Product Description

A magnificently illustrated guide to theglobal history of architecture—updated toinclude the non-western world and worksfrom women

The Second Edition of this historical architecturalguide gives you a deeperknowledge and wider perspective of traditions inarchitecture throughout the world—from prehistoricthrough modern structures. Extensively and beautifullyillustrated, the book includes photos, plans, scales forworld-famous structures such as the Parthenon, Versailles,the Brooklyn Bridge, and many others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

good big book
this is a good overview of architectural history. I just wish that I had gotten the paperback version instead of this heavy hardcover.

Can't rate it b/c I never got the book
TERRIBLE. Never got the book, and NEVER received an email after I contacted him/her about the status of the book.

Bring back the missing examples!
This Second Edition of "A World History of Architecture" is an exact reprint of "Buildings Across Time", Third Edition by the same authors and publisher.
The difference? Price. $52 more! Just check the other book. For a while the First Edition was out of print so I was forced to use "Buildings Across Time" (I teach architecture at a Community College so price is very important to me).While I understand that the publishers have to make a profit, how is that that they can "afford" to sell this book for $41 while an exact copy of the "approved" higher education version is $92?
I welcome the addition of notable examples in the last chapter but I have a problem with the removal of many other buildings. Just to name a few that were present in the First Edition and are missing from the Second: Biskupin, Ishtar Gate, Temple of Ramesses II, Great Stupa at Borobodur, Caernarvon Castle etc. I am not sure what this cleansing is all about, both editions are 592 pages. Granted something had to give since there are new examples throughout.
I am only writing this in a hope that the Third Edition would include the missing examples from First Edition. If number of pages is fixed, just make some of the photographs smaller. Come on McGraw-Hill, you can do it!

great
I got this book for my Architecture class this fall. It was cheaper online than at any of the university bookstores and it shipped VERY quickly. It was also sent in a secure package, and arrived intact, which is problem I ran into with some other books I ordered this summer, not from this seller however.

A critically essential addition to academic and community library Architectural Studies collections
The making of buildings from natural materials is older than the recorded history of the human race. Even in paleolithic and neolithic eras there were remarkable, complex, and enduring structures as evidenced by archaeological discoveries. The collaborative work of the team of Michael Fazio (Professor Emeritus of Architecture, Mississippi State University), Marian Moffett and Lawrence Wodehouse (both of whom have extensive careers teaching architecture at the university level), and now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "A World History Of Architecture" begins with the advent of the city state architecture beginning with the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, and Egyptians, then proceeds with an architectural survey of the ancient Greece, India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and the Romans. There are detailed chapters covering the distinctive architecture of the Early Christians and Byzantines, Islam, medieval and romanesque Europe. Also presented are informative chapters on Gothic architecture, indigenous American and African architecture, as well as the buildings and structures of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The final four (and extensive) chapters deal with 18th, 19th, and 20th century architectural advances, as well as 'Modernisms in the Mid- and Late Twenty-First Century and Beyond'. Superbly illustrated throughout, the text is consistently informed and informative, making "A World History Of Architecture" a critically essential addition to academic and community library Architectural Studies collections -- and is especially recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in architectural history.
... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1966, and since translated into 16 languages, this remarkable book has become an essential document in architectural literature. As Venturi's "gentle manifesto for a nonstraightforward architecture," Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture expresses in the most compelling and original terms the postmodern rebellion against the purism of modernism. Three hundred and fifty architectural photographs serve as historical comparisons and illuminate the author's ideas on creating and experiencing architecture. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture was the winner of the Classic Book Award at the AIA's Seventh Annual International Architecture Book Awards.

Foreword by Arthur Drexler.
Introduction by Vincent Scully. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Fantastic purchase
Book in very good condition
Shipping extremely fast
Very satisfied
Definitely will buy from this seller again in the future!!!

A Gentle Manifesto
This book is less a manifesto than it is a very interesting look at how architecture has evolved over the last 2000 years.Venturi evocatively shows that there was no straight line approach to architecture, but rather an ever-changing and ambiguous path that Modernists chose to make short cuts through.In this sense, Venturi really does capture the complexity and contradiction in architecture in that there are many lessons to be learned, making this book as valuable today as it was in 1966 when it first appeared.

Being one of the early "gray" architects, Venturi inspired a movement that eventually became characterized as "Post Modern."His early architectural work left a lot to be desired, since it seems less inspired by the many historical examples he favored, like Frank Furness, in this book and more by the banal trends in contemporary architecture at the time, eventually leading to Learning from Las Vegas (1972), where the concept of a building being a "duck," or a decorated shed, emerged.

This book's most appealing aspect is that it is immediately accessible.You don't have to be an architect to understand where Venturi is coming from, much less a grad student working on a dissertation.Venturi avoids all that senseless jargon that characterized architectural theory at the time and later came to engulf Po-Mo talk as well.

Ok if Architecture field or class
Didn't even open this book but if you are an architectural major this might be a great book.

still essential
"I like complexity and contradiction in architecture." That's how Robert Venturi starts this superb book. No great proclamation. It was an age tired of great proclamations. Instead, Venturi takes us through an impressively learned tour of his favorite things, a grand overview of great architecture, with acute formal analysis of facade and plan composition, sectional variety, and an accumulating realization that complexity is an inevitable force in the tumult of human, urban life.
Postmodernism has come and gone, but modernism looks as it does today because of this book.

Still Relevant...
Now that the bottom of postmodernism has actually fallen out and is being dragged along the street by the chains of American capitalism, it's "alright" for students of architecture to return to that misjudged canonical textbook of post-modernism, C+C by Venturi. While not as engaging as his other main work "Learning from Las Vegas", this book still leads the reader into a meticulous analysis of the physical composition of major pieces of architecture, and the composition of the thoughts that made them. After reading it, I found myself unconciously applying it's main dichtomy of complexity and contradiction to much of the architecture around me, if that is any testament to its power.
... Read more

Product Description
The Poetry of Architecture - Or, the Architecture of the Nations of Europe Considered in its Association with Natural Scenery and National Character is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by John Ruskin is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of John Ruskin then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Since its first publication in 1985, Modern Architecture Since 1900 has become established as a contemporary classic. Worldwide in scope, the book combines a clear historical outline with masterly analysis and interpretation. Throughout the book, the author's focus is on the individual architect, and on the qualities that give outstanding buildings their lasting value. The third edition incorporates much new knowledge and a fresh appreciation of regional identity and variety. c.650 illustrations, 300 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Expensive to be used.
It is in very good conditions but it was only ten dollars under it's original(new) price. Expensive to be a used book!

Hate to love it
I had to purchase this book as my required textbook for a Modernism class.Needless to say, when the quarter is over, this book is not getting resold!It's well bound, fabulous pictures, and very captivating reading.Yes, it's a textbook, but it's by Taschen and it's something to keep on your bookshelf as a handy reference, and idea generator in the future.I could go on and on...

Good source of information
this is a really good reference book becuase it provides many precedents of architecture that are really good to look at for ideas and cocepts.

Complicated language.
I gave up in trying to read this book.The language is too advanced for someone simply studying 20th cenury architecture class, unless this is your field of studies or you are going to write a thesis.

Modern Architecture Since 1900
Nothing to review as you were unable to provide me with a copy of the product selected.Apparently it was out of stock.But you did provide the name of another book that I might like.Unfortunately it was for a text and that suggestion ws useless. ... Read more

Product Description
For a hundred years, pencil, pen, markers, and watercolor have been the principal tools of representation for landscape architects and urban planners. Today, those hand-powered aids have been replaced by computers and Computer-aided design (CAD). Digital Drawing for Landscape Architects bridges the gap between the traditional analog and the new digital tools and shows you how to apply timeless concepts of representation to enhance your design work in digital media.

Building on the tried-and-true principles of analog representation, Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture explores specific techniques for creating landscape design digitally. It explains the similarities and differences between analog and digital rendering, and then walks you through the steps of creating digitally rendered plans, perspectives, and diagrams. You’ll explore:

• Computing Basics
• Raster and vector images
• Setting up the document
• Base imagery and scaling
• Hand-drawn linework and diagrams
• Text, leaders, and page layout
• Color, shading, and textures
• Creating a section elevation
• Perspective drawing
• Techniques for using the newest versions of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat as well as older versions

With more than 500 full-color drawings and photographs alongside proven techniques, Digital Drawing for Landscape Architects will help you enhance your skills though a unique marriage of contemporary methods with traditional rendering techniques. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Strong Book For Digital Workflow
Concise, well-written book that bridges the gap for new learners and more seasoned digital renderers. Cantrell and Michaels offer a fantastic overview of how to improve workflow speed and the finished product. Some underlying knowledge of the Adobe Suite is necessary, but will still be beneficial for those new to importing .pdfs from CAD to Photoshop, Illustrator,etc. Loads of helpful images, well-described how-to's, and tricks that will give your projects an extremely impressive look. Minor quibble, a couple of sections feel "rushed" toward the end as far as the steps. For instance, the collage section feels like it could have had a bit more detail and polish like some of the earlier sections. Again, minor, minor issue. Otherwise, go for it without regret. For Landscape Arch students, this is a must. Consider it the digital version of Grant Reid's Landscape Graphics.

Great Book!
Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture gives you a good understanding of how to use a variety of programs in conjunction with each other.It gives good examples of what program to use for specific graphic presentations and does so in a very clear and concise way.Many of the techniques discussed can easily be applied to disciplines other than Landscape Architecture and I would highly recommend the book to anyone involved in creating digital graphic presentations for any of the design professions. I teach a course a course called "Integrated Computer Graphics" and I plan on using it for my main text.Well done!

Illustration For Landscape Architecture
Traditionally, landscape representation has been done with graphite pencil, watercolor, and other drawing implements. This book shows how this process can be made much more efficient by utilizing both vector-based and raster-based illustration software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, 3DStudioMax, Rhino, and Google SketchUp. It provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to use these software in conjunction with CAD to create visually compelling illustrations.

Topics covered include (software used in parentheses): Tiling Aerial Photographs (Photoshop), Creating Entourage (Photoshop), Linework (Illustrator), Creating Textures (Photoshop), Perspective Illustration (Sketchup, 3DStudioMax, Photoshop), Camera Match 3D Object to Site Photo (3DStudioMax), and Atmospheric Perspective (3DStudioMax, Maya).

Every step of a process is clearly explained and accompanied by very high quality illustrations. Whether you're a student or a landscape architect, Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture will serve as a very helpful how-to guide on creating beautifully rendered illustration of your plans.

A great book for its purpose.
I gave this book to my roommate who is a Landscape Architect and she had nothing but great things to say about it.Its very useful and she was already familiar with it as it is an industry standard.

Good basic overview of using Photoshop and Illustrator for rendering from CAD, plus SketchUp for perspective
This is a great book for the right person, but let's be clear on what it does: It helps you take the .PDF files you export from your CAD program and import them into Photoshop or Illustrator to render them for presentation. It also walks you through using Sketch-up and 3D Max to create perspective or 3-D style renderings.

This is not for the average design-build contractor who wants to add a little spice to his or her drawings, because all of the techniques outlined assume you want to spend a decent amount of time tinkering with the plans. If you need some drag n drop or fast click color, I'd suggest using Dynascape with the color module or one of the other CAD-based programs that do that for you fairly simply. It's definitely not a book for homeowners.

Instead, this is for architects or designers who have enough budget in their project to allow for spending 4-8 hours or more creating colored digital renderings for presentation. This book assumes you're working with a CAD program and have the adobe suite of products, including Photoshop and illustrator. If you have both a CAD program and Photoshop at least, then this book will take you through the basic Photoshop activities you need to do to render your project for presentation without using those stinky chartpak markers.

If you are already proficient at Photoshop, this book won't teach you much that is new. The section on Sketch-up and 3D Max are small and fairly basic. But if you have gotten Photoshop and just aren't quite sure how to get started using it for this kind of rendering, then this will walk you through it perfectly.

The question you'll want to ask yourself is: "Do I want to learn ALL about Photoshop, or only how to render landscape plans in Photoshop?" If the answer to that is the second, then this book is exactly what you need. It does a great job of showing exactly how to do that. But if you want to learn Photoshop properly, then the techniques in this book aren't so specialized that a non-specific but thorough book on Photoshop wouldn't cover it. The strength of this book is that it is SO specific in showing exactly this one kind of rendering work and how to do every element of it.

This is a textbook format book and as such is hard to sit down and read for a stretch. Many books nowadays that are instructive take a more casual tone and don't bother stating things that should be obvious like textbooks often start out by doing. But the benefit of this textbook style of writing is that the authors are very thorough and take you through every action step by step. They have provided tons of screenshots and pictures of exactly what the menus look like and what your rendered drawings should look like at each stage. It's a very thorough book and if this is the kind of help you need, you won't regret buying this book. ... Read more

Product Description

As a developer, you are aware of the increasing concern amongst developers and site architects that websites be able to handle the vast number of visitors that flood the Internet on a daily basis. Scalable Internet Architecture addresses these concerns by teaching you both good and bad design methodologies for building new sites and how to scale existing websites to robust, high-availability websites. Primarily example-based, the book discusses major topics in web architectural design, presenting existing solutions and how they work. Technology budget tight? This book will work for you, too, as it introduces new and innovative concepts to solving traditionally expensive problems without a large technology budget. Using open source and proprietary examples, you will be engaged in best practice design methodologies for building new sites, as well as appropriately scaling both growing and shrinking sites. Website development help has arrived in the form of Scalable Internet Architecture.

Customer Reviews (18)

Great primmer on scalability planning
This book is great, especially as a starting point to learning about scalability planning.It takes a fairly academic approach to all relevant subjects and can quickly get anyone caught up to speed.

I do recommend "The Art of Capacity Planning: Scaling Web Resources" as a follow-up for continuing your education in this subject and taking these skills to a more proactive plan/deploy method.

Execlent for understanding the issues with scaling a web site
An excellent book on what the issues are with building web site that scale to large numbers of servers. Written more for a programmer than a systems administrator but not to heavy on the programming side to bog it down. It is really good about organizing the different aspects of scalability and explaining important concepts. For example the difference between caching static content and caching data used in generating a web page. An excellent read. not too long, not too much detail. It made me think about web sites and clustering in a new way

Execllent for understanding the issues with scaling a web site
An excellent book on what the issues are with building web site that scale to large numbers of servers. Written more for a programmer than a systems administrator but not to heavy on the programming side to bog it down. It is really good about organizing the different aspects of scalability and explaining important concepts. For example the difference between caching static content and caching data used in generating a web page. An excellent read. not too long, not too much detail. It made me think about web sites and clustering in a new way.

Towards automatic, self-managed operations
I bought this book on recommendations from others and I have to agree that it is fantastic. Don't let the 2006 publication date fool you into avoiding it for something more current. The advise given is based on real experience gained initially during the dot com era but it is as relevant today as then. The best part of the book is its advocacy and practical examples of the Spread group communications toolkit. Why solve a problem with a vendor's expensive high performance single point of failure solution when well knowledgeable use of internet infrastructure and peer to peer communication better solves it. Plus, you have a powerful tool to aid you moving further towards automatic, self-managed operations.

A worthwhile read, a disappointing experience
First and foremost, chapter 10 should be an Appendix.This was a horrible ending to what seemed to be a promising discussion on horizontal scaling for any system/network engineer or astute systems engineer.

Clear and concise, then incoherent and grammatically challenged, this book requires constant read backs leaving the reader with a sense of a diminished level of reading comprehension.

Fortunately there are some very good real world discussions on horizontal scaling, distributed caching, and eliminating single points of failure in your design.

Unfortunately the book was a long documentary on the author's Spread utility/program/solution and the last chapter is dedicated to writing a module for Spread.Completely out of band with regards to actual high performance clustered environments where the author's solution is likely scarce in popularity.

I do appreciate his coverage of logging.Despite my rating, I don't regret the first nine chapters. ... Read more

Product Description

• Reflects the latest technology in the field to provide readers with the most up-to-date resource
• Presents examples that cover a broad spectrum of hardware and software systems, from personal computers to mainframes
• Places more emphasis on networking to address increased importance of the communications area
• Consolidates the coverage of buses into one chapter.
• Integrates numerous review questions at the end of each chapter to enhance the reader's understanding of the material

Customer Reviews (4)

Waste of money.... many pages with bunch of examples
This is book is a waste of money. There are hundreds of examples and no important information. You gonna have to go through many pages, until you reach something that it's really worth it.
Anyway, it's matter of choice, but I don't wanna read the author opinions. I want to learn stuff I don't know. The serious material in that book is 100 pages or less out of 700!

Computer Hardware systems software & networking
My order arrived timely. Not enough information to maker buyer aware of having some highlights in the book which would just be a good information.

GREAT
The book is very helpful.
The only complaint is that they do not have a keyword dictionary at the end of each chapter.

Good purchase!
Book seems like new condition so i was satisfied. However, shipping took way to long. I can understand 7-10 business days but 16 days seemed a little ridiculous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

"EA"sy
For anyone attempting to get a basic understanding of Enterprise Architecture, this is the "go to" book. Whether your job is DoDAF, TOGAF, FEAF or MODAF centric, this book will help you cut through the chase and understand EA at its core. Great reading!!!

Good Book
Good reading material and intersting approach to EA. This text came in early in the game of EA and I recommend it!

Introduction; What's the next step?
Solid introduction to the field.

As is appropriate for a first book it outlines the theory. When I finish it however, I'm going to be looking for something that can lead me through the next step; identifying the challenges and techniques to confront them. That's not this book.

An Introduction To Enterprise Architecture: Second Edition
Interessant book and base of the course for the certification of Enterprise Architect (Carnegie Mellon)

Very Good Introduction to Enterprise Architecture
"Introduction to Enterprise Architecture" is a very good text for a student or experienced professional to start to understand this very complex topic.The more useful aspect of the book is how it shows you the required elements of any Enterprise Architecture, and how they fit together.That is the most important thing for any Enterprise Architect to learn.That is presented well in the book.

In addition, there is a good summary of many of the most referenced EA Frameworks.

The examples are good, especially, the appendices that walk you through the specific deliverable documents for several of the well known EA Frameworks.That alone, is well worth the price of the book. ... Read more

Product Description

Software Systems Architecture is a practitioner-oriented guide to designing and implementing effective architectures for information systems. It is both a readily accessible introduction to software architecture and an invaluable handbook of well-established best practices. It shows why the role of the architect is central to any successful information-systems development project, and, by presenting a set of architectural viewpoints and perspectives, provides specific direction for improving your own and your organization's approach to software systems architecture.

With this book you will learn how to

• Design an architecture that reflects and balances the different needs of its stakeholders
• Communicate the architecture to stakeholders and demonstrate that it has met their requirements
• Focus on architecturally significant aspects of design, including frequently overlooked areas such as performance,resilience, and location
• Use scenarios and patterns to drive the creation and validation of your architecture
• Document your architecture as a set of related views
• Use perspectives to ensure that your architecture exhibits important qualities such as performance, scalability, and security

The architectural viewpoints and perspectives presented in the book also provide a valuable long-term reference source for new and experienced architects alike.

Whether you are an aspiring or practicing software architect, you will find yourself referring repeatedly to the practical advice in this book throughout the lifecycle of your projects.

A supporting Web site containing further information can be found at www.viewpoints-and-perspectives.info

Customer Reviews (21)

THE book on software architecture
I'm impressed. Rarely do the IT related books are written so concisely and clearly but at the same time providing extensive coverage of the subjects. I will surely keep it on my desk for future reference when working on different software projects.

Pragmatic Software Architecture
As the title indicates this book is one on software architecture. What sets it apart from many books in that area is that it presents a pragmatic approach to architecture. The basic premise introduced is splitting the architecture into different views, which each address a specific set of concerns, such as information, concurrency, deployment, development etc. The concept of views is not a new one, however what the authors introduce is the concept of viewpoint which is the concrete representation of the view through templates, and artifacts. These artifacts include questions and checkpoints one should go through to describe the architecture.

The above view and viewpoints cover more or less the functional requirements. Perspectives on the other hand cover the quality attributes such as availability, scalability, usability etc. The authors then show how perspectives and viewpoints work together to represent the overall architecture. This includes showing the areas of overlap of these viewpoints/perspectives and how they are to be addressed.The book is supplemented with materials (templates, cheat sheets, questionnaires) on the following website:[...].

This is a great software architecture reference and one that you will keep on your desk to refer to on an ongoing basis, particularly because of its pragmatic approach. A must read for any software architect. It will also help developers anticipate the questions that will be asked during an architectural review, and things to consider throughout the life-cycle of a software project.

Review
I bought this book for my Software System Architecture Class..Book has good examples and explanation is very clear and understandable..Hope it works for me in future..:)

The Missing Manual for Software Architecture
I was lent this book by a mentor and very soon realised this was something I had to have my own copy of as it brought together many aspects of the software architect's job which I had not seen covered so well before.It is easy to read and understand, which belies the underlying complexity of the material and is a testament to the skills of the authors.Not only is the content itself good but I have also found the guided bibliography invaluable.

excellent book
This book is much better than I expected.It is practical and very informative, with good, simple examples to reinforce the points made.It covers pretty much everything you will need to consider when designing or evaluating a large IT system.This book is not outdated either.It is as useful today as when it first went to print.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Revit all-stars present a fast, focused introduction to Revit functions, tools, and concepts

Hailed for its ease of use, power, and sophistication, Revit is the industry-leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software package. Introducing Revit Architecture provides a thorough overview of Revit's concepts, interface conventions, tools, and tasks. In-depth discussions, reinforced by comprehensive step-by-step exercises, detail how to model, document, present, and share designs. Written by expert authors – all architects with years of Revit experience – Introducing Revit Architecture is the perfect resource for readers of all skill levels who want to quickly accomplish crucial Revit tasks.

• Practical exercises on core Revit features enable new users to quickly get up to speed
• A 16-page color insert focusing on real-world Revit uses drawn from the team's experience and industry contacts
• Straightforward explanations, real-world examples, beautiful illustrations, and practical tutorials focus squarely on accomplishing vital Revit tasks

Introducing Revit Architecture helps professionals and students to easily and efficiently learn the basics of Revit and BIM. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Impressive
This is the second Revit 2011 book I have reviewed and I must say that I was very impressed with it. Great information and lessons to get your feet wet. The book gives you enough information on the tools to get you started and it also gets you thinking of more advanced modeling you can do. I am very happy with this book! I can only imagine how much work was put into it... Thank you for the hard work.

Great book for beginners
If you're new to Revit that's the book to get. Thanks to the authors for the good work ... Read more

Product Description
Through a precise and expansive definition of what a pattern is, this book offers ways to understand and use patterns in contemporary design.

From the structure of the universe to the print on your grandmother’s couch, patterns are found in a variety of concrete and conceptual phenomena. For architecture, something that so easily traffics between science and taste demands attention, which partially explains patterns’ recent revival across diverse stylistic and intellectual camps. Yet, despite their ubiquity, their resurgence remains un-theorized and their capabilities underutilized. To date no account has been given for their recent proliferation, nor have their various formal and functional capacities been examined. In fact, the relationship between patterns and architecture hasn’t been addressed in almost 30 years.

This book fills that gap by tracking the definitions and applications of patterns in a number of fields, and by suggesting how contemporary patterns might be used in design. Drawing on historical material and recent case studies, it gives shape to patterns’ emerging potential. The Architecture of Patterns provides an updated definition of patterns that is at once precise and expansive—one that allows their sensory, ephemeral, and iterative traits to be taken as seriously as their functional, everlasting, and essential ones.

Book design by David Carson. Foreword by Sanford Kwinter. Projects by Atelier Manferdini, Bjarke Ingels Group, Ciro Najle, EMERGENT/Thomas Wiscombe, Foreign Office Architects, Jason Payne and Heather Roberge, Herzog and de Meuron, J. Mayer H. Architects, Reiser+Umemoto, Responsive Systems Group, and !ndie architecture.

Product Description
Our groundbreaking survey Earth Architecture is now available in a paperback edition. Author Ronald Rael, founder of EarthArchitecture.org provides a history of building with earth in the modern era, focusing particularly on projects constructed in the last few decades that use rammed earth, mud brick, compressed earth, cob, and several other interesting techniques. Earth Architecture presents a selection of more than forty projects that exemplify new, creative uses of the oldest building material on the planet. With more than three hundred images, Earth Architecture showcases the beauty and simplicity of one of humankind's most evolved and sophisticated building technologies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great book, great images, definitely inspires - Excelentes imagenes, definitivamente un libro inspirador
I bought this book because I'm very interested in rammed earth construction, and I was fascinated because it also includes other methods of construction with earth. Very descriptive and with beautiful pictures. I would hope to see more plans and elevation drawings but still it is a great book.
Compre este libro mas que nada por que tengo interes en la construccion con tierra apisonada, pero este libro me sorprendio con informacion relevante de otros metodos de construccion con tierra. El libro es muy descriptivo y tiene excelentes fotografias. Me hubiera gustado que tuviera mas dibujos de plantas y fachadas, pero aun asi es un libro excelente.

Color photos throughout display projects and emphasize earth architecture achievement
The world's first skyscrapers were built of mud brick and many famous Americans lived in earth houses at different points in their lives: this said, there have been few books on the contemporary architecture of earth houses, making EARTH ARCHITECTURE a real winner for any college-level arts collection. It surveys over forty projects and profiles the beauty of earth architecture, offering chapters covering new, creative uses of earth in buildings. Color photos throughout display projects and emphasize earth architecture achievement.

Beautiful Book
This book is an integral part of my growing alternative architecture library. The images and text are inspiring, to say the least. Among the most attractive books on the subject currently being offered. Well written and well designed.

A Must-Have Among Architecture Books
In this beautifully designed and written book, eartharchitecture.org founder and professor, Ronald Rael takes a close look at modern earth architecture and how it is a harmonious material in today's world. Earth Architecture exposes some of the most well-kept secrets in modern architecture, some historical references and beautiful photography of the most contemporary buildings in the world made of mud. In continuing my own research on mud architecture, I also found Rael to be a wonderful speaker on the topic in this live interview http://abc.net.au/rn/bydesign. Take a listen to the last 20% of this news broadcast to hear from Rael directly. He has a knack for making people say "wow...very interesting." ... Read more

Product Description
About This Book Praise for Enterprise Architecture Planning— "… the book has given me a wealth of good, fresh ideas about every facet of the architecture process … makes a substantive contribution to the body of IS planning knowledge." —John A. Zachman Zachman Information Systems Enterprise Architecture Planning is more advanced than traditional system planning approaches because you:

• define a stable business model independent of organizational boundaries, systems, and procedures,
• define data before application, and
• let data determine the sequence for implementing applications systems.

Customer Reviews (9)

Very good, indeed recommended! (but a bit outdated)
(spanish review below)

This book is VERY GOOD as a help to understand Enterprise Architecture, one of the key elements of any IT Systems Plan for a business.

It describes what is Enterprise Architecture, how it should drive the creation of an integrated IT systems plan for either a big corporation or a small business and the steps to conduct a Enterprise Architecture Plan.

It comes as well with useful references to audit the current status of and recommend future direction forEnterprise Architecture, Data Architecture, Application Portfolio, IT Infrastructure, etc.

The only drawback it is due not to the book but to the time going by: it was written 15 years ago (1995) and that's a lot in Information Systems. It should be refreshed with many new concepts like SOA, massive usage of middleware, clould computing and many other IT practices.

Anyway, I do recommend it.

Alex Ballarin @ Cynertia Consulting. Barcelona. Spain.

=====

Este libro es MUY BUENO para ayudar a entender qué es una Arquitectura Empresarial (Enterprise Architecture), uno de los elementos básicos de cualquier Plan Director de Sistemas para un negocio.

Describe que es la Enterprise Architecture, como debería guiar la creación de un Plan Director de Sistemas, integrado y efectivo, para una gran corporación o una PYME. Además, repasa con detalle los pasos necesarios en un proyecto de Enterprise Architecture.

Viene con un buen conjunto de material de referencia que te ayuda a preparar una auditoría del estado actual de la Enterprise Architecture, Arquitectura de Datos, Portfolio de Aplicaciones, Infraestructura IT, etc.

La única parte negativa no se debe al libro, sinó al paso inexorable del tiempo: se escribió en 1995, hace 15 años, y por tanto está algo desfasado por el rápido avance de los sistemas de informacvión. Debería refrescarse con muchas de las tendencias que han aparecido durante la última década, como la adopción creciente de SOA, el uso masivo del middleware, Java, Cloud Computing y muchas otras.

En cualquier caso, lo recomiendo vivamente.

Alex Ballarin @ Cynertia Consulting. Barcelona. Spain.

The Bible for Enteprise Architecture Planning!
This seminal book captures it all.I have used this book as an invaluable reference on enterprise architecture projects for NASA, EPA, FAA and the Marine Corps.

This book lays out the entire littany of everything an EA team needs to do to become effective.It is a complete planning methodology.Where the real value of the information in this book comes in is in diligently following and implementing its tenets and processes.

Most organizations fail in EA for one reason - they lack executive buy-in.If you have executive buy-in, then you have most likely succeeded in educating your leadership about the importance and the value of EA. Making it real and practical will be a by-product of executive buy-in which should also come packaged with adequate funding and resourcing.

Countless studies have shown that organizations that invest in EA and have a mature EA program reap the rewards.You would not build a skyscraper without a blueprint; why build an organization without one?

This book belongs in the library of every serious enterprise architect. Without it you are missing the essentials of this critical discipoline.

I highly recommend it!

Kevin Brett
CEO, Kevin Brett Studios, Inc.
Author: The Way of the Martial Artist: Achieving Success in Martial Arts and in Life!

Former lead architect: FAA/ATO, EPA and currently lead architect on the USMC Enterprise Architecture project.

The Way of the Martial Artist: Achieving Success in Martial Arts and in Life!

Very practical guide for EAP projects
The book focuses on the practical steps necessary to perform successful EAP rather than on theoretical concepts and is therefore useful as a guide in EAP projects. It aligns with the Zachman Framework for I.S. Architectures and that alignment is explained in the book. The forward was written by John Zachman and he gives it high marks (of course).

The book addresses the most difficult aspects of EAP--how to handle the political hurdles and human issues that can stop an EAP project dead in its tracks. In doing so, the author demonstrates keen insight and experience with technology projects in business. It's not just about those aspects, but they are included for the benefit of anyone going through an EAP process.

The book takes the logical approach of starting with the definition of the business according to its functions (business value chain), moving next to the high-level, conceptual definition of the data that is required by the business. It then uses that data model to define (not design) the conceptual application architecture and then, in turn, the conceptual technology architecture. There is a clear distinction between the conceptual architectures and the more concrete designs that occur at the lower levels of the Zachman Framework. The author makes a convincing argument that this high-level definition needs to be created before the lower-level designs or the efforts will fail to produce the desired results. Samples of reports, such as a Business Model and a Data Architecture report, are provided in the appendix. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent resource - but use with caution
I purchased this book with it was first published and it greatly influenced my thinking and has continued to do so to this day.There is a large caveat I want to share before continuing - be careful of the Zachman Framework because if you do base your enterprise architecture on it you will soon discover that making changes is a tedious process that ripples across the matrix.That said, I continue to believe in the basic concepts and components of the framework, and I also think that it is an excellent way to gain a view of an enterprise when you are attempting to model it.

Caveat aside, the techniques and many of the elements of the framework provided in this book are invaluable to creating any enterprise framework or initiating and managing a process improvement program.While Chapter 1 describes enterprise architecture planning in the context of the Zachman Framework, all of the subsequent chapters can be applied to any framework, which what makes this book as valuable today as it was a decade ago.Specifically, Chapter 3 (Planning), 5 (Enterprise Survey), 8 (Application Architecture), and 10 (Implementation Plan) are among the best of the best practices for approaching any project that is enterprise-wide in scope.For that reason I continue to keep my worn copy of this book nearby as a reference.

Despite my views on the Zachman Framework and some of its limitations and challenges, you may not have a choice - if you are on a team that is refactoring your enterprise in accordance with the Zachman Framework I recommend that you visit the Zachman Institute (see ASIN B00016NEXI) and augment the decade old material in this book with the up-to-date content available on that site.

If you are still in the exploratory stage and are considering this book because you want to learn more about either the Zachman Framework or EAP I recommend that you not only purchase this book (for the reasons cited above), but that you also read "How to Survive in the Jungle of Enterprise Architecture Framework: Creating or Choosing an Enterprise Architecture Framework" (ASIN 141201607X).

A book for multiple audiences that stands the test of time
I initially read this book at the start of my career as a systems analyst.The Zachman framework presented a great way to think about the relationships between systems, data, processes and business.Later on, as a project manager, it provided a more useful tool for understanding the importance of architecture in developing systems.In addition, it applies to architects and senior IT managers who want to make the most of their investment.

The writing displays the academic rigor of the author's background, as well as the applicability that comes from his wealth of experience.Perhaps this blend is best typified in the only application I've seen of reapplying (rewriting?) Deming's 14 points of management for an application in IT.

Perhaps what separates this book from most is how well it's held up over time.At 10 years old, it hasn't aged.If anything, in today's age of complexity, the relevance of a coherent understanding of architecture is more important than ever.This book will help you understand it. ... Read more

Product Description
Now available in paperback, The Green House vividly illustrates the emerging collaboration between stylish architecture, interior design, and environmental responsibility. This groundbreaking book features more than thirty-five residences in fifteen countries—and nearly every conceivable natural environment—designed by a combination of star architects and lesser-known practitioners, all of whom put "greenness" in the service of quality design, and not the other way around. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Inspiration and nice ideas, not for technicians.
This is a nice book to get a broad range of ideas from, but each house only gets between 4-6 dedicated pages.Covers urban renewal, bush, ranges of materials, geographical spread, etc, with small plans/elevations to get the general idea.Notes some of the salient features of each house, but doesn't describe how these technically work or quantify the energy or impact savings.Mainly large family houses, so not for you if you're into micro housing as a green initiative.Nice introduction, and reasonable range of houses.

The Green House
This is a nothing book. Re-hash at best...This is one of the first,of many books, I would like to return. Ron

Just What We Were Looking For
My husband and I have a dream of building a sustainable green home. We bought this book to get ideas and get inspired. It worked on both counts. While we're getting our financing together, this book definitely put us in the right frame of mind and convinced us that we're on the right track re: the grand design of our lives. I highly recommend this one!

Excellent Purchase!
The order was processed and shipped very quickly.The product is just as it was described.Excellent purchase experience!

The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture
Well designed and easy to use Layout on this Book for People interested in modern & green architecture. I recommend this book without any doubt. A very good source of inspiration! ... Read more

Product Description
Exemplary reprint of l6th-century classic. Covers classical architectural remains, Renaissance revivals, classical orders, etc. 1738 Ware English edition. 216 plates. "...a new and splendid edition of what has probably been the most influential book published in the history of architecture since its first appearance in 1570."—Art in America.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Classical architecture of Palladio
Excellent book of classical temples and structures.Way too over the top for building for today, unless you are building a backyard temple or mediterranean villa but great inspiration if you are looking to incorporate a few classical design elements into a project.I will be using some of the moulding profiles and patterns for some carving templates.The large number of line drawings are clean and concise with lots of detail.

A classic
This book belongs in all of the architecture libraries of the world. It is a book that is a classic, a "must have" for all the professionals in the field. It requires a bit of concentration to read, because it is written in an "old fashioned" way, where some of the letters look a bit odd for the modern eyes ( the letters "s" in a lot of the words look like an "f", which reminds you of the german "ß"). But other than that, I think it is a wonderful book, carefully illustrated. I gave one as a gift for an architect friend, and he has been enjoying it a lot.

must have for your library
The four books of andrea palladio is a must have for the interior design library.The father of architecture's designs are the cornerstone of good classical design.Even though he is so widely copied he has never been equaled. This is a very good value for his works. ... Read more

Product Description
Software architecture is foundational to the development of large, practical software-intensive applications. This brand-new text covers all facets of software architecture and how it serves as the intellectual centerpiece of software development and evolution. Critically, this text focuses on supporting creation of real implemented systems. Hence the text details not only modeling techniques, but design, implementation, deployment, and system adaptation -- as well as a host of other topics -- putting the elements in context and comparing and contrasting them with one another. Rather than focusing on one method, notation, tool, or process, this new text/reference widely surveys software architecture techniques, enabling the instructor and practitioner to choose the right tool for the job at hand. Software Architecture is intended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses in software architecture, software design, component-based software engineering, and distributed systems; the text may also be used in introductory as well as advanced software engineering courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Foundations, Theory,Practice is the order of book priorities
When I first contemplated to buy this book I thought it might be slightly... academic... After buying it... my a priori thinking proved to be somehow true... The material is solid with many valuable comments, some of which I always had in the back of my mind, but never done the final steps to "materialize" them.For instance the fact that architecture is very close to design to the point that sometimes is difficult to distinguish the two. In this sense I enjoyed the introductory chapters with general ideas. When it comes to main content I was a bit surprised by the emphasis on classifications: views, models, implementations ... the part which I thought has an academic flavour.

Modern intro to Software Architecture
I bought this book from Amazon late 2009, it has not left my side since. This book provides a modern introduction to the field of software architecture, for both students and seasoned professionals. Certainly a must if you are working in this field or aspiring to.

FYI the course slides are available from the book's website [...]

Worth the money to find out more about architecture
Excellent academic treatment of all things architecture. I've gone through just over half of this textbook. This book is good enough that I have decided to finish the rest of the content. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the authors do not present real world examples of architecture. In retrospect, I have decided to give this book 5 stars, because real world examples of architecture are either competition sensitive or precluded from being revealed due to security considerations. The authors really should have found an IT shop or shops willing to reveal a number of best practice architectures, so that those interested could get a feel for how complex and interconnected best practice architectures are.

This is an excellent textbook for students, and for those IT professionals who want to learn more about the architecture specialization, it is a good reference with an impressive continuity and it is very well organized in its introduction of all of the relevant concepts.

Software Architecture text - not worth
I do not recommend this book for practitioners or as a college text

This book needs serious review and editing by decent english readers for repetition, grammer, and consistency. This book is too hasty even in defining the basic term architecture. It is quite hard to read and frustrating because of inconsitencies. Some bogus, artificial, presentations pervades the book.

Repetition are OK if they are consistent, however repeated topic contracdicts the previous discussions. The flow of sentences are too hasty even for experienced architects.

Topics are identified in a fashion that, if authors had not rushed it could have been a better book. If the same topics were presented in more concise format, this book could be lot thinner and easier to read; in addtion font used is too small, figures are not simple sketches, english is too interwinded (not simple but seems too artificial) makes it difficult to adopt the book. Some examples are good but incomplete.

A fine introduction to the discipline of software architecture
Software Architecture: Foundations, Theory, and Practice is a landmark text that will become an essental introduction to the discipline of software systems architecture. If you are a student, tester, manager, methodologist, developer, or simply an architect, and want a holistic understanding of what real software architects think software architecture is and why it matters, this is the place to start.

I bought this after Roy Fielding (of REST and HTTP fame) mentioned it on the rest-discuss mailing list. Roy is one of the industry's top architects, and I wasn't disappointed. The book is timely - architecture is coming to be accepted as an important activity, especially for distributed, and large scale systems. What many people don't realize is that drawing pictures, writing documents no-one reads, meta-modeling, and pontificating on "concerns" are not software architecture. Software architecture is about introducing constraints via principled, objective design to achieve particular system properties. Architecture is difficult and exhausting work, but done well can offer immense value to users and stakeholders. This book, along with Rozanski and Woods' "Software Systems Architecture: Working With Stakeholders Using Viewpoints and Perspectives" makes that explicit.

The book is unapologetic about software architecture's standing in the industry. SAFTAP positions architecture as the primary design activity for software - not development, not requirements analysis, not testing, not methodology, but architecture. That will make for interesting debate.

My single criticism of this book is that it does not do enough to treat user experience (Ux) and informatics as architecturally significant, but not enough to take away a star. I'm hoping a future edition will rectify that.

Some noteworthy chapters in the book (there are 17 chapters in all):

* The Big Idea: explains what architecture is and why it matters. The building metaphor (often heavily criticised in the industry, see the excellent "Software is not Bricks" by Raganwald) is dealt with calmly and then put to one side.

* Architecture in Context: explains how architecture fits into the overall lifecycle and process of software systems.

* Connectors: this is one of my favourite chapters. The concept of a connector is vital to a software system, but is rarely if ever discussed in programming or engineering texts.

* Modeling: probably not what you think. This chapter emphasizes communication, clarity and disambiguation over notations and diagrams.

* Implementation: programmers hate the quip "implementation detail", but in truth many things in a system are just that and it does not mean they are unimportant. This chapter covers those details and why they matter.

* Deployment and Mobility: good architects understand that a systems have a life well beyond initial delivery, which is where most developers, managers and stakeholders tend to focus attention. This was one of favorite sections as the running system simply doesn't get enough attention in most projects today.

* Applied architecture and Styles: covers some examples of architectural styles, notably REST and SOA, which are certainly the best known architectures in my part of the industry.

* Designing for non-functional properties: many non-functional concerns don't start to matter until the system is deployed and there isn't always agreement among technical specialists over what's truly important. If you are technical specialist this should help you articulate the cost/benefit of looking at the "unfeatures" of a system.

* Security and Trust: software is increasingly distributed, and increasingly a super-system of components interacting over the Internet and Mobile Networks. So it's good to see a text that makes security a first order concern and not just a non-functional ones.

* Domain Specific Software Engineering: I'm trained as an industrial designer where the notion of common modular components with standard interfaces acting as a platform for product development is a known Good Thing in domains such as the automotive and consumer electronics industries. This chapter gives a good overview of modular design focusing on the software product lines approach. The example given is from Philips, but it could as easily have been from Toyota.

* People, Roles and Teams: software architecture, like other architecture disciplines, has a strong social dimension. This chapter explains how the architect role fits into an organisation and where they can add value and exert influence. ... Read more

Product Description
Thoroughly Revised And Updated, The Essentials Of Computer Organization And Architecture, Second Edition Is A Comprehensive Resource That Addresses All Of The Necessary Organization And Architecture Topics Yet Is Concise Enough To Move Through In A Single Semester.The Text Covers Such Topics As Digital Logic, Data Representation, Machine-Level Language, General Organization, Assembly Language Programming, CPU Organization, Memory Organization, And Input/Output Devices, As Well As A New Chapter On Embedded Systems.Correlated To The ACM-IEEE Computing Curricula Guidelines, The Essentials Of Computer Organization And Architecture Is The Forefront Text For Your Computer Organization And Architecture Course. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

It's a book...
Exactly what the professor told us to get... So far the book has been an easy read and plenty of good examples.

Clear and very comprehensive.
Well written and nicely organized and structured. It's clear and comprehensive, while still covering a lot of topics. Excellent book for students. Also has an answer and hints section at the end. Students will appreciate it.

Required textbook, but pretty decent
I was required to purchase this textbook for a class, but it is still pretty good.The explanations are pretty clear and they do them a few times in a few different ways to help really get the feel for them.Engineering books like this can be fairly boring, but this one mixes in some real world examples and case studies which helps.

The exercises are pretty good, but I wished the answers for at least some of them were offered.

Informative
I personally liked this text.
It is not perfect, and some sections should be more elaborated, but otherwise it is rather informative.
Covers boolean algebra, logic gates, memory organization, and many other good things.
It can't be read quickly. You will have to spend time to read carefully.

Positive: for the most part questions for each chapter can be answered based on information in the book. In my life I have encountered text where there were NO way questions could be answered based solely on the info in the text. So, if you getting this text for class, it is good news.

Negative: I feel that some sections could be elaborated more with further examples. For instance binary divisions and multiplications would be better with couple more examples.

I feel like I didn't waste time reading it, so you too could learn something from it (unless of course you already know the subject well...).

Not a great book for self study
I am a college student and this book was the required text for the class. My problems with the book are. It was a very dry and boring read. As such, I found it very hard to attempt to read a chapter. Additionally, harder concepts are not adequately covered. The book just describes it and then goes on to another concept without attempting to explain it another way. In my opinion, the authors wrote the book in this manner-this is how it works or what it does, here some useful facts about who uses it or it uses, and next topic. Then it includes questions in the back of the book that are hard to answer because the textbook doesn't cover how to attempt a problem like it. That being said there is a student solutions manual which I didn't know about when I took the course. The biggest problem with the book is it expects you to have a good teacher accompained it and I was bascially using that text only to learn about computer organization and architecture. (My professor put me to sleep and had a hard time explaining things sensibly) As such, I recommend this book if it's not being used for self-study and has a good teacher to accompany it. Then the book would probaley be very helpful. It is very detailed-The book does try to cover alot of material from other computer science courses you have taken but the refresher is often needed especailly if you are teaching yourself. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture is a comprehensive portrayal of the finest built architecture from around the world completed since the year 2000. Divided into six world regions, the Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture provides an important overview of global and local trends in architecture for a wide range of users. The geographical contexts for twenty-first century architectural production are explored in a global framework presented in accessible graphic formats. Each of the six world regions is introduced by an in-depth look at their unique urban and architectural issues. This statistical data has been researched and analyzed by a team of from the London School of Economics.

More than 1000 key buildings have been chosen through a rigorous selection process involving a panel of expert advisors and specialists from every region. Each building is fully illustrated with drawings and photographs, and each is described by a short essay. Further information includes key data such as construction cost, client name, area of the building, and geographical coordinates. Cross-referencing between projects helps the user to find other buildings by the same architect included in the book. In addition, a mass of useful information is provided, including details about the architects' practices, as well as extensive indices.

Customer Reviews (7)

Maybe my favorite book
This is an amazing book chock full of projects that I have never seen before.It is organised intelligently and usually provides good drawings and pictures of each project.

Buyer Beware - Epic Fail
My wife recently ordered this fantastic book as a birthday gift. And yes the book itself is awesome, no doubt about it. She ordered it on Amazon as it is considerably cheaper, but was hesitant as she still likes to view items before she buys them - sadly she was all too right. To cut a long story short we are in the process of returning the second damaged Atlas to Amazon.

The state the Atlas' were received it (for a book of this price) was entirely unacceptable. The box it comes in (whilst admittedly somewhat flimsy) has been either cracked or bent both times. The Atlas', in all honestly, look like ex display copies that they're trying to palm off on you in the hope you cannot be bothered to return them; corners bent, pages torn, whole sections of the book pushed in and dented. This is a coffee table book and somewhat of an investment in my eyes at least.

If someone from Amazon actually reads this...if a book is returned due to damage why oh why wouldn't you check the second one you sent out wasn't in a similar or worse condition!!

We'll return one last time and see if the third one is in any better condition...

Brilliant book !!!
I love this book. Good collection of buildings from around the world.
Although the plans aren't overly detailed, the images in this book are stunning. My fav book... :-)

The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture
A great book....something every architect or anyone interested in contemporary architecture should have in
their library.

mehmet's review
Although the quality of the information inside is professionally edited and very useful, only the paper quality seems weaker than the previous atlas (the phaidon atlas of contemporary architecture) ... Read more

Product Description
The Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book showcases three-dimensional replications of some of the most innovative modern and contemporary architecture from around the world. Accompanied by illustrations, photographs, and elaborate pop-ups, the talent and imagination of architects and builders of the modern era is brought to life. Ranging from the nineteenth century to the present day, the pages follow the development of modern architecture: the creation of new buildings and innovations that led to such feats as the Brooklyn Bridge; the birth of the skyscraper and the modern city; mid-century modernism, and the cutting-edge architecture of today. Modern Architecture Pop-Up features the following structures: London’s Crystal Palace; the Brooklyn Bridge; the Eiffel Tower; New York’s Flatiron Building; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, Chicago; Reitveld’s Schroeder House; Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye; Saarinen’s TWA terminal; Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao; Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum; and Foster’s London "Gherkin" building, to name only a few. Innovative, informative, and elegant, Modern Architecture Pop-Up is an elegant visual tour of the world’s dynamic, inventive, and original architecture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Architecture book
Very nice gift.Bought it for a college engineering student and he loved it!

Thanks
Great book with super pop-ups! No worries with folding the pop-ups back in...it's easier than said in the other review.

A pop-up flop!
Some reviewers complain that the pop-ups don't fully or easily close.They actually don't really pop up.They're floppy, which is really bad for Mies.Many tabs are broken.One piece fell out of the book that doesn't even seem to have been glued in, and I can't match it to a specific building because none of them work very well.

Poorly designed.Poorly produced.I haven't even bothered to read it.

If you really want a pop-up book with educational content, get one of the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series, any one of which is full of amazing, sturdy constructions.

great book
great book just that there are pictures on the back cover that aren't in the book and some of the popups are hard to open

Popups that don't pop down
I would not recommend this book unless you like to spend lots of frustrating time trying to make the pop-ups pop down! They look great when you first open them but many of them would not fold back down easily. I bought it for my husband and we were very careful trying to use it. Definitely not recommended for kids, they would destroy it. ... Read more