Reviews (1)

It's Wright for my Collection.
Another book on Wright to add to your collection. Better than some, but being that there are so many different Wright books in print, I imagine there is always a better one out there. Inside you will find lots of beautiful photos and illustrations with the history behind them. It would make a nice coffee table book, or just buy it for inspiration. ... Read more

Book Description

Handsome pictorial essay scrutinizes another Wright residential masterpiece. Innovative "prairie-style" lines, dynamic structure, decorative sculpture and more are captured in over 160 interior and exterior photos, plans, elevations, sketches, studies and more. A detailed, informative text documents the history and background of the house, its site, plans, construction, and other aspects of its creations.
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Book Description

Painstakingly researched and illuminating account of the making of the Fred C. Robie home. Revealing family documents, excerpts from a 1958 interview with Fred Robie, and 160 black-and-white illustrations illuminate design, construction, various stages of landmark of modern architecture. Complete text.
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Reviews (2)

"...the ecstasy of power in ordering space..."
This book is an excellent study, in marvelous detail
and analysis, of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces
of architecture. Too often the words "artist" and
"genius" only dimly suggest the true nature of the
person or work being discussed; but this book with
its keen and accurate delineations about Robie,
the client and his desires, Wright, the architect/
artist/genius and his desires, and the work of art
itself -- the Robie House -- help one to fully
understand the harmonious combination of elements
which can come together in producing a masterpiece.
The author of this work is Donald Hoffmann, and
he has himself produced a work of magnificence
in this full presentation of the design and execution
of a "dream house." Hoffmann gives full and interesting
accounts of Robie and of Wright as their two psyches
come together to promote an "idealized" artwork which
pleases both client and architect.
The book also has wonderful footnotes filled
with insightful comments and quotes. Here is
an example of one:

Louis H. Sullivan at the end of his life wrote
quite beautifully that Wright was gifted with
"an apprehension of the material,so delicate as
to border on the mystic, and yet remain coordinate
with those facts we call real life." (p. 31)

The text itself is filled with suggestive and
provocative commentary:

Wright's ideal was the comprehensive and unified
work of art, the *Gesamtkunstwerk. German culture
fascinated him. He spoke of Bach and Beethoven
as the two greatest architects, and he confessed
his love for the old Germany of Goethe, Schiller,
even Nietzsche. (p. 14)

Wright stood almost alone in his intuition of
the prairie. * * * Everything about the site
suggested a long, low, stream-lined, ship-like
house: the prairie, the nearby lake, the new
sense of speed, * * * and the shape of the lot ,
three times as long as it was wide. (p. 17)

Radical and masculine, the Robie house would be
built in a part of Chicago characteristically
stern and urbane. (p. 13)
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The book is filled with "160 carefully selected
illustrations" --which include architectural
drawings and many photos, both of the house,
of Robie and his family, of Wright, and of some
of Wright's other previous houses leading up to
the Robie House. Hoffmann also did excellent
research by gaining access to complete
taped transcripts by Robie, and interviews with
Robie's son, and others.

There is something very compelling and involving
to my sense perceptions about Wright's long, sleek,
tiered approach to architecture, as well as the
various designs of lamps and chairs and lights
which he included in the house. But on seeing the
photos of the dining room...and the rigid but
beautiful "Gothic" like chairs, as well as the
photos of the "stuff" that the Robie family
cluttered the Spartan rooms with in their
attempts to "customize" it to their living
desires...the house seems incredibly beautiful,
but not incredibly utilitarian: idealized, abstract,
geometric beauty and organic harmony with the
beauty and structure of Nature, but not necessarily
"organic" in its relation to people and "common
creature" comforts.

Batter my heart, Frank Lloyd Wright
Dieses Buch, wie sein Thema, wird wie ein Ziegelsteinouthouse aufgebaut. Unassailable Forschung. Gute Arbeit, Don. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brief Info on Book
Paperback, 64 pps, over 30 full color photos
A small book, but a very good look at Wright's glass designs, many of them as installed (in situ). ... Read more

Book Description

A monograph on the varied, remarkable and unusual work of Frank Lloyd Wright.Tracing the great metaphors of Frank Lloyd Wright's original art of construction, it is an indispensable tool for anyone who wishes to find out about the architecture of the 20th century and about one of its most exceptional topical masters. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Excellent for people seeking photographs of Wright's work
This book is an excellent source of photographs of Wright's architecture. While it contains only minimal supplimental text, the pictures are stunning displays of one man's vision.

Great in depth look into specific area.
This book is a wonderful in it's reviewing of specific buildings by FLLW. The book is full of wonderful color photographs of the structures as well as short articles on each. This is the book that puts all of FLLW's architecture in the state of California into one volume. This demonstrates how the architect could adapt an architectual language to fit uniquely into a particular region. Their is also a complete list of all the buildings Wright designed the be built in California that were never erected. This is a must read for anyone deeply interested in the architecture of FLLW. ... Read more

Book Description

Arguably America's best-known architect, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is famed for his sleek, rational designs of houses and buildings nestled in natural surroundings. Across the United States, Wright's works embody the precept of Organic Architecture, that a project must be constructed in response to the site's landscape, with respect for the client's needs, and with awareness of local materials. Throughout her career, painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) created breathtaking works of intimacy, simplicity, and precision, inspired by observations both of the urban environment of New York City and the stark landscapes of the American Southwest. Both Wright and O'Keeffe applied a respect and understanding of nature to their work. Studied together, these creators' works bring new insight into how the organic influences the artistic.

Book Description

The importance of the architect to the quality and character of any society is not usually as widely regarded as it deserves to be.While every past civilization is, to a considerable extent, recognized and judged by its architecture, its creators are in general little known or revered; it would seem as though the buildings which are of such importance to our lives have spontaneously appeared as if by magic.Civilizations are more widely evaluated by their literature, music, painting and sculpture and other useful artefacts, while architecture is merely taken for granted.
In this century, however, where great and far-reaching developments have occurred which require examination and justification, architects have come to be regarded with a mixture of interest, suspicion and sometimes dismay.All this has served to transform the interest of the general public in architecture and the architect is beginning to be appreciated and valued.
When they have great strength of character, lucidity of exposition and, in the view of the media, an interesting personal history as well, they have become publicly recognized figures of social importance.None more so than the subject of this book whose personality and achievement has, unlike many of his peers, dominated the first half of this century.With such figures as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, he is recognized as a creative architectural genius.His singular individual achievement, as a native-born American, was to gather together the strands of American historical architecture and create a corpus of work which is both modern and essentially American.
Frank Lloyd Wright's career, sometimes tragic, sometimes tempestuous—at all times creative—has been examined and re-examined in numerous studies and articles both during his lifetime and since his death in 1959 shortly before his most famous and notorious Guggenheim Museum in New York was completed.And his life continues to demand re-examination as the progress of architectural philosophy inspires dramatic stylistic change.This concise consideration of his life and work offers a careful analysis of this complex, powerful and confident personality as well as the architectural legacy left behind by him. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Colorful
This book has a large amount of color photographs of his work. The photographs alone show you what a wonderful architect he was. The book also gives you information on all the pictures of his work. Information about the locations, years, and also professional and personal information on Frank Lloyd Wright. I highly recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Book Description

Hard though it is to imagine, about 100 of Frank Lloyd Wright's 500 buildings have been demolished, the casualties of real estate pressures, changing tastes, or simple neglect. This book is the first to picture and describe some of these lost structures.

By Carla Lind. 60 pages, 5 color photographs, 40 black & white photographs, 5 1/4 x 5 1/4". Casebound, with dust jacket. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The lost Wright revealed!
"Frank Lloyd Wright's Lost Buildings," by Carla Lind, is one of a series of "mini-books" dedicated to the work of this legendary architect. In this one, Lind notes that "about one hundred of [his] buildings--one of every five built--have been destroyed" for various reasons. This book celebrates the legacy of these lost treasures.

The book combines Lind's concise but informative text with a wealth of historic black-and-white photographs. In addition, the book contains full color photos of preserved portions of these lost buildings. There are also interesting sidebar quotes from Wright and others, as well as a bibliography.

Both public buildings and private homes are covered in "Lost Buildings." Structures pictured in the book include the Larkin Administration Building in Buffalo, New York; the Lake Mendota Boathouse in Madison, Wisconsin; and the Husser House in Chicago, Illinois. Each structure is celebrated with a short history and with photographs.

This book, despite its small size, effectively pays tribute to a fascinating body of Wright's work. For those interested in Wright, this mini-book may make a perfect gift. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Monograph on Frank Lloyd Wrights window treaments. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Decent pictures of many FLLW glass designs
This book has a fairly decent amount of photos of FLLW's glass designs, and the quality of the photos is decent also. I haven't read much of the book since I'm mainly interested in the photographs of his windows. There's not a lot of quality books out there for his stained glass (unless you want to spend $... on the Glass Art book), so this is a worthwhile introductory purchase. ... Read more

Book Description

These writings cover Wright's personality and life style, Wright's clients and his work, the discovery of Wright by Europeans, and more recent evaluations by Lewis Mumford and Reyner Banham, among others. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

finely edited scrapbook with diagrams and photos
Much like Wright supposedly worked from the core, this book is a nice method of getting to the heart of the matter. The matter in this case is Frank Lloyd Wright because his personality, like his houses and structures, still stands out and has some gathered meaning that's not apparent which is worth seeking for the man was a leader and inspiring teacher as well as an intimidator who 'ticked' people off.

Of course, his finished products nullify any notion that sweat was involved because they evoke harmony. For that sake, it's not a surprise that many books are out there now, including this one, that can assemble pieces of history to derive life-validating conclusions after he's deceased, as we continue to be amazed at Wright architecture.

Wright's chosen projects began with love of the land, then complimentary design. Many of Wright's earlier works were never realized due in part because he designed as a hire and then clients did not want to pay what he was charging.

Wright's life too, apart from his projects, was architectonic. He was at a peak always and never eased up toward achieving his designs until the day he died. Wright's architectural wonders we know today were projects completed when he was a septuagenarian. His first sixty or so years were spent getting educated, getting married and divorced, losing work, gaining work, and finally building up the means to teach and form his school of designers and team of construction workers.

Wright was an engineer of sorts before he designed houses. His renown for environmental harmony and organic localized designs was not a result of unbridled passion or random artistry. Wright was a planner, calculator and stubborn perfectionist.

The editor has attempted to dispel myths and revisit customary sayings about Wright by publishing this compilation. These writings are not in chronological order but in order of the editor's chosen themes. Some entries are not fine writing but they convey a first-hand knowledge of the man.

Approximately thirty writers describe Wright through acquaintence or through scholarly studies while he was living. About a third of the book is personal correspondence. All writers knew him in one way or the other. The editor points out in the introduction that the first English-language book about Wright came out when Wright was seventy-two years old.

I don't recommend this book as a primer on the life of Wright or as an introduction to his architecture. This book should follow traditional-style biographies, if any, and you should certainly look at pictures and be familiar with the U.S. locations of his famous works. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A Good Introduction
A good introduction to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The book focuses primarily on Wright's residential work ("Fallingwater" is included), though there are a few churches, a civic center, and of course, the Guggenheim Museum. The photographs are terrific, but the writing is, while eloquent, nevertheless a bit lacking; one gets the impression the poor writer was hired merely to wrap words around the pretty pictures. Still, if you're new to the work of this masterful, prolific artist (as I am), this book serves as a good introduction. ... Read more