Street, 8th Floor, New York NY 10010
www.merrellpublishers.com
Andreas von Einsiedel and Johanna Thornycroft's DREAM HOMES: 100
INSPIRATIONAL INTERIORS (1858943933, $24.95) offers architectural
libraries a sourcebook of modern interiors from around the world,
pairing some 800 color illustrations by interiors photographer von
Einsiedel with a written history and notes by Johanna Thornycroft. The
result is perfect for any working in home décor: a fine ideabook
packed with alternatives and inspiration. Edward Denison, Guang Yu Ren
and Naigzy Gebremedhin's ASMARA: AFRICA'S SECRET MODERNIST CITY
(1858943825, $39.95) examines the nature and architectural innovations
of a city which holds one of the highest concentrations of Modernist
architecture in the world. Experts with detailed knowledge of the city
survey many of the structures, add notes from previously unpublished
archival material, and include original photography not to be seen
elsewhere. A 'must' for any college-level collection strong in
architecture and modern urban landscapes.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hardy House
Mark Hertzberg
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
PO Box 808022, Petaluma, CA 94975-8022
978-0-7649-3761-3, $19.95 www.pomegranate.com 1-800-227-1428
Architect icon Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was commissioned in 1906
by Thomas P. Hardy to build a house in Racine, Wisconsin, on a bluff
overlooking Lake Michigan. The result was to become known as the
'Hardy House' and considered to be a true architectural gem and an
example of Wright's 'organic architecture' concept. Knowledgeably
written and photographically illustrated by Mark Hertzberg (a member
of the board of directors of the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage
Tourism Program), "Frank Lloyd Wright's Hardy House" provides a
complete descriptive history of this remarkable building (including
the use of source material that includes historical correspondence and
architectural plans from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation) to provide
a detailed (with interior and exterior color photographs, as well as
historical photographs and architectural drawings) survey of the one
hundred years the Hardy House. Enhanced with the inclusion of a
bibliography, "Frank Lloyd Wright's Hardy House" is a seminal work
that is an essential contribution to professional and academic library
Architectural Studies reference collections. Also very highly
recommended for students of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture is Mark
Hertzberg's earlier work, "Wright in Racine" (Pomegranate, 2004).
Log Houses of the World
Richard Olsen
Harry Abrams
115 West 18th Street, New York NY 10011
0810957469 $45.00 www.hnabooks.com
Radek Kurzaj's lovely color photos compliments the first chronological
survey of log houses designed in Europe and the U.S. from 1890 to
modern times, and covers a vast range of architectural designs and
builder innovations in the process. Libraries strong in woodworking or
homeowner's titles, especially general-interest public library
collections, will find LOG HOUSES OF THE WORLD an eye-catching display
title that fulfills its cover attraction and promise with equally
compelling interior photos. But don't think it's just a picturebook
coffee table addition: it's packed by Architectural Digest magazine
editor Richard Olsen's commentary and history as well. The depth and
coverage can't be beat.
Boathouses
John de Visser & Judy Ross
Boston Mills Press
c/o Firefly Books
Box 1338, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, NY 14205
1550464841 $49.95 www.fireflybooks.com
Building a house on the water is quite different than building one on
land - and over forty of the north country's best boathouses are
revealed here, from 19th century wonders to those which are modern
creations. Various architects and designers have produced some
outstanding boathouses which are created to blend with their
environments: this offers inspiration and insight for any designer
whether working at the cottage level all the way up to full-sized
Victorian representations. Both public libraries and collections
strong in home architecture choices will find it a popular pick.
Yurts: Living in the Round
Becky Kemery
Gibbs Smith Publisher
Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1586858912 $24.95 www.gibbs-smith.com
YURTS: LIVING IN THE ROUND offers both a history of the nomadic yurt
round house design and a survey of contemporary fabric yurts and how
to build them, making it an excellent choice for any lending
collection strong on alternative home-building options. Accounts from
those who built and lived in yurts accompany color photos of differing
styles and options, insights on how to choose and work with a yurt
company, and even bear proofing a yurt. The blend of color photos and
lively yet practical 'how to' advice' is unique.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
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Midwest Book Review
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com