Stone by Design: The Artistry of Lew French


Stone by Design: The Artistry of Lew French

Description:
More than 125 gorgeous photographs showcase the beauty of award-winning stonemason Lew French's work in eight different homes, illustrating how rounded fieldstone, gray slate, rough granite, and even curvy driftwood can be incorporated into stunning pieces of functional art.

Customer Review:
Absolutely Wonderful Book! His art is amazing itself and understanding Lew French's connection to his work and how he works with rocks gives even more meaning to his designs.

Customer Review:
I was disappointed by the quality of the paper and the pictures in this book. The subject matter was of great interest to me, but I don't think this book did it justice.

Customer Review:
New Englanders are partial to the rocks that burst forth from the ground every spring and permanently bulge up like the tips of ice bergs floating beneath the surface of the earth. For more generations than most can count, those rocks have been thoughtfully piled into mortarless stone fences that "make good neighbors." Everyone has stopped at one time or another to admire one of these wonders that have outlasted their builders.

Lew French is an authentic son of that tradition with an innate love for stone and turning it into something more delightful . . . a rich context for wonderful living.

In these homes, you'll see stone transform rooms into warm retreats that you'll just want to snuggle into on cold winter nights, turn gardens into fairy tales, and extend your perspective by changing the very outdoors in novel ways. Whether by putting a window into a stone fence, by creating original art with stones and driftwood, or through evoking Stonehenge, you'll feel differently and better from seeing his work. His creations seem weightless like a good idea, despite weighing many tons.

Part of the magic is that he's meticulous about getting a tight fit between stones and hiding his mortar very well. So even a fireplace looks to be but a vertical New England stone wall . . . and a very beautiful one at that.

It's magic. Enjoy it.

Customer Review:
I have seen pictures of this mans work before,and greatly admired his skills.He is truley a craftsman.The pictures were well photographed and there plenty of them. I have friends that are stone masons, and they
were all inspired by this book. I am keeping this book out so that any
one stopping by can enjoy it.

Customer Review:
Was just thinking how great a stocking stuffer this book would be for those who love homemaking and design. With the holidays fast approaching, I'm starting to compile my shopping list. Books have always been my favorite stocking stuffer. Much better than the mindless toys and trinkets most people give.



Barns: Styles & Structures


Barns: Styles & Structures

Description:
Until Jamestown was established, nothing in North America grew taller than the native forests, grasses, and mountains. Beginning in 1620, the settlers who plowed the indigenous sod also dotted the virgin landscapes with towering, stately structures, the likes of which had never before been seen on the continent. This photo/essay treatment of barns in America is arranged by the five distinct roof styles that have largely come to define American barns, presenting six 20-page spreads detailing the Dutch, bank, crib, round, and prairie styles. The result captures the pastiche of rural America through stunning photography, conveying everything from stone barns in hard-scrabble Maine to thoroughbred barns in the lush bluegrass regions, to traditional Gambrel-roofed red barns in the Midwest. Regions represented include New England, the Southeast, the mid-South, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, the desert Southwest, and California. There is an in depth examination of how styles developed out of necessity and anecdotes from those who work and live on farms.



Customer Review:
I was really looking for a book that can give you ideas of how to remodel your barn in different climates. We recently purchased a new home in Oregon and put all of our machinery in the pole barn. Well, the machinery is starting to rust. So I bought a bunch of these "Barn" books thinking that I could find some ideas of how to insulate our barn. No such luck. However, this book is pretty nice.


Men at Work


Men at Work

Description:

Construction workers, railroad men, factory workers, miners, Empire State Building construction. 69 photos in all.



Customer Review:
It will be presumptuous to place my opinion next to all the worthy accolades this work has received.
It stands all by itself in the B&W pantheon, and even people not interested in art or photography can`t afford to miss this true classic.

Customer Review:
Men At Work by Lewis Hine is a beautiful collection of 69 photographic studies of men and machines originally published in 1932. This book is a great example of men controlling machines in order to benefit their lives, rather than the machines controlling their lives. Hine was able to find normal subjects and turn them into to amazing, interseting images. Through these photogrphs he catches the positive side of life which is very enjoyable to look at. There are also 18 extra photographs of the construction of the Empire State Building. Each page has a detailed description of the photographs to let the reader know exactly what he was shooting. The Empire Sate Building photos are quite amazing especially when you think about Hine himself that high off the ground taking these photos. In addition to the Empire State Building shots, are photographs of railroad workers and coal miners which no one had ever really recognized before. Overall this is a great book at an excellent price.

Customer Review:
Lewis Hine had an affinity with the workingman. Jonathan Doherty, in the introduction to this book, says "Hine looked at workingmen with his camera and found a strength in them and a pride in their work that was common to all". He had a point because the photos show men controlling their machines and not the other way round, with these photos you can see craftsmen at work.

The sixty-nine excellent photos in the book (originally published in 1932) show forty-six taken during the construction of the Empire State Building and they are clearly not posed. Hine was given the assignment to cover the building work and so the photos have the raw energy of heavy work. The remaining twenty-three photos are much more formal studies of activity, lathe operators, engine drivers, coalminers, turbine engine grinders, welders and others are all creatively shown going about their work. I think these beautiful photos really show the respect Hine had for the working craftsmen.

Good (and inexpensive) as the book is I wish these photos could have been presented in a more formal setting, centred on each page with quality paper and printing to really do them justice.


A Constructed View: The Architectural Photography of Julius Shulman



A Constructed View: The Architectural Photography of Julius Shulman

Description:
Julius Shulman, one of the great master of architectural photography, is the preeminent recoreder of early California modernism. By 1927, when he was sixteen, Shulman was already using the family Brownie box camera to document his Southern Californis surroundings and experiences; in 1936, his professional career was launched when he sent Richard Neutra some uncommissioned photographs of the architect's Kun House. Shulman went on to document the famous Case Study House Program (architects included Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig, and Eero Saarinen) and also the architecure of the 1930s through the 1980s, especially that of Southern California, but also country and worldwide. His subjects included the buildings of R.M. Schindler, John Lautner, Raphael Soriano, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Oscar Niemeyer, among many others. Through his work, Shulman defined the image of Los Angeles and framed the architecture of the time for a global audience. In addition to an overview of Shulman's career and photographic oevre, this book emphasizes Shulman's method of "constructing" photographic views. These contructions, which complemented his innate ability to compose striking photographs, often transcends reality to capture the spirit, time and place of a work of architecture. An analysis of architecture's visual presentation examines not only the media of the era--John Entenza's Arts & Architecture, for instance--but also the work of Shulman's photographic contemporaries.


Customer Review:
This catalog provides a history and overview of Shulman's work, along with a nice biography of the photographer. The print quality is good, and the selection of photographs convey the breadth and nature of Shulman's career from the 1930's to 1980's. As a whole, Shuman's work illustrates how purpose so often underlies great art.

In addition to the historical and catalog aspects of the book, the narrative provides some excellent instruction in architectural photography. A must for any photography library.

Customer Review:
Julius Shulman's work is simply amazing and this book is a great tribute to that work. This publication is far better than the Taschen book. A must for any modern architecture/photography fan.


Angkor: Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples, Fifth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)


Angkor: Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples, Fifth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)

Description:
An indispensable guide to the culture, history and monuments of Angkor Thom. Included in this guide is, background information on Khmer history, religious beliefs and legends, as well as descriptions of the decorations and architectural features. A detailed monument-by-monument guide to the sites, including detailed maps and plans is also featured as well all the essential practical information.



Customer Review:
This book is an absolute necessity for visiting Angkor, at least if one has an interest in archaeology. In fact, knowing what I know now, I would have skipped hiring a guide and just rented a bicycle with this book as my guide. It is comprehensive, well-illustrated (although the illustrations are not always tied to the adjacent text--my most serious complaint about the book), and has the right balance between academic and popular interest. It is well-worth the extra weight involved in taking it along to Asia (I wish they had used cheaper paper and binding to make it lighter, but then the pictures wouldn't have been so inviting). Maps and organization make it easy to use, although the index sometimes is off by a page or two--perhaps they didn't update it all from the 4th ed. At any rate, it is far superior to all other guides I found on the subject.

Customer Review:
So many books available on Angkor ... and I bought Dawn Rooney's! I am just delighted with my choice. The photos and the scope of material covered in the book are so comprehensive. Would really love to spend days and days seeing it all! Maybe some day ....

Customer Review:
ANGKOR, Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples is not only a very practical guide for visiting the Khmer monuments at the Angkor archaeological park but also for visiting the Khmer monuments in Phnom Penh. Furthermore this guidebook includes the most important remote temples (Banteay Chhmar, Koh Ker, Preah Vihaer, Beng Mealea).

Apart from a clear description of each temple it also gives a description from their location and from the access.

Important to mention also is the fact it gives a short but clear insight in the old epics (Mahabharata, Ramayana etc.) and legends and this book includes a list of the most forthcoming gods, deities and divinities which makes its easier to understand the bas-reliefs of the Khmer art and architecture.

The book also includes general and practical tourist information as well as for Siem Reap as for Phnom Penh.

Together with the book from Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques "Ancient Angkor" and the book from Jean Laur "Angkor, temples and monuments" one will have the most actual existing complete information about the Khmer art and architecture in Cambodia.
Ancient Angkor (River Book Guides)

Customer Review:
If you are like me and avoid tour guides as much as possible, but still like to know about the places you are visiting, then this book is for you. It gives excellent descriptions of the temples. It has lots of background information on the history and on the art you'll see. It also contains wonderful photography. Plus, it has lots of general information on traveling in Cambodia including a section on Phnom Penh. If you are doing a basic Cambodia visit of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, then this book is all you really need.

My only complaint is that it is a big book, bigger than other tour books like Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. This is a problem if you are trying to travel as light as possible. However, I still recommend taking it.

A general suggestion for visiting the temples: be aware that they are now apparently the second most visited tourist destination in Asia. Lots of Asian tour groups everywhere. To avoid them, go early! Get going at 6AM (or even earlier and go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat!). Then you'll have the temples to yourself for a couple of hours. Midday, when the tours go back to their hotels for lunch is also good, as is late afternoon/early evening. But even with the tour groups around, it is still an amazing place!

Customer Review:
I just returned from a 3-day visit to Angkor and used this book as a background and then as a detailed guide to visit each temple. It is most useful, providing detailed and accurate maps and descriptions of each temple and guiding the reader through the highlights. Well written and easily beats listening endlessly to the vague chatter of most on-site guides.



Angkor Cities and Temples


Angkor Cities and Temples

Description:
Features the most significant monuments of Angkor, showing the extraordinary achievements of the Khmer civilization.


Customer Review:
I had always wanted to visit the Angkor temples.And I was looking for some good books on Angkor. When I saw this book, I immediately bought it inspite of its price. The text is crisp and illuminating. And the photographs are the best I have seen of Angkor. They are so real and dramatic that you feel that you are right there. The only drawback with this book is its size. It is mammoth, making it a reference guide rather than a guide you can bring with you on your travel to Angkor. Nevertheless, only in this book has justice been done to the magnificent temples of Angkor. If there is only one book you buy this year, make it this one.

Customer Review:
Angkor: Cities and Temples by Claude Jacques, et al undoubtedly presents one of the most enchanting illustrative descriptions of Khmer architectural design and history I've ever seen. The photos are crisp and clean and the printing quality is first class. However, the text, translated from French, is overly technical and lacks a sense of cohesiveness, which would have otherwise made it easier to percieve the "big picture" concerning the period of Angkor.

Customer Review:
Angkor Cities And Temples is perhaps one of the most beautiful books I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Everything about it beckons the reader to remain absorbed in its pages. The text by Claude Jacques is erudite, well-written, and very well translated. The photography by Michael Freeman is astonishingly good. Not only by virtue of his technical skills, which are considerable, but because he handles the art and architecture of the monuments with a tremendous sensitivity to detail and a glorious feel for the way in which light interacts dramatically with stone. Together, the flowing text and luminous colour images provide a wondrous exposure to an ancient world of great sophistication and profound aesthetic development.

Customer Review:
This is a sumptuous history of the ancient Khmer Temples in and around Cambodia.

The history is clear the explanations are concise and the photos are stunning. Coming near to doing justice of these magnificant temples.

A mouthwatering introduction or a cherished souvenir



Cottages: The New Style


Cottages: The New Style

Description:

Through exquisite photography and drawings, this book presents romantic and dramatic cottages in a range of styles from the contemporary to the traditional.Placing particular emphasis on interior design, it displays beautiful decoration as well as focusing on the design of such very cottage-like elements as fireplaces, porches, and kitchens. The cottages presented have been selected for their excellence in design, innovative use of materials and methods of construction. Each case study includes interior and exterior photography by some of the finest architectural photographers working today; drawings include site plans, details, and floor plans.




Customer Review:
Mr. Trulove captures the spirit and vitality of cutting edge cottage and second home designs. Beautiful writing and photographs. This hard cover book is a vast improvement from his earlier series on Architecture. Also the smaller size is easier to carry and read away from the office. Very inspiring to read as a Landscape Architect!
Craig Okerstrom-Lang, RLA


Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom


Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom

Description:

"Wilkes's photographs of the 'dark side' of Ellis Island are extraordinary…this book will be a major event."—David McCullough

For five years (1998-2003) New York photographer Stephen Wilkes explored the hospital complex that comprised the south side of Ellis Island. Neglected for almost fifty years, the buildings were in a state of extreme disrepair: lead paint peeled from the ceilings and walls, vines and trees grew through the floorboards, detritus and debris littered the hallways. In rooms long-abandoned, Wilkes captured a spirited new vision of this gateway to freedom.

Twelve million people passed through Ellis Island. Approximately one percent were turned away for health reasons. Wilkes's powerful images of the underbelly of the island—a purgatory between freedom and captivity—ask us to reflect on the defining experiences of millions. With that rare combination of an eye that sees far beyond the lens with the technical acumen of a master draftsman, Wilkes takes us on an unforgettable journey through our collective past. 77 color photographs.


Customer Review:
The photographer has really captured the feel of Ellis Island. A visit to the island is a must for people visiting New York. Whether this was the first stop for your ancestors on their arrival to the new world, or they came through other ports of entry, I think the general experiences were the same. All the feelings of expectation, fear, joy or the disappointment of making such a long journey only to be detained or turned back while in sight of the "promised land" are tangible in Stephen Wilkes' images.

Customer Review:
As an artist, I purchased this after my artist friend showed it to me, to use as a guide for selecting particular colors and/or color combinations in abstract paintings. It is amazing that the light in the photos has been captured as it truly was--not altered or enhanced with SW to convey a particular mood. Everyone I have showed this to has been propelled to stop and look through every image in the book--it draws you in as you flip through the pages. The colors portray emotion. Content is one of a kind. Highly recommended.

Customer Review:
I found this book to be stunning and thought provoking-I wondered about how frightened and angry immigrants must have been to be treated in such a way after what they went through before.

Customer Review:
The pictures speak of the passing of time with such a quietness. One can only imagine the complete opposite when Ellis Island was a sea of humanity speaking and crying and hoping while glimpsing NY's famed skyline so nearby. So many hopes realized, so many unfulfilled.

Customer Review:
I Love this book, the pictures are beautiful, the design and layout make the pictures and quotes very moving. As a photographer I admire the quality of the work, and the bright vivid prints. I love that most of the images are full pages, sometimes spread across two pages, with small text labeling the room, or part of the property. There are no frames, page designs, or paragraphs to take away from the imagery. For more information and details the photographer includes a section of thumbnails with descriptions, stories about the room, or the shooting conditions, or even bitd of history. The thumbnails and text are at the back of the book with an arial shot and map showing the layout of the buildings. It really helps to peice together the history of Ellis Island. The quotes including add to the emotion behind the images, and I like that they were on parchment paper, so that you can see the pictures behind it. The books are being enjoyed by me and my mother, who is very interested in the hostory of Ellis Island, while I enjoy it for the photography. Great book to own, everyone should have a copy.



The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1925-1940


The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho, 1925-1940

Description:
Daring, bold, dramatic, towering, impossibly glamorous: this is how we imagine New York in its golden age, and this is how Samuel H. Gottscho, the preeminent architectural photographer of his generation, captured it. Through his lens, New York of the 1930s became the quintessential modern metropolis, a round-the-clock city in which night was as charismatic as day. Rigorously editing out the Depression-weary city's more seamy aspectsits tenement slums, breadlines, and soup kitchensGottscho presented a dreamlike Gotham of skyscrapers and penthouse luxury that literally and figuratively glowed with glamour's sheen. His gimlet eye focused on the bold interplay of sun and shadow, dramatizing the chiseled forms of Manhattan's signature skyline and bridges. The Empire State and Chrysler buildings, Rockefeller Center, the Plaza, the George Washington BridgeGottscho brought them all to sparkling life.

In this beautifully produced, landmark book, historian Donald Albrecht presents 175 of Gottscho's extraordinary images of the city, from the Battery to Harlem. An introductory essay tells the story of this legendary photographer, describing his working methods and philosophy, while placing his work in the broader context of photographic history. The exhibition The Mythic City will open at the Museum of the City of New York in the fall of 2005.

Published in association with the Museum of the City of New York.


Customer Review:
A friend of mine travelled to NYC not long ago and fell in love with this city. So my idea was to find a beautiful album about NY as a birthday present, but I didn't want to buy anything with average photographs of skyscrapers that repeat from one calendar to another.
Thanks to the snapshots provided to this book review I felt that it should have a personal touch and wouldn't be boring. It turned out to be true! now I'm thinking about ordering another one for myself.

Customer Review:
My husband and I used this beautiful book as a guestbook at our wedding.
We met and fell in love in New York City. Now that we live abroad, we miss the place tremendously. The photos in the book are gorgeous and capture our love for the City. Our guests were very creative in using the book's format to write their wishes for us. I highly recommend this book if you love NYC!

Customer Review:
This book was a total waste of money and time. Boring, repetitive and uninspired photos taken years ago by an architectural photographer for his clients and I have no idea why someone thought this worthy of publication.

I'm planning on returning it.

Customer Review:
I thought it was very apt to use the word mythic in the title of this wonderful book. Surely Samuel Gottscho as much as anyone helped to create the popular visual concept of the dynamic American metropolis, a city of towers by day and a kaleidoscope of dazzling light by night, his work must have especially influenced creative folk from comic book artists to Hollywood art directors, the graphic city image is straight out of his photos.

Apart from the short intro essay the book is basically photos, divided into several sections and covering, for instance, bridges, Times Square, business, commercial and residential areas of Manhattan plus a few photos of the 1939 New York World's Fair. It is with the night photos where Gottscho really excelled. To achieve his luminous effect he took two exposures, one at dusk to define the building shapes and another some hours later to capture all the blazing window lights. I think these photos plus the ones of Times Square at night look quite stunning.

Another reason I like the book is the coverage of streamline design that keeps on appearing in many of the photos, not just the skyscrapers but interiors of retail units, Radio City, some of the apartment interiors and obviously the '39 World's Fair.

The book is well printed and designed and the paper makes the photos sparkle with their 200 dpi screen. The captions are basically the location, date and architect though frequently there is more detail provided where necessary. Overall I thought this was a fascinating photobook of what New York looked like in the recent past.

Customer Review:
A classic portrait of New York City taken from the late 1920's to the late 1930's. Samuel Gottscho was a professional photographer specializing in buildings. He was hired by architects and builders to record their work. It seems that Mr. Gottscho photographed every building of note, every bridge from a time now long past. But the buildings remain, just different. The streets remain, but with a lot more cars.

These photographs, all in black and white, seem to me to be the city equivalent of the Ansel Adams nature pictures. There is the same use of strong and dramatic lighting. There is the same concentration on dramatic framing. The city comes out looking clean and friendly. Here in the General electric showroom there is a display of GE's new home refridgerators, comple with the coils on top, and Chrysler's new cars for 1936.

Mostly these are photographs of the exterior scenes with the then new sky scrapers emphasized. But also includedd are some dramatic interiors of the homes of the rich and famous.

Dramatic photographs from the midst of the depression with World War II yet to come.



Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer


Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer

Description:
An exquisitely illustrated history and exploration of Angkor, the world's most astonishing architectural treasure.

Built between the ninth and the thirteenth centuries by a succession of twelve Khmer kings, Angkor spreads over 120 square miles in Southeast Asia and includes scores of major architectural sites. In 802, when construction began on Angkor Wat, with wealth from rice and trade, Jayavarman ll took the throne, initiating an unparalleled period of artistic and architectural achievement, exemplified in the fabled ruins of Angkor, center of the ancient empire. Among the amazing pyramid and mandala shaped shrines preserved in the jungles of Cambodia, is Angkor Wat, the world's largest temple, an extraordinarily complex structure filled with iconographic detail and religious symbolism. Perhaps because of the decline of agricultural productivity and the expansion of the Thai Empire, Angkor was abandoned in the fifteenth century and left to the ravages of time. Today, many countries continue efforts to conserve and restore the temples, which have been inaccessible until recently. Now that the civil war has ended, Angkor is being reborn and is an increasingly popular tourist destination.

Undaunted by the difficulties of traveling through Cambodia and eastern Thailand, Jon Ortner, accompanied by his wife Martha, has photographed fifty of the most important and unique monuments of the Khmer Empire. His images include spectacular views from the rooftops of its temples, glorious landscapes, and details of inscriptions and art that few have ever seen.

The text by a team of distinguished experts provides historical, architectural, and religious analyses of Angkor and the Khmer civilization. The Appendix offers a glossary, a chronology of construction, and a chart of the kings and their accomplishments. Black-and-white floor plans and historic watercolors complete this breathtaking tribute.

Other details: 240 illustrations, 225 in full color


Customer Review:
Excellent book! I wish I had known about this book before I went to Angkor Wat.

Customer Review:
Angkor, Celestial temples of the Khmer Empire is a photobook limited to the Angkor Site and some outlining temples. Although the quality of the photo's is excellent, the book itself with regards to the informative value is disappointing. An exception to this is the chronology of sites. Angkor: Temples et monumentsThe Treasures of Angkor: Cultural Travel Guide (Rizzoli Art Guide)Angkor: Cambodia's Wondrous Khmer Temples, Fifth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)Ancient Angkor (River Book Guides)Angkor Cities and Temples

Customer Review:
I purchased three books on Angkor Wat after my week visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia and this book was by far the best I have seen. The photos are excellent and the narration in very informative. It is expensive but worth it.

Customer Review:
Wow, what a spectacular book, truly amazing. I was blown away by the quality of the photography, the reader actually feels like they are in the jungle amid the ruins of Angkor. I have never visited Angkor Wat and probably never will, but after experiencing this book, I feel somehow that I have been there. The quality of the book is superior and the book even comes in a wonderful case. The publisher should be congradulated, it's a luxurious book. Some books are extremely expensive and you wonder why, I can assure you, you will not ask that about this one. If you have any interest in this subject or just like to own beautiful things I urge you to purchase this book, it will be a jewel in your book collection

Customer Review:
Through his magical photographic eye, Jon Ortner has created a wondrous collection of striking images and scholarly prose. His perfectly lit photographs and well-documented historic descriptions allow one to easily understand this complicated ancient subject. Each temple is clearly organized into relevant sections from the central Angkor area to the rare and never-before-seen temples in the outer lying areas. If you have visited Angkor - Ortner's book is the perfect addition to your library. Or, if you have not visited, this book provides the perfect impetus.