American Shelter : An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Homes

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Altogether 103 styles of American housing are featured in this book, spanning the earth lodge (circa 300) to the projected space unit (circa 2000). There are full diagrams, history, and a description for each of the Native American and settler homes, including the pueblo, longhouse, and wigwam; the log cabin, garrison house, and saltbox; and on through the Georgian, Greek Revival, false front, Queen Anne, and neomodern. Whether you're a student of architecture, a dabbler in design, a house-history buff or a novice home-buyer attempting to decipher your realtor's descriptions, Lester Walker's American Shelter has a lot to offer.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Field Guide to American Domestic Architecture.......2005-08-17

In the world of architectural field guides, there is a division between the guides that rely heavily on photographs and those that use line drawings to represent buildings. Photographic field guides are good in that you can see actual historic homes. This is a valuable thing for people who like me live very far away from historic areas and rarely see a building over a hundred years old.

However, the great problem with photographic field guides is that it is often times difficult to understand a building style by looking at one or two representative photographs. What's worse is that often times the eye is drawn to details like electric lines or automobiles. One can spend more time trying to identify the decade the photo was taken than on concentrating on the image. For this reason, I prefer field guides that use line drawings to represent buildings. In my opinion, line drawings are a better tool for teaching the different architectural elements that come together to form a style.

Of the field guides that use line drawings, Lester Walker's "American Shelter" is the very best. It is the best for two reasons. First because of the sheer number of styles he identifies. In this book he details 103 styles whereas a typical field guide will usually identifies 20-30 unique styles. Second and foremost, Lester Walker is a very talented artist. His drawings are not hyper technical like the Historical American Building Survey (HABS) drawings which one finds in some field guides. They have a lot of personality which seperates them from what I call the illustrator school of architectural drawings.

I have been collecting field guides for a number of years and this is my favorite guide. That is not to say that there are not other very high quality guides. However, if you need to purchase just one field guide, this is the one. Hopefully, this book will inspire you to start collecting architectural field guides which in my opinion is a most worthy hobby.

Excellent Reference for Planners and Designers.......2004-04-15

I purchased this book while I was an undergraduate studying city planning. This book has been on my shelf since it was published and I still use it quite frequently today. This is a fantastic reference for anyone interested in housing, architecture and urban design. In fact, I highly recommend this book to any planning students with a housing or preservation focus. You will not regret having made the investment!

No historian should be without it.......2003-08-14

If you ever have reason to write (fictionally or otherwise) about American architecture (chiefly domestic), you shouldn't miss a chance to add this volume to your shelves. (It's included in the file I always send to Old-West mavens wanting to know what they should read.) Chapters range from two to eight pages in length and cover everything from the earth lodge of the Southeastern Plains Indians to the projected space station now three years past due. Typically, each includes the time and region in which the original style was most abundant, a few paragraphs explaining its history and salient features, and a number of finely detailed pen-and-ink sketches portraying exterior details and often cutaways and floor plans. The book can also be used as a field guide to help you decide what kind of house you happen to be looking at. From log cabins to Frank Lloyd Wright, Mount Vernon to the humble Quonset hut, every major kind of American house is here. This is an item that cries to be brought back into print. Until it is, don't miss a chance to pick up a used copy if you're afforded one.

American Shelter.......2002-08-13

I own the poster American Shelter by the same author, and wanted to see the explanations behind the dates and titles. As an architectural historian, I've studied many of these styles, but there are some new variations of house styles that are not part of any other reference book. This book has fun graphics and easy to follow descriptions. For the trained historians, architects, etc., this book is an amusing addition to your collections. To the architectural housing enthusiasts, this could be a helpful resource.

American Shelter: a definite "keeper".......2001-04-08

If your bookshelf only has room for one book on American architecture, this should be that book. Most of the books on architecture seem like a lot of style, but not much substance: many pages of pictures, often quite enticing, but leaving the reader with little knowledge of just what constitutes the various architecture styles so illustrated, or how styles relate to one another.

Lester Walker spent hundreds of hours researching various American architectural styles, going to such sources as the 1900's editions of Ladies Home Journal, which published plans for "A Small House With Lots of Room in it" by a young upstart named Frank Lloyd Wright. Walker gives us the first-floor house plans, along with a birds-eye view of Wright's "Small House." In this illustration Walker uses captions and arrows to innumerate the salient features of "Wrightian" architecture.

So it goes throughout American Shelter. Walker starts with the dwellings of American Indians and takes us through over 100 different styles that were popular at one time or another in our diverse history. A read through this book is a stroll through our history. The author not only points out the defining features of each style, but also tells why and how it came into vogue.

Color photos are not the only "must have" features conspicuously absent. Missing is also judgmental, cavalier, snobbery. No architectural style is treated as inferior, common, or "tiresome." Quonset Hut, Converted Train Car, and Prefabricated are given just as much respect as Victorian, International, and Prairie.

Examples of houses of various architects that typify or characterize each style are shown in line drawings with accompanying floor plans and often with illustrations on house building styles or techniques. For example, on page 71 a "method for making cedar clapboards" is illustrated. Balloon, Platform, and Post and Beam framing methods are explained with accompanying illustrations.

The book is about individual dwelling units, not apartment houses, and not commercial or industrial buildings. For what it is, and does, it is the definitive work. I have had many hours of enjoyable reading and learning from this book. My only complaint is with the bookbinder, not the author. Some of the pages of my copy are upside down! Perhaps, like the famous upside-down airplane stamp, my copy is rare and valuable? Then again: perhaps not, but right side up, or upside down, it has been well worth the purchase price.

One final piece of advise: buy the hardback copy, not the paperback. This book is a "keeper", one you will frequenly get down from the bookself to review, loan to friends (holding the friend's firstborn ransome for the book's return), and pass on in your will.

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American Shelter, an illustrated encyclopedia of the American home
Lester Walker
Manufacturer: Overlook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MY0OYQ

Amazon.com

Photographer Arthur Elgort's images are the stars of this volume, which he presents as a tribute to his friends in modeling. Christy Turlington, Paulina Porizkova, Linda Evangilista, and dozens more make their appearances in this smartly designed book. Interviews with the models are mixed with photographs without interrupting the flow of the pictures or text, and one can actually learn something about the process of modeling here, even if that's secondary to enjoying the innovative camera work that has made Elgort one of the top photographers in his field.

Book Description

Highly visual, super-model studded photography book of life in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Packed with commentary from Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, etc.

Customer Reviews:

A must-have volume for lovers of fashion photography.......1999-08-03

I've owned Elgort's "Model Manual" for over a year now, and find myself coming back to it often for inspiration, reference, nostalgia, and a new experience each time. The art direction, layout, and of course, photography, make this book memorable and a worthwhile purchase. Models (professional and aspiring), art directors, and anyone interested and/or ivolved in fashion, beauty and design are encouraged to take a look!

Redefine you aesthetic senses.......1999-03-14

Medicine is not an art or a battle between technology and nature - it is a war, war between computers. On our side: the cognitive human brain and increasingly intelligent computers it makes. On the other side: The noncognitive and simple RNA and DNA computers of human genetics and human cells gone bad. So far the latter have lost a ground, but they have done remarkably well and even gained back little territory via fast-action guerilla tactics (e.g. rapid adaption to antibiotics) The (not so surprising) ability of DNA/RNA to evolve countermeasures to today's primitive medical technologies has led many to conclude that cyber-revolution will sink into a stalemate. Not so -RNA/DNA will lose the war, as fast as the genetic codes may evolve, they are old simple systems whose basic level of performance plateaued epochs ago. Worst of all - they do not think. They have never seen the likes of the increasingly smart macro and nanocomputers that will be thrown at them in the next few decades. The technology is moving much faster than its targets, and the Information-processing speed of genetic DNA will soon be billions of times less than that of their attackers. Point is that humans will soon have creatures among them that make Christy Tulington look like Frankenstein's Bride and her wits equal to that of Minnie the Mouse.

Arthur Elgort's Models Manual ( Definitive book on Modeling )

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Arthur Elgort's Models Manual ( Definitive book on Modeling )
384 pages, 562 pictures, 194 in color, photographic endpapers, edited Judy Prouty Arthur Elgort
Manufacturer: Grand Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JD3IC0

Book Description

Photographing the Nude John Hedgecoe. Sound, practical advice on all aspects of photographing the nude, with a superb selection of images. Detailed captions explain both the technicalities behind each photograph, and its aesthetic appeal. Great special effects! 160 pages (all in color), 6 5/8 x 10 1/4.

Customer Reviews:

A great book for Beginners........2003-02-22

I have noticed that the people that have reviewed this book did not give it very good reviews. But I think I know why. Well for one, one of the guys thought it was an art book, when it is obviously an instrutional book.

Before I go any further, I would like to emphasize that this is a BEGINNERS book. If you are looking for advanced techniques on photographing the nude, you may not like this book. As for me, I found it very helpful. As I am a beginner in nude photography.
The author does not go into much detail about each subject, but gives enough information to help out well. Plus, i find that part of the fun of photography is exploring, and we dont want all the fun spelled out for us.

The author goes step by step through the different kinds of nude photography. I have to say that the models are not very attractive, but that is a part of the beauty of photography. We are not looking to make playboy models here. For me, I am into black and white, so I was able to skip through much of the book to the parts where I was interested in. I also prefer real sunlight rather than artifitial light. This was an area of the book that helped me a lot. You are shown different views of models and how the light effects them. Also, the diffence in sunlight and lamp light. And trust me, there is a very big difference.

All and all, this book was a good buy for me. I am glad that I purchased it. I dont plan to read it and follow it as a photography bible, but there are some helpful tips that are nice.
Again, I will say that this book may not be for experienced photographers and is not an art book. But to help all of us amatuers out and to show us what we need to know.

not an art book.......2000-12-30

this book is not a book of art to look at, rather it is more of an instructional book, how to photograph nudes. though i don't think that these principles apply just to nudes, you could use them on any portriature. hedgecoe really has the basics down. the problem with the book, why i only gave it a three, is that the examples he uses are not very good pictures. i've never seen any of his other work, so i don't know what kind of photographer he is, but my understanding is that he can create better images that was shown in this book (in fact, many of the pictures look like leftovers from his work done in the late 70s early 80s). also, many of the techniques he describes are ones any photographer should know about, or at least any photographer who isn't just starting out. and a beginning photographer shouldn't try to take on nudes until they have a little experience under their belt. the final problem with the book is hedgecoe's apparent surprise at using computer imaging. it almost feels like he has just discovered the digital camera and photoshop.

it's not a horrible book, but i wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a beginner.

Don't bother.......1999-10-04

What a disappointment. This book contains very little that specifically relates to nude photography and nothing about glamor. It's a mediocre photo book. Most of the pics aren't even very good. This book doesn't come close to matching the quality of the author's other books I've seen.

John Hedgecoe's Figure & Form Photographing the Nude

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John Hedgecoe's Figure & Form Photographing the Nude
John Hedgecoe
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OAXKAI

Customer Reviews:

One of the best books I've ever read.......2001-01-01

I rec'd this book in 1997 and have relished it ever since. It's a wonderful read and gives great insight into the last 80 or so years. Ellis died in 1998, but his books leave a lasting legacy.

Don't miss this book........2000-06-01

First rate. A good luck at the past century by a keen observer

Worthwhile but..........1999-11-26

Edward Robb Ellis' "A Diary of the Century," a 578 page book collecting selections from diaries spanning 68 years, opens with a typically stylish introduction by Pete Hamill and closes with an index, the latter being the first place I looked after acquiring this mammoth volume. Searching for familiar names, I found Elvis Presley to whom Ellis refers on page 539 in an entry dated January 8, 1993, what would have been the King of Rock and Roll's 58th birthday: "Elvis Presley stamps went on sale today, much to my disgust. Years ago, when he was being discharged from the army, I was one of many reporters interviewing him. I remember asking him how he could justify his enormous wealth when school teachers were being underpaid. He gave me a non-answer with a smile and extreme politeness."

That little passage suggests that, though he may be an excellent diarist, Ellis must have been a lousy reporter, one completely lacking in the objectivity supposedly required by the

profession. If Elvis had had access to Ellis' diary, he might have answered Ellis' question with a question of his own: "How can YOU justify asking ME that question when you did not ask it of Grace Kelly, who not only acquired enormous wealth in her acting career, but married into more millions by bagging Prince Rainier of Monaco?"

Ellis interviewed Kelly in 1956, an experience detailed in his entry of January 11 that year. His questions to her are never more challenging than this one: "Will you see the prince today?" (p. 232) Ellis didn't ask Clark Gable's widow how her late husband justified the millions he made when school teachers were underpaid, nor did the reporter grill composer Irving Berlin on the matter either. Apparently it was alright for Kelly, Gable, and Berlin to make millions because Ellis appreciated their "talents," but Presley and rock and roll didn't pass muster with "America's Greatest Diarist," as Ellis is called on the jacket of his book, and, therefore, it was wrong for Presley to strike it rich. The question, if it was worthy of being asked at all, should have been directed at a society that values performers more than it does the teachers in whose hands our children's education is placed.

Customer Reviews:

Fantasic. I couldn't put it down!!!.......1998-05-04

As Edward Robb Ellis was writing his diary I was being born. I've often wondered what my pre-though, pre-war life was like now I know. Through the eyes of one man who's life mirrored, yet preceded, my own 30 years later. I wonder, in 1998, is ERE still alive. I hope so!!

A DIARY OF THE CENTURY: TALES FROM AMERICA'S GREATEST DIARIST, 1927-1995

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A DIARY OF THE CENTURY: TALES FROM AMERICA'S GREATEST DIARIST, 1927-1995

Manufacturer: Kodansha NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IAEIGY

A Diary of the Century: Tales from America's Greatest Diarist, 1927-1995 (Uncorrected Proof)

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A Diary of the Century: Tales from America's Greatest Diarist, 1927-1995 (Uncorrected Proof)
Edward Robb Ellis
Manufacturer: Kodansha America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UMMI8U

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Loud ring of truth

Step Back in Time . . .

Dorie: Woman of the Mountains

Dorie: Woman of the Mountains
Florence Cope Bush
Manufacturer: University of Tennessee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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High Mountains Rising: APPALACHIA IN TIME AND PLACE

Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia

At Home in the Heart of Appalachia

Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure in the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers

Paths Of Past: Tennessee 1770-1970 (Tennessee Three Star Books)

ASIN: 087049726X

Customer Reviews:

Loud ring of truth.......2005-09-18

Dorie is the history of every woman in East Tennessee who's family comes from "the mountains". A "must read" for any person seeking a peek back in time to what lives were like for those before us and the roots of where we come from.

Step Back in Time . . ........2001-11-07

DORIE: WOMAN OF THE MOUNTAINS is an excellent example of new history-making, literature in which one person's story is representative of an era and its people. Dorie's narration of her life in the Great Smoky Mountains during the earliest years of the twentieth century evokes memories of our own old folks and their storytelling. Her account of the often hardscrabble existence she and her family endured in the mountains of East Tennessee is not a depressing one, but a testimony of the pioneer spirit that helped build this nation. Dorie's life straddled the fence between the old ways and the modern age, a time when many people still worked to produce everything their families needed even as other people discovered all the things that money could purchase at the local store or through the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogues. Education was not always as easily obtained. Jobs became increasingly hard to find as the area was developed into a national park and with the onset of the Great Depression. Through Dorie's story, we get an inside glimpse of life in an isolated but beautiful mountain wilderness, and the ways in which modernity simultaneously improved financial situations and contributed to the destruction of a uniquely American way of life.

Dorie: Woman of the Mountains.......2000-06-13

Dorie:Woman of the Mountains is an excellent book. Very well written - you feel as if you are talking with Dorie herself as she chronicles her life in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This book is so entertaining you want to read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a most enjoyable trip back in time.

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A Personal Touch On... Adoption (Personal Touch On..)
Berlin Peter
Manufacturer: Personal Touch Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0974856614

Book Description

Over 80 pieces written by people touched by adoption who share their experiences to inform, inspire, encourage, give hope, give options to help those involved with adoption and adoption issues. Includes stories from adoptive families, adoptees, birthmothers on topics such as: moving on from infertility to adopt, international adoption, older child adoption, open adoption, special needs adoption, single parent adoption and more. FAM000000

Book Description

In this, his second book in the "Collector's Guide" series for Ian Allan, noted collector and expert, Chris Ailsby examines in depth the great variety of medals and political awards developed for Germany's closest allies. Providing a history of each medal and award, as well as illustrations showing both front and reverse, the book is an extremely detailed account.

Where appropriate, information is also given on noted recipients of the major awards, thus helping to make the book an essential reference work for all collectors of Third Reich Militaria.

Customer Reviews:

Good companion.......2007-07-23

A nice book for the beginners, gives limited but still worthy information about medals and Orders of the satellite states of Germany.

Book Description

The Industrial Revolution is one of the most enduring and studied areas of economic history. However, recent studies have concentrated on reviewing existing literature rather than bringing a new perspective to bear on it.

Was the Industrial Revolution Necessary? takes an innovative look at this much discussed subject. The contributors ask new questions, explore new issues and use new data in order to stimulate interest and elicit new responses. They look at it from previously unexplored angles including: the way the classical economists viewed natural resources as a constraint on rapid and sustained growth; how the Industrial Revolution might have appeared when looking forward from the Middle Ages rather than the usual retrospective view; what can be expected from growth rate calculations that have a substantially subjective basis; what contribution can be made to the living standard debated from an understanding of income distribution within the family; and finally, what has been gained from these new explorations. By examining the wider dimensions of the Industrial Revolution, the authors draw conclusions to answer the question of the title. Contributors include: Graeme Donald Snooks, E. A. Wrigley and Stanley Engerman.

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