Reviews (2)

A grave disappointment; stick to the earlier ones
I bought this book expecting more of what Alpern has covered in his previous books: more buildings, with more stories, and more floor plans. Instead, while some material is new, quite a few of these buildings have been covered in his earlier books. And there are no floor plans at all. If you are an afficionado of great Manhattan apartment houses, avoid this book and stick with "New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments" instead.

Evolution of the NYC luxury apartment building
This extremely slender, 84-page book covers 20 luxury apartment buildings in New York City, each of which is illustrated by at least one large b&w photograph. For each, the author discusses the building's history and unique features. Buildings covered include the Normandy, San Remo, and Hampshire House. This book has no floor plans, in contrast to Alpern's earlier work, 'New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments.' ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good for basic info and easy research
With its informative details and beautiful pictures, this book would interest history and gardening buffs alike. ... Read more

Book Description

Some were designed in elaborate styles bearing elegant names--Beaux-Arts, French Renaissance, Art Deco. Others were humbly handcrafted from easily accessible materials--wood, stone, and sod. But whether courtly, colloquial, capricious, or curious, each of the state's architectural configurations has become an aesthetic slice of Kansas.

In Guide to Kansas Architecture, David Sachs and George Ehrlich spotlight hundreds of these surprisingly diverse homes, businesses, schools, churches, courthouses, theaters, bridges, and barns spread throughout all 105 counties. Encompassing the historical and contemporary, the vernacular and singular, this book features Victorian masterpieces, stately courthouses, and split-level suburban homes alongside the likes of "the world's most beautiful gas station" and Big Brutus, the enormous electric coal shovel turned museum.

Illustrating where, how, and why Kansans assembled and altered their physical surroundings, the authors have amassed information on 700 structures--including descriptions, construction dates, architects, historical background, and unusual traits. They also provide maps and addresses to make them easy to find.

This one-of-a-kind guide for Kansas underscores architecture's bond with the state's artistic, cultural, historical, social, political, and economic attributes and idiosyncrasies. As a handy reference and traveling companion, it will be invaluable to the well-versed architect, preservationist, or historian, as well as to the merely inquisitive and adventurous. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Book shows why Neel Reid was one of greatest of the South.
The book gives history and insight on his life and follows his working history from Macon to Florida to Atlanta. His attention to detail is pointed out in many chapters and the photography along with the orginal drawings are a good touch. If your looking for some ideas or maybe a facade to copy this would be a excellent book. Most of his houses are timeless designs and the interior views and elevation views are stunning. ... Read more

Book Description

A region of widely divergent landscapes and peoples, the American South is bound by a tradition and style that make it quite unlike any other part of America. Nowhere is the quintessence of Southern life so intensely expressed as in the villages and towns photographed and described in this book. Marked sometimes by the violent events of history--first settlement, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War--and the explosive growth of the cotton economy, these towns and villages appear in the book as they developed across the South. The region divides naturally into four geographic areas, each one a stage along the path of settlement. The miles of shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico provided natural harbors for the first arrivals. Piedmont, at the foot of the mountains stretching from Virginia to Georgia, possessed the rich soil that made it the center of Southern agriculture. The profusion of rivers and the rich land along their banks attracted settlers from the Carolinas and Georgia, while the final push was to the deep interior and the mountains, the upcountry from the Blue Ridge chain in Virginia to the Texas hill country. The villages of these regions are varied, but those included in this book all have their individual beauty, whether expressed in white clapboard or Victorian brick. Their historical variety, too, is expressed in their names, demonstrating the diversity of their origins. The name of Wascahachie, Texas, is derived from the Native American word for "buffalo creek." Waterford, Virginia, is unmistakably Irish, while Camden and York in South Carolina have a distinctly English ring. Whatever their origins, the villages and towns included in this book have one thing in common: their beauty. And this exquisite picture of the South is completed by special illustrated features on its horse culture, its churches and cemeteries, and its fabulous gardens. A Traveler's Guide to sites, local festivals, hotels, and guest-houses provides essential information for the visitor. Produced in association with Veranda magazine. 250 color photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Surveys the towns of the South which are most colorful
This lavish, oversized presentation with photos by Dennis O'Kain surveys the towns of the South which are most colorful in aspect, from those with notable architecture and beautiful gardens to sites sporting local festivals and color. This beautiful coffee table edition will offer many possibilities for both armchair travel and planning a destination in the South, and is packed with stunning photos.

A Good Way To Learn About the South
This book explores the many varied regions of the Southeast, and does a great job of showing the beauty and culture that is associated with these different regions. The towns in the book are typical small towns that many people have never heard of, even if they live in the South. Bonnie Ramsey does a great job of finding many distinct and interesting facts about these towns and their culture, while Dennis O'Kain does a fine job of portraying some of the prettiest houses in the South in his photos. This book is for anyone who enjoys the beauty and culture that is associated with the South, even if you think you are competent in Southern culture and towns. This book will surely be a welcome addition to anyone's library. This book is the most recent addition to the Thames & Hudson line of The Most Beautiful Villages of. . ., and it continues in the fine tradition that this line of books has already established. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good study of vernacular architecture
This collection of essays and articles is essential reading for anyone interested in America's architectural history. Classic articles on ways to examine architecture in relation to cultural geography are featured prominently in this volume. There are also important pieces of work that link architecture to the history of various ethnic groups, and I especially enjoyed articles that deal with contemporary forms of vernacular expression. This is an important book for anyone interested in the study of folklore, history, art history, and architecture. It could also be useful for practicing architects to read the essays for ideas to inspire their own designs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Milwaukee explained
A good guide to the buildings in Milwaukee, excellent for students of architecture and those new to Milwaukee. ... Read more

Book Description

A Pride of Place, the result of a quarter-century¹s worth of painstaking research and collection, presents the first comprehensive architectural and historic inventory of the widely diverse and irreplaceable rural residences of Fauquier County, Virginia. Hundreds of photographs and illustrations, each accompanied by informative text, provide a fascinating and helpful overview of the county¹s rich architectural heritage. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A Coffee Table Must!
Beautiful pictures, great descriptions and it gives you a feel that only you can know if you love New Orleans, or are about to fall it love with it.

Beautiful
Capture in pictures and in words that New Orleans still has much beauty and history. Don't miss the beauty. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderfully informative
This is a book of wonder and revelation, illuminating the history and splendor of one of America's most magical regions. It will make you want to learn more and more and then drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. ... Read more

Book Description

The architectural heritage of Newport, Rhode Island encompasses the rich and lively history of the people who have lived there. The city's public and private buildings reflect the varied attitudes, styles and tastes adopted by the American nation, from the colonial settlers in the seventeenth century who sought religious and political freedom to the socialite robber barons of the late nineteenth century whose enormous wealth bought the freedom to pursue life's pleasures. Simple clapboard houses and religious buildings exist in he same context as the opulent summer cottages and mansions, built with the finest materials available. Newport architecture presents a splendidly diverse picture of American building at its best.

Internationally acclaimed photographer Roberto Schezen records the great range of Newport buildings. Focusing especially on the outstanding private houses and compounds throughout the city, Schezen's keen eye captures the magnificent decorative details, grand interiors and dramatic settings that give Newport an unsurpassed position as a national architectural treasure. The many styles that are part of the American architectural vocabulary are presented, including the Greek Revival, the Stick and Shingles Styles, and the eclectic ostentation that characterized the so-called Gilded Age.

The accompanying text tells the stories behind the numerous residences and public buildings, shedding light on the personalities behind the construction of landmarks such as the Breakers, Marble House, Touro Synagogue, the Quaker Meeting House, the Newport Casino and the Redwood Library. The celebrated and the famous contributed to Newport's growth, from its early days as a trading center to its development as a major summer resort colony to its most recent incarnation as a model for preservation efforts. Newport Houses, for the first time, brings the whole story together in an intriguing and comprehensive fashion.
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Reviews (2)

A compelling cultural account.
Hard to easily categorize but North Carolina residents will find this a compelling cultural account. Marimar McNaughton's Outer Banks Architecture provides a survey of North Carolina's outer banks region, examining the architectural heritage of cottages, lodges, and other structures. Black and white photos of selected structures are accompanied by descriptions, architectural notes, and history.

An invaluable contribution to architectural history.
Marimar McNaughton's Outer Banks Architecture: An Anthology Of Outposts, Lodges And Cottages is a compendium of facts, anecdotes and photos showcasing the North Carolina Outer Banks' architectural history and styles that range from simple cottages to elaborate custom built homes and striking commercial buildings to lodges, light houses, life saving stations, and community structures. Outer Banks Architecture is a superb regional architectural study and a valued contribution to the growing literature of American architectural history and accomplishment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outstanding Photographic Tour of a National Treasure
Photographer Robert Lautman has taken and assembled a remarkable set of photographs depicting scenes which a visitor would see upon touring the wonder that is called Monticello. Near the beginning of this book are two architectural drawings showing the first floor room layouts. Numbers appear on these drawings and they indicate the approximate camera positions for each black and white photographic plate.This is an outstanding photo-tour of Jefferson's custom built mansion. I would have given it a 10 rating had it not been for a few little features and omissions which detracted from the work. The major distraction centered on an obviously retouched photograph showing the surrounding hills as seen from Monticello. The photographer, in an attempt to show what the view might have looked like for Jefferson, had to manipulate the photograph to remove or minimize modern distractions such as houses, roads and other man-made edifices. While the intent to recapture a lost vision is a good one the execution wanting. It would have been nice to see more than one photograph of the second floor rooms. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ever since Peter Stuyvesant established the first pier in the 1640s, the New York City waterfront has been a hotbed of controversy and conflicting special interests. Not until 1871 did the city institute the Department of Docks to bring some order to the port and harbor; prior to that, the city's 112 piers were all under the authority of different agencies, and by the 1870s the entire infrastructure had decayed; wooden wharves were dilapidated, rat-infested, and unsafe. To impose some method upon the maritime madness, the city created its Department of Docks under General George B. McClellan. For 60 years the waterfront thrived, until New Jersey replaced New York as a final destination for container ships; now the area is once again in decline.

In The New York Waterfront, historians, students, architects, and teachers take a look at where the port and harbor have been and speculate about their future. The six essays in this book offer both a historical context and a commentary on solutions, both hypothetical and those in-progress. It is as much about New York's civic culture as about its waterfront, and thus it's a fascinating read, even for those without a vested interest in the future of the harbor. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

book review
I have read this book. This book contains a lot of interesting and helpful information for people who would like to know about the history of new york city waterfront. Highly recommended.

please print more copies
I would like to get my own copy, its so goo ... Read more