Reviews (1)

Good alternate view of FLW for a reader who is already famil
If you do not know much about FLW's life, this isn't the book for you. It assumes that you are familar with his life-story as it jumps back and forth and drops names of people out of sequence to his chronological life story. For the neophyte reader there may be too much verbal description of floor plans. Despite these "flaws" (which forced me to do some background research in his other bios) the book is insightful and revealling as it peels off the layers of masks (most built by FLW himself). The book has many, many, black & white photos of his buildings and furniture - most of which I have not seen in other books. This would be a good companion book for someone who has read FLW's autobiography or other bios. It is amazing he survived, professionally, in spite of his apparent self-destructive habits. I found myself comparing his life to Picasso's - perhaps genius cannot be contained in an conventional life . ... Read more

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Reviews (6)

Prairie interests
This is an excellent book by Meryle Secrest on Frank Lloyd Wright. It traces the career of America's foremost builder from his days in Chicago as a resident in fashionable Oak Park to his final days on the Arizona desert. Ms. Secrest does not specialize in architecture, but this appears to be an asset. While there are plenty of books that can go on (and on and on) about building techniques, this is intended for the lay person who is interested in Frank Lloyd Wright in general terms. This book provides an excellent introduction to both the man and his work.

skip this
It's often pointed out that autobiographies are to a considerable extent works of fiction. It's less often pointed out, but equally true, that biographies are also to a considerable extent works of fiction. "Frank LLoyd Wright: A Biography" is a case in point. Now, it just so happens that the author of Frank Lloyd Wright's AUTObiography was a great artist, and it shows not only in his archecture, but also in his stylish, accomplished and original handling of English prose. This BIOGRAPHY, on the other hand, is dull, drab, and perfunctory, and its information is second-hand (at best). If you're going to read fiction, I say read GOOD fiction.

Also: I've read a number of biographies of composers, and I find that they are almost always written by professional musicians. It seems to me that a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright ought to have been undertaken only by someone with a professional knowledge of architecture.

Precious little discussion of Wright's work...
Secrest's "biography" focuses exclusively on the personal life of Wright, and to that end it seems fairly complete. Secrest attempts to explain Wright's inflated sense of self, his drive to succeed and his willingess to use others as means to his ends by reflecting on his Welsh background, his family's history in Wisconsin and his relationships with his immediate family, particularly his mother. My complaint is that Secrest does not carry this analysis over to his architecture - most of his works receive a paragraph or less. I was hoping for a biography of Wright that placed his work in an socio-historical framework as well as accounting for his personality. Secrest briefly mentions how Wright bristled at being called a pre-modernist and how much of a romanticist he was, but she only mentions this to elucidate Wright's personal interactions with others. If you're looking for more info that places Wright's work in a historical or theoretical framework, look somewhere else.

a biography, not an autobiography...
The above review doesn't take into account that Wright himself in his own autobiography stretches the truth on several occaisons for reasons known only to him. As we all know, Wright has said he intended to be the greatest architect of all time. If his own voice were heard, it would undoubtedly reinforce that fact. It is better to have an outside view, or a recounting of events by someone other than wright that happened to be present at that time. Anyone who has read his autobiography (or has any knowledge of history, for that matter) knows Wright was a notorious self-promoter and a grain of salt should be taken to anything he said. Wright is my favorite architect and a man of un paralleled geinus, so no- I'm not biased.

Lots of facts, little story
This biography is chock full of FLLW information and reveals the details of Wright's most outrageous life events, but it lacks a common story or thread. The book is a re-telling of Wright's life through primary sources and interviews with the many people who worked and lived with him. The major drawback of the book is I never heard the voice of Wright himself come through the pages. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"Must" reading for students of American archiectural history
William Adair Bernoudy, Architect will hold special significance for the residents of St. Louis as well as for any following the architectural legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright: it provides almost 300 color photos and almost thirty floor plans exploring the work of William Bernoudy, a leading advocate of Wright's style. An outstanding collection of examples. ... Read more

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Kamal Amin, a young architect from Cairo, come to America to serve as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. When he arrives at Taliesen, Wright's headquarters, he discovers the pervasive presence of Olgivanna Lazovich, Wright's third wife. Her spirit, as well as the spirit of her teacher, George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, dominate the environment. Kamal remains at Taliesen, working with Wright until Mri. Wright died, then stayed for ten more years. In his careen and in his association with Taliesen, he met many celebrities, but no one so powerful as Olgivanna, a complex woman worshipped by some, villified by others. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This lavishly illustrated book devotes itself to Wright's formidable contribution to the medium and features a number of powerful two-dimensional graphic designs and a number of three-dimensional units. Stained glass in the USA as well as the technical aspects of glass making are discussed. The majority of his work in glass was concentrated into the first decade of the 20th century when Wright abandoned old-fashioned stained glass windows and began experimenting with light screens of concrete developing into wood fretwork and glass block and tubing. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best source book of FLW art glass designs.
Thomas Heinz is extremely well credentialed and has written the best source book on FLW art glass designs. Finest photography available of a myriad of FLW projects incorporating art glass windows in sequential sequence. This book is the finest book on FLW works in glass. Mandatory read for any design sourcing for art glass projects. You will not find a more authoritarian reference book on art glass designs by FLW.

Simply put, the premier book on Frank Lloyd Wright Art Glass
I just dropped by amazon.com to check on the availabilty of the Heinz book for a potential client. As the owner of a world class art glass studio specializing in FLW "inspired" designs, Studio Deco, I have had the opportunity to review countless books on the subject. In my opinion this is the finest book presently available.

An extensive visual tour of FLW's genious in glass art
Tomas Heinz, a practicing architect and skilled photographer has written several books on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. In this volume, Heinz provides a thorough examination of Wright's glass art designs. The beauty and power of the designs are faithfully captured in nearly 400 illustrations, most of them in color. The first four chapters cover Wright's architectural glass designs from 1889 to 1936. Chapter Two is entirely devoted to the Dana house, which contains the largest and most extensive collection of art glass designs by Wright. Chapter Five covers Wright's use of light screens later in his career, and Chapter Six gives a brief overview of other decorative features which Wright incorporated into many of his architectural designs. A thoroughly annotated bibliography provides an execllent source for further study. This book is highly recommended for the insight it offers, its visual aesthetic appeal, and as a source of information and inspiration to stained glass artists. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1940, The Museum of Modern Art staged a retrospective of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, the great American architect, then in his 70s, who had experienced a professional rebirth over the previous decade after many years of relative invisibility. Wright was a full collaborator in the organization of the project, which he intended, he said, to be "the show to end all shows." To accompany the exhibition, the Museum planned a publication in the form of a Festschrift, commissioning essays from many of the best-known architecture figures of the day--Alvar Aalto, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Richard Neutra, Mies van der Rohe, and others. Wright, however, took issue with certain parts of the book, complimentary though it was, and after an incendiary exchange of correspondence, including the architect's threat to cancel the entire exhibition, the show went forward but the book did not. In the 60-odd years since, the essays that MoMA commissioned have remained in its files, most of them lost to public view. Now, for the first time in one volume, MoMA is publishing the entire surviving group, along with a full selection of the letters and telegrams between Wright, MoMA, and others detailing MoMA's and the architect's collaboration-cum-collision. Accompanying these period documents is an extensive essay by the noted Frank Lloyd Wright scholar Kathryn Smith, who provides a full account of the exhibition, both as it was and as it was intended to be--including, for example, an unrealized plan to erect one of Wright's Usonian Houses in the MoMA garden. Smith also explores Wright's relationship to his critics, the architectural profession, and the Museum in the years leading up to the exhibition. Sixty-four years later, the catalogue to "the show to end all shows"! Edited by Peter Reed and William Kazain.

Essay by Kathryn Smith. Paperback, 8.5 x 10 in. / 240 pgs / 115 b&w. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is for Frank Lloyd Wright fans everywhere who plan to visit the West Coast or who live in or near Arizona or California. It has simplified locater maps and clear directions to easily find your way to each site. It gives tour days and times, parking and photography tips, and basic information about each building.

It covers 16 sites in California and 6 in the Phoenix Arizona area, including Taliesen West and three other public buildings. There are 21 map pages and 30 b/w photos.

Also, 17 "Cameo" stories of Wright's life make this book more than just an ordinary guidebook. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wright's genius in all its amazing detail.
As a builder, I'm in awe at what this man did with materials. Why are we not all living in houses that inspire like these do? Have we forgotten that life lived fully is about beauty and adventure? Wright didn't. This is an exceptional book. ... Read more

Book Description

These new titles in the Building Blocks series showcase four more icons of modern architecture, as portrayed by renowned architectural photographer Ezra Stoller. Two buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater and Taliesin West, Louis Kahn's Salk Institute, and Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building are shown in original condition, with original furnishings, as the architects intended them to be seen. Wright's integration of architecture and landscape, Kahn's dramatic yet humane monumentality, and Mies's austere elegance are revealed and preserved in Stoller's classic compositions. Small, elegant, and affordable, each volume presents the photo-graphs that made these structures famous. With 60 rich duotone plates (and 16 color plates for Taliesin West), a brief introduction, and newly drawn plans, sections, and elevations, these books constitute the essential photographic histories of the most important works of modernism. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Clarity & Depth is to be Found in Nute's Book on Wright
Kevin Nute's book, Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan, is written with an unusual depth of inquiry. Thorough and clearly labeled illustrations and descriptive text identify connections between real Japanese buildings and works of art and Wright's architecture and design motifs. By examining the influence of Japanese art & architecture on Wright's work, Dr. Nute also has described the manner in which any designer might be influenced by built and natural environments.

It's great that this book now is available in paperback, as it will prove inspiring to practitioners and students of architecture - as well as the general public. A must buy for everyone interested in the development of ideas who are searching for a fascinating story about creativity at its best! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautiful Romantic Look at Taliesin Now and Then
Although many people know that Frank Lloyd Wright operated his architectural enterprise for many years from Taliesin in Wisconsin, relatively few Wright fans have been there. Having been born into the rural farm country of Wisconsin, many of Mr. Wright's architectural ideas emerged from that rolling country and its beautiful rivers and views.

Many who admire Fallingwater will be intrigued to compare the views of the Wisconsin river at Taliesin ("shining brow" in Welsh) with the stunning sights in the Alleghenies. Mr. Wright was working at Taliesin when he sketched his first drawings of Fallingwater. The land is steeper at Fallingwater, and the waterfall at Taliesin was originally there to provide power. Many of the principles of the two sites are otherwise similar in striking ways that will give you a deeper understanding of Mr. Wright's work.

The highlight of this book comes in the wonderful color photography that will probably inspire you to want to visit (in the summer time) to enjoy the hundreds of acres of grounds and the many architectural features that Mr. Wright designed there. Many may not know about his windmill tower that the local farmers predicted would not survive high winds, but which continues to beautifully grace the site.

I was fascinated to see original photographs of Taliesin and its surroundings while Mr. Wright was working there, as well as the views from today. Like a lot of Mr. Wright's work, the romantic idealization of his vision has proceeded quite far. But we will still enjoy it, even if it has evolved from the original.

Having seen this book, I have decided to make a pilgrimage to Taliesin. I have been to Taliesin West many times, and have enjoyed that wonderful Wright work very much. Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and was Mr. Wright's refuge from the cold Wisconsin winters in his later years.

After you enjoy the beauty and the history of Taliesin in this fine volume, I suggest that you think about the place where you were born. How has it shaped your vision? In my case, my home was nestled in a small valley surrounded by enormous mountains. It was natural to want to aspire to climb to great heights upon considering that monumental view every day.

Take the best from your heritage and share it with those whom it will help!

... Read more

Book Description

Color photographs, indoors and out, show how Wright’s famous glass windows looked to residents and passersby; how materials used on the exterior affected the interior; how space could soar in a building that seemed to hug the ground; and how nature was integrated into all his designs. Succinct profiles reveal the stories behind Wright’s own home in Oak Park; the prairie-style Dana House; the exquisite Fallingwater; and other landmarks.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent
This tremendous book, brought to you by the nation's favourite pizzeria, shows a genius at work. What is evident in the work of Lloyd Wright, and what can certainly be seen in this magnificent retrospective, is his continual striving to incorporate innovation with consistency in order to create an architectural grammar which was, though eclectic, uniquely American. Take, for example the Larkin Building, in which the architect showed his willingness to experiment with new materials and technologies. Just as Lloyd Wright innovated with air-conditioning, plate-glass windows, integral desk furniture and suspended toilet bowls, so the Domino's Master Piemaker brings an almost symphonic unity to his work with multifaceted swathes of mushroom, cantilevered tranches of melting cheese and geometric designs hewn from pork. As David Hanks says in his helpful introduction "The romantic spirit that Wright brought to all his buildings is that same unabashed virtuosity that is brought boxed and piping hot to your door (thanks to their revolutionary new HeatWave packaging system) when you phone for a delicious Domino's pizza from any one of their 6200 franchised stores worldwide". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A "must read" for all Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts
Now in its revised, expanded, and updated third edition featuring five new entries for buildings recently opened to the public, Wright Sites: A Guide To Frank Lloyd Wright Public Places is an excellent guide to public places built by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Extensively illustrated with black-and-white photographs on nearly every page, Wright Sites presents the address, access information, tour information, and detailed commentary on sixty-six sites in the United States, from Texas to Oregon. Also included is a short listing of sites in Asia and England. Ably edited by Arlene Sanderson, Wright Sites is an excellent guide to its subject matter, printed on heavy paper stock for durability, a "must read" for all Frank Lloyd Wright architectural enthusiasts, and certain to spark interest in anyone with an especial love for architecture as art.

The Wright Stuff
Though I've always admired the work of Frank Lloyd Wright in photos, I only made my first personal visit to one of his creations recently. Though only 1,200-square-feet, the Pope-Leighey House in Mount Vernon, VA, is charming, graceful, innovative and exciting -- and ultimately the reason why I bought this book, which tells readers about other Wright homes and buildings open to the public across the U.S. and around the world. As a travel guide with such a definite focus, the book seems a real winner, providing not only background on the various Wright sites but also detailed directions and even driving itineraries for certain areas where travellers can see more than one architectural wonder on the same trip. Then why take the extra star away from the review? Unfortunately, the book's photographs, all black & white, failed to do justice to the beauty of the Pope-Leighey House and in general don't seem to capture the grandeur, majesty and marvel which I've found in other volumes on the architect and his architecture. But this seems a minor limitation when the book's chief merits are so practical. ... Read more