Raphael Soriano

Book Description

Raphael Soriano (1907-88) was one of the early Case Study architects working in postwar Los Angeles and a talented advocate of the new building materials and construction techniques developed at the time. Soriano was a significant member of this informal gang of architects that also included Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Koenig, Eero Saarinen, Richard Neutra and Craig Ellwood. Though not as familiar a name now, Soriano was a major influence on his colleagues and was rediscovered by today's practitioners for his innovative use of steel and aluminum and his early interest in low-cost, prefabricated structures. This is the first monograph on Soriano, providing a comprehensive study of the architect's life and oeuvre. It includes detailed descriptions of thirty key Soriano buildings, and a listing of Complete Works that documents for the first time every known project in Soriano's archive. More than twenty of Soriano's buildings have been destroyed and many others remodelled beyond recognition; this book offers the only published record of these important works.

Wolfgang Wagener is an architect and has written articles on twentieth-century modern architecture. Since 1997 he has been a visiting professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews:

Raphael Soriano.......2003-03-14

Of all the important pioneers of modern architecture in southern California, Soriano was one of the most inventive and idealistic, but least successful. If he hadn't won the attention of Julius Shulman--as a photographer and client--he would probably be forgotten, so few are the surviving traces of his modest mid-century output. When he died, in 1988, poor and embittered, few took note. This self-inflicted failure (Soriano alienated Entenza, Eichler and several other key clients) challenged Wolfgang Wagener, an architect who practices here and in Germany, to reevaluate his achievement and develop a complete list of buildings and projects. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

A Mid-Century Must Have.......2002-12-07

This is a thorough, comprehensive monograph on a talented, yet often forgotten modernist. The book competently chronicles Soriano's career and major projects. However it achieves much more: There is an excellent introductory essay (The Postwar Dream Takes Hold) on the post WWII housing boom and specifically on the typology of the modern California House. This background introduces the reader to the spirit of the era in which Soriano established his practice.

The second essay, entitle Pioneering Steel Houses 1935-1970 focuses on Soriano's career and his strong convictions of the steel frame used as a vehicle to meet the demand of the housing boom. The photos, mostly by noted photographer Julius Shulman are crisp and clear. While it would be nice to see recent photos of Sauriano's structures, the author is clear to point out that most of Soriano's buildings have sadly been demolished or altered beyond recognition.

The two essays are followed by a very thorough catalogue with commentary of all Soriano's projects. The book also contains a map of Soriano's projects in Los Angeles, a Chronology of the Architect's life, and finally the typescript of Soriano's unfinished autobiography (all of about 5 typewritten pages).

Book Description

If you’re eager to work in this beautiful and long-lasting medium, begin by getting tips from the experts, and the best techniques for rapidly building up layers of color. Try masking or painting with a knife to give your work an antique appearance. Full-color illustrations on each page, and a sumptuous painters’ gallery will guide your brush strokes!

Customer Reviews:

Passable.......2006-02-21

Your porduct was passable but rather steep a price to pay for a
struggling artist. Delivery was very prompt and all kudos to
Amazon .com for that.

great book.......2001-02-07

This book is great for the begginner in acrylic painting.

Average customer rating:
Small Wonder: Worlds in a Box American Scene 4
David; Corey, Dr. David; National Museum of American Art (U.S.) Levinthal
Manufacturer: Distributed Art Pub Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MMA2DG

Customer Reviews:

Eloquent tale of universal loss.......2005-02-26

Bill Wartman writes with sensitivenousness and probating insight about his early life, a life anyone who has ever lost anything truly importunate can identify with. Upon reaching the penultimate page, and then the penultimate page after that, you wonder what came next. Is chasing monster drives off the tee in a Toyota the rest of the story? Or is there some promissory saga about a seedling of German immigrants sprouting branches and taking to the skies to become the next Messiah? Sup, Bill?

Life Without Father: Influences of an Unknown Man

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Life Without Father: Influences of an Unknown Man
William Wartman
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KP1IQA

Book Description

Known as the greatest traveler of premodern times, Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta was born in Morocco in 1304 and educated in Islamic law. At the age of twenty-one, he left home to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. This was only the first of a series of extraordinary journeys that spanned nearly three decades and took him not only eastward to India and China but also north to the Volga River valley and south to Tanzania. The narrative of these travels has been known to specialists in Islamic and medieval history for years. Ross E. Dunn's 1986 retelling of these tales, however, was the first work of scholarship to make the legendary traveler's story accessible to a general audience. Now updated with revisions, a new preface, and an updated bibliography, Dunn's classic interprets Ibn Battuta's adventures and places them within the rich, trans-hemispheric cultural setting of medieval Islam.

Customer Reviews:

know what you're getting.......2007-07-10

For the reader interested in understanding the context of ibn Battuta's travels, this is an invaluable reference. Ross juxtaposes the thread of Battuta's journey with the cultural and political history of the regions Battuta explores. The maps are also tremendously helpful and the occassional b&w photo add flavor. The writing style is accessible and enjoyable.

BUT if you want to hear ibn Battuta's story in his own voice, look elsewhere! Ironically, you will not find much of ibn Battuta's voice here. While Ross does use extensive quotes from the tales of many medieval travelers, ibn Battuta's own narrative does not dominate the tone. It seems Ross believes his reader will hold two books in hand, his own and The Travels of ibn Battutah, edited by Tim McKintosh-Smith. And this is exactly what I would recommend to anyone intrigued by this oh-so-intriguing tale.

Fabulous, in both senses.......2006-11-19

Whether or not his stories are true, they make for ripping yarns.

There's a new version in paperback........2006-10-12

Look under 'other versions' on this page. I can't recommend this highly enough! See my review of the new version on that page.

Easily one of the best nonfiction books i've ever read!.......2006-10-12

This should almost be required reading in colleges, especially with the current geopolitical situation. It isn't just a translation of Ibn Battuta's book, it's at least 50% background material on the places he visited & the people he met with considerable historical info from before, during, and after Ibn's travels. The writing is excellent and easy to get through. It easily ranks next to Plutarch (in a good translation) and Gibbon for it's grand overview of a largely unknown area of history & the world (at least in the West).

This was such a good book, I bought and started the Dover Pub. version of the actual text. Big mistake. That is such a dated translation & offered so little extra compared to Ross' version (not to mention being being very hard to follow, even though I'm much more knowledgeable about the muslim world than your average American), that I gave it away to a Palestinian acquantance after reading the 1st 50 pages. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd time I haven't finished a book, ever, no matter how little I was enjoying it.

Stick with this version unless you really feel the need to read Ibn's actual words & try a non-Dover version if you do. That's a little tough anyway because most of the others only cover parts of the book. Even if you do try another version, I really recommend you read this one first to make the real work more meaningful and understandable unless you're an expert on the Islamic world.

My only complaint is that it might have had a little more of Ibn's actual words instead of paraphrases and summaries, but I feel this is actually a plus after trying to read the real text. Ibn was a contemporary of Marco Polo who actually travelled further and did most of his travels as an insider in muslim societies (at least at the government level), so he got to know the society better and was accepted as a co-religionist. Like Polo, Ibn however, suffers from the same flaws in the actual text. There's a lot of "I went to x, the people follow religion y, the climate is z, I saw building a, the local produce is b...". Ross' version cuts out all the dry midaeval travelogue filler and makes all the information crystal clear.

Do yourself a favor and try this book. Ross is an Islamic Studies professor who obviously knows his stuff & has practiced a few thousand times in a classroom setting on presenting it in a way that makes for interesting and easy reading.

Two books in one.......2006-03-26

Ibn Battuta's "Travels" (Rihla) is one of the great travel accounts of history easily comparable with Marco Polo, it is regularly listed on "Great Books" lists (although don't let that turn you away). This book by Dunn is a scholarly gloss of his account designed for the non-specialist - there are many complications to his itinerary and a lot of historical background which are illuminated and explained. Each chapter covers a particular region he traveled, with the first part of the chapter providing the historical background of the region, with the second half recounting Battuta's travels and experiences therein. Thus, not only does one get an overview of Battuta's travels, but a fairly good 14th century "world history". It is one of the more intimate and personal medieval stories providing interesting details about daily living that bring the era and people to life, while also providing a macro historical view of the time. The only thing better would be to read the actual book - but I think this contextual account and the primary source are both just as vital to understanding.

Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century

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Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century
Ross E. Dudd
Manufacturer: University of California
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KX8CY8

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century

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The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century
Ross E. Dunn
Manufacturer: Univ. of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IN8V1O

Customer Reviews:

A profound introduction to Balkan Politics and History.......2005-05-06

In the first Balkan War (October, 1912), the armies of Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, and Greece attacked-and defeated-the army of the Ottoman Empire, coming within some 25 miles of Constantinople. Within three months, fighting resumed; but this second Balkan War was between the victors-over division of the Turkish spoils.

Today these battles may seem a mere historical footnote dwarfed by the First World War that began only a few months later. But to think so would be a failure to understand how it was the Balkan crisis that brought long-simmering anti-imperialist rivalries across Europe to the boiling point.

Indeed the political questions at play during this time continue to be central to subsequent events. How fortunate we are then, that Pathfinder has issued a new, improved edition of The War Correspondence of Leon Trotsky: The Balkan Wars, 1912-13.

Trotsky had been tried and exiled to Siberia after the 1905 Russian Revolution in which he played a central leadership role went down to defeat. In 1907 he escaped, winding up in Vienna-from where he continued to participate actively in the work and debates of the European socialist movement including in the Balkan countries.

A 1910 article, for example, "The Balkan Countries and Socialism" lays out a materialist analysis that retains its accuracy and usefulness for understanding many of the subsequent events in this part of the world: from the birth of a new, united Yugoslavia out of the partisan battles against German occupation during the Second World War to the hypocritical intervention into the region during the 1990s by United Nations and NATO forces capped by the Pax Americana imposed by Washington at Dayton.

"The frontiers between the dwarf states of the Balkan peninsula were drawn [by]...the Great Powers-in the fist place Russia and Austria-[that] have...a direct interest in setting the Balkan peoples and states against each other...This peninsula, richly endowed by nature, is senselessly split up into little bits...[rendering] impossible [the] development of Balkan industry and culture...

"The only way out of the national and state chaos is a union of all the peoples of the peninsula in a single economic and political entity on the basis of national autonomy....

"State unity of the Balkan Peninsula can be achieved in two ways: either from above, by expanding one Balkan state...at the expense of the weaker ones...or from below, through the peoples themselves coming together...and unfurling the banner of a Balkan federal republic..."

Is this not a great beginning for analyzing Balkan developments ever since?!

In 1912-13, Trotsky traveled through Belgrade, Sofia, Romania, and elsewhere, sending eyewitness accounts of the two wars to the popular Ukrainian leftist newspaper, Kievan Thought. These articles form the bulk of this extremely useful and educational collection.

Trotsky writes, with similar incisiveness, on the question of Macedonia, Armenia, the Young Turk movement, and the politics of anti-Semitism in Romania (on this subject, opening a window to a profound understanding of later events). His articles vary from political documents to moving descriptions of what war means for the workers and farmers swept up in its hellfire to interviews with all kinds of political personalities-from leading bourgeois politicians to rank and file soldiers. Of particular interest are his accounts of the early history of the various socialist parties in the region

His vivid portraits-particularly his appreciation of his longtime friend and collaborator, the Bulgarian communist Christian Rakovsky as well as of the founding Romanian socialist leader Konstantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea-are an excellent antidote to the bourgeois commentators, politicians and journalists who so often dehumanize the workers and farmers of this region, depicting them as, at best, helpless and irrational victims trapped in a cycle of "centuries-old" national and ethnic violence. Trotsky's writings make it clear that nothing could be further from the truth. The responsibility for that violence lies squarely at the feet of the imperialist powers that have long used the Balkans without regard for the [very] human beings who live there.

By outlining the theory and true history of the pioneering Balkan communists, Trotsky also helps make clear how the Stalinist regimes that later arose there and in the Soviet Union turned their backs on the real program of Marxism. This should be of great interest to workers and farmers in that part of the world looking for a way out from the dead-end that imperialist intervention has produced in the Balkans.

Pathfinder's new edition of this classic work features larger, much more readable type. A look through the maps, time charts, glossary, footnotes, and index of this book will make it clear that an extraordinary effort has been expended so that workers interested in acquiring a fundamental knowledge of Balkan history and politics can confidently begin right here.

Trotsky's brilliant war correspondence.......2005-04-28

Trotsky saw in the Balkan Wars a portent of the Europe-wide war, which we know today as World War I. He risked cholera, malaria, and other ills, to file these articles, which expose the social breakdown in these small impoverished nations. He blasts the imperialist powers for using the conflict for their own purposes, for example when the Russian-French-British camp covered up massacres of Turkish Muslims. Anyone interested in the roots of anti-Semitism should read the article included here on the Jewish question in Romania. This book is a classic of Marxist reporting and a very good source of background information to anyone wanting to understand the current unraveling of the Balkans.

2000, and still the same.......2000-06-23

What's most frightening about this book is that ever so often I had the impression that I was reading about the present-day situation on the Balkan. Yes, the old dynasties were swept away in the aftermath of WWI, so the names have changed, but the peoples on the Balkan peninsula are still the playthings of international capital and its henchmen in the parliaments. Unfortunately most modern reporters either hardly know how to formulate a correct phrase or have no clue about the social and economic background of the situation they write about. L.D. Trotsky, on the other hand, combined a keen eye for the complex intersection of economy, politics and religion with an expressive style. Not to forget his vitriolic humour. (And yes, I loved his snide remark about Austrian tardiness - verrry true!;-)) Despite the intricacy of the issues, these reports are easily readable.

An indispensable reference on the background of Balkan fight.......1998-09-08

Trotsky's war correspondence from the Balkan Wars that just preceded World War I is more than a fascinating collection of journalism by a dramatic and passionate figure in modern history. It is also an indispensable backgrounder for the fighting going on in the region today. Much of Trotsky's reportage, e.g. on Serbian attempts to reduce the Albanian population of Kosova by mass murder, will echo very loudly. To his credit, Trotsky sided whole-heartedly with the Albanian victims, in a way that shames the modern defenders of media neutrality and global passivity in the face of ethnic terrorism. The beginning of all wisdom on the modern Balkan wars.

Book Description

ñIt is hard to conceive how such a massive and disparate body of evidence about such a complex, diffuse, and subtle set of problems might have been better assembled. . . . This study is impressive . . . î „American Historical Review

ñThis is a rich and stimulating study on the historical relationship between Dutch and blacks within metropolitan and colonial borders.î „African History

Examines folklore, art, literature, and religion to gain an understanding of the history and development of racial attitudes and color prejudice during Western expansion and scientific and industrial modernization. Blakely discovers that humanism and liberalism, the hallmarks of Dutch society since medieval times, have not dispelled race bias.

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Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern Society
Allison Blakely
Manufacturer: Indiana Univ. Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBBX44

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Blacks in the Dutch World: The Evolution of Racial Imagery in a Modern Society,
Allison, BLAKELY
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ6D0Q

Book Description

This book describes some newly developed computational techniques and modeling strategies for analyzing and predicting complex transport phenomena. It summarizes advances in the context of a pressure-based algorithm and discusses methods such as discretization schemes for treating convection and pressure, parallel computing, multigrid methods, and composite, multiblock techniques. The final chapter is devoted to practical applications that illustrate the advantages of various numerical and physical tools. The authors provide numerous examples throughout the text.

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