Gwathmey Siegel: Apartments

Book Description

Gwathmey Siegel, the award-winning New York-based firm, is acclaimed for its extraordinary houses as well as its high-profile cultural, corporate, and educational work. In the tradition of the highly successful Gwathmey Siegel: Buildings and Projects (Vols. 1 & 2), Rizzoli now presents Gwathmey Siegel: Apartments.
Gwathmey Siegel has long been the architect of choice for clients who want to combine extravagance with an intellectually rigorous, well-crafted modernism. While the houses for which they are so justly renowned often exceed 20,000 square feet, the apartments they have designed are frequently one-tenth that size. The work, however, does not suffer from this reduction in scale, rather it takes on a stunning intensity-as if the ideas encompassed in the bigger houses are in the apartments compressed into tight, concentrated forms. Expressing an unsurpassed level of detail and craftsmanship, the 17 apartments featured in this monograph document the evolution of the firm's design ethos over 30 years of practice from a minimalist modernism to what has sometimes been described as baroque modernism.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful book featuring beautiful work.......2007-03-25

I must preface this review by saying I am biased. It was my great fortune to be the co-designer of the building featured on the cover of this tome.
It was a unique experience to collaborate with the talented architects at Gwathmey Siegel. Their inventiveness, boldness, and underlying respect for timeless qualities of design justifies the breadth of their commissions.
The inclusion of plans, lovely photography and a brief but critical narrative makes this an excellent book for both architects and laypeople.

Book Description

Mitra Tabrizian's films and photographs combine techniques from documentary photography, reports, and advertising to make the viewer aware of the ideologies underlying the construction of cultural identities. As critical theorist Stuart Hall explains, "The images which comprise the projects in Mitra Tabrizian's Beyond the Limits are indeed fictive visual spaces. There is evidence everywhere of a photographic practice inscribed by the cinematic. Some reference their cinematic equivalents directly--for example, the deliberate Kitano-Tarantino-Reservoir Dog echoes and references in the implied narrative of Tabrizian's The Perfect Crime. However, far from merely mimicking the cinematic discourse of the contemporary crime film, or mounting a moral critique of its violence, Tabrizian unravels and reworks its logic from the inside. Un-framing the images from the Pulp Fiction-like locations and re-staging them, as she says, 'within the wider contexts of racial and sexual violence' allows the frames to become charged by deeper, more unconscious currents, permitting these powerful and eloquent contemporary images to signify otherwise. The racial and sexual edge, so thoroughly disavowed in Tarantino's cynical, cartoon-eye universe, is restored."

Customer Reviews:

very good but not great.......2007-04-03

The cover picture is great. It covers all the 'acted spontaneity' that should be in the rest of the book. But most of the other photographs are just plain drab or rather tiring. maybe because the subjects look too contrived or maybe due to their overly odd lighting. Many look like stills from a noir film.

A few stand out as superb photographs, such as the cover one, where the model looks truely caught in a moment of her reality. Minimalist surrealism is the best overall theme, but personally i'd prefer less obviously staged photography, or atleast photos that leave you guessing whether it really happened or not.

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Short, Green and Conrad
Bill Schorr
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0671508253

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Good Morning, I'm Joan Lunden
Joan Lunden , and Ardy Friedberg
Manufacturer: Putnam Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 5551590429

Customer Reviews:

Interesting look at the renowned lover/hunter Baron Blixen.......2002-05-25

Baron Bror Blixen was so noted for the admiration he excited in women, that his hunting clients were only half jokingly advised to write in their contracts that he refrain from seducing their wives. Best known for being the husband of Izaak Dinesen and also for being the inspiration for a Hemingway short story, he's well worth reading about on his own merits. The author is the Baron's godson and has an inside and affectionate perspective on his famous godfather.

The Man Whom Women Loved: The Life of Bror Blixen

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The Man Whom Women Loved: The Life of Bror Blixen
Ulf Aschan
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OT5L2E

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The Man Whom Women Loved. The Life of Bror Blixen
Ulf Aschan
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTCQGI

Book Description

The campaign in Burma was the longest and biggest ground war fought by the British and Americans against the Japanese. Using the Imperial War Museum's exceptional archives, Major General Julian Thompson provides a gripping and unforgettable picture of what it was really like to fight in this extraordinary conflict.

Customer Reviews:

The Best "Shorter" Introduction to the War in Burma.......2005-10-10

Although this is not one of the more famous books on the war in Burma, it is one of the best and covers nearly all of the war with tolerably good writing and extant reference and use of first-hand experiences from the British and Empire soldiers.

No major geographical area of the war is left out: Preparation and contact with the ememy and the fighting withdrawal is well described. The amphibuous operations in the Arakan, the mountainous warfare in Imphal/ Kohima, the follow up and eventual capture of Mytkylia, the fall of Rangoon and the final operations in the Pegu Yomas are all here providing a well written overview.

The main goal of the Imperial War Museum Books series is to use first-person accounts as much as possible in the text. I would say that the usage can at times be rather thick but it does not take away from the general flow of the narrative.

Reminicenses of Empire soldiers, especially the Royal Indian Army, that made up the bulk of the attacks in Burma are lacking, and Thompson is the first to admit and regret this... there is simply not that much written down... (in fairness I am sure that there is a lot of memoirs in India, but they are not readily available in England and Thompson was using what he has from the Imperial War Museum).

Also there is little on the operational views of the Japanese but that requires a historian who is capable of reading Japanese sources... once again Louis Allan's book "Burma: The Longest War" is the definitive read on Japanese intentions and assessments).

There is also a curious aside on what must be one of the most hotly debated subjects of WWII: the effectivness and supposed genius of Major Gen Orde Wingate. I will say little of this, but that this is again an Army man (Thompson) evaluating him in Army terms.... I agree with his analyses. I will leave it at that as the discussion is quite long and involved for a book of this length.

All in all the best intro to the Burma campaign available in print.

The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Burma 1942-1945 (Pan Grand Strategy Series)

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The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Burma 1942-1945 (Pan Grand Strategy Series)
Julian Thompson
Manufacturer: Pan Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUL4R4

Book Description

Have human rights as we once understood them become obsolete since 9-11? Aren’t new methods needed to combat the apocalyptic violence of al-Qaeda? Shouldn’t we sacrifice some rights to make us all safer? And if we can kill a combatant in battle, why shouldn’t we torture them if it will save lives? William Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, examines these and other fundamental questions through the prism of our new consciousness about terrorism in this provocative new book. It questions America’s own ambivalent record—its tainted legacy—and addresses recent human rights violations: the imprisonment without charge of non-citizens and the violation of the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo Bay. Schulz writes, “One of Osama bin Laden’s goals is to destroy the solidarity of the international community and undermine the norms and standards that have sustained that community since the end of World War II. The great irony of the post-9/11 world is that, when it comes to human rights, the United States has been doing his work for him.”

Customer Reviews:

Full of holes and contradictions.......2004-04-09

Tainted Legacy is an unmemorable book with many glaring problems. He makes absurd, unsubstantiated statements like, "Puritan society contained at its heart contradictions that were to roil American history in one form or another for 350 years." Also, "Contrary to ill-informed right-wing opinion in the United States, the vast majority of Muslims did not applaud when the planes hit their targets on 9/11." I'm sorry, but I know no right-winger who thinks that way. He also refers to the "discriminatory practices against Muslims in the United States..." but must have forgotten to back his statement up with facts. He also gives a straw man argument of natural rights, and then concludes rights are pragmatic. Overall, this was a badly written book that left no impression in my mind.

Pretty Good Read If You're Looking Into a Liberal Legacy.......2004-03-01

I felt Schulz's book lacked something. He cited examples, gave numerous justifications, etc., but I don't see the other sides argument presented enough/fairly. In order to offer an argument, the so-called 'unbiased reader' should be given both sides, finding concrete flaws in the opposing sides argument. I many times found myself unengaged in his reasoning. Example: the introductory "I don't ever want to speak English again," as the reader I don't see the other sides position, nor do I see him justifying why he agreed with his P.O.V.-- I was simply expected to know why he held to the values that he did hold to. I also didn't appreciate the liberal bias. I understand that Schulz is against the violations of human rights, which I don't advocate in any way, shape, or form, on the other hand, he criticized the way the U.S. conducts their foreign policy, in particular, the present Republican Administration. In not offering the other side's argument, he leaves a loop hole for domestic security, and the possibility for that being violated via his liberal agenda.

To balance out the book as a whole, though, I felt that the rest of the book was informative. There were many in-depth critiques to situations that, given his argument (the only presented argument), justified them as lacking human rights, i.e. "What Makes Rights 'Right'".

All in all, I thought the book was an entertaining read. I may have not agreed with all of Schulz's positions, but I do feel more informed, and understanding. 'Tainted Legacy' got me thinking, and has caused many debates, and great discussions. I'd recommend this book on the simple fact that it is stimulating, and also motivating. Although I wish the book wasn't so liberal-biased, the essense of it is pure: Human Rights are important, and should not be violated, which I found to be clearly shown throughout the book.

A Must Read!!!!.......2004-02-10

Bill Schultz continues to shine on the forefront of the human rights movement. Schultz's "Tainted Legacy" uses a human rights framework as a means to critique post 9/11 U.S. policy. This book is a quick read, but contains complex issues and topics. Schultz is an excellent thinker who uses this book to show the importance of respecting human rights in a time of uncertainty. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who questions the importance of human rights and also to those who already struggle to protect human rights both at home and abroad.

Excellent . . . but hard to review.......2004-01-29

On the surface, "Tainted Legacy" is an excellent book; it presents valid criticism of the human rights movement and the policies of the US government, without descending into the kind of hysterics normally found in contemporary political writing.

Yet it is flawed, perhaps fatally so--regretably, to be sure, but flawed none the less.

The fact is that the people this book hopes to convince will not read it, and the people who do read it will nod their heads in agreement throughout the sections they already agreed with and self-consciously skim over those parts that hit too close to home. Many in the human rights community (of which I am involved as a student activist) fit the mold that Schulz criticizes in "Tainted Legacy"--so caught up in their own moral purity that they forget the higher goal of helping people.

We see this right now in the opposition movement to the Iraq War. I opposed the US invasion on the grounds that it was not sanctioned by the UN and that the US government lied to persuade the American people to support it. Yet many of those who I agreed with last year have now abandoned all reason and demand that coalition troops be withdrawn from Iraq--this is, to be frank, stupid, considering the political and economic situation in the country. They have let their purity get in the way of common sense.

If such people read and absorb "Tainted Legacy" in vast numbers, Schulz might get his hoped-for change in the popular view of human rights. This I doubt; it is far too easy to ignore ideas, however valid, that clash with out preconceived notions of truth, and "Tainted Legacy" will hit that barrier. While I wish this were not the case, as I agree with Schulz wholeheartedly, I find it hard to believe that either those in power or the people who put them there will read and assimilate this work; it's audience will be made up of people--like myself--who already agree with him and are willing to accept a challenge to our views. Those he needs to reach will not read the book. It's a tragedy, as they need to if the human rights movement is to retain its effectiveness, but "Tainted Legacy" will die an undeserved death, remaining only in libraries and in the personal collections of individuals, like myself, who care enough about the state of this world to base our actions and views on reason and not principle.

Insightful and Challenging.......2004-01-14

Looking beyond the moral rhetoric of the Bush administration and its war against terrorism, Tainted Legacy examines how human rights have become expendable in the interests of national security and how this in turn has tainted the credibility and legitimacy of the international human rights regime. William Schulz challenges the contradictions of past and present US foreign policy by tracing different times when the US has betrayed its most fundamental values for short term interests and how this has provoked more anti-American sediment and distrust for US policies throughout the world. At the same time, he condemns the US government's disregard for human rights here at home, by looking at the secret detention and abuse that over a thousand Muslim immigrants endured in the days that followed 9/11. It is through these examples, that Schulz challenges the US to make its war on terrorism coincide with policies that are consistent with human rights, so that the US does not end up fueling more hatred into a new generation of terrorists and taint human rights further. In conclusion, Tainted Legacy gives a provocative look at the importance of human rights in eliminating terror and oppression throughout the world and is highly recommended for anyone interested in exploring alternative ways to build a more peaceful world.

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Tainted Legacy
David Rumer
Manufacturer: Elderberry Press (OR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

An incisive look at how an egalitarian elite has, over the past 100 years, led America away from equality and the rule of law as it pursued Rouseau's sterile egalitarianism. Rouseau's model failed, America's Old Left "red diaper" offspring donned the mantle to begin their "long march" through our institutions as the New Left, setting out to deconstruct the American Experiment without offering a concrete replacement. In the author's analysis, the extent of their success is alarming.

In a fascinating and cogent tale Rumer follows modern man through technical revolution, a world depression, and two world wars, setting the stage for a civil rights struggle soon to be the vehicle for legal and social corruption.

In a narrative given breath by first-hand experience, Rumer describes a new eglite representing academia, the law, the arts, religion, politics and media emerging as fellow travelers of the New Left.

Book Description

A web of murder, madness and extraordinary passions begins to unravel after a senator and his prominent father are killed when their private plane blows up in mid air. At first the FBI suspect terrorism, but homicide detective Terrell Newman is called in to assist in investigating the theory that it might have been simply a homicide disguised to look like the work of terrorists. Noting the number of strange deaths and other tragedies within the senator’s family over the years—going back to the grandfather, who was found hanging from an oilrig in an apparent suicide—Newman begins to wonder if there is any connection between these other events and the latest tragedy. The novel intersperses chapters about the family’s history—beginning with the arrival of the grandfather in Texas in the 1930s—with the progress of the investigation by Newman and the FBI.

Customer Reviews:

A great love story as well as a gripping detective novel.......2003-04-14

Terrell Newman is not as central in this story as he is in THE DELIVERER and SATAN'S DAUGHTER, but he makes way for an epic cast of characters that take us from the 1930s to the present day. The story is about a Texan oil dynasty that is haunted by a string of bizarre tragedies. Newman is called in when two members of this dynasty (a senator and his father) are killed by a bomb planted in their private jet. The narrative then switches between past and present, going back to how it all started with a bootlegger arriving in Texas and falling in love with the daughter of a cattle rancher. The love story is a classic one and comes wrapped up in all kinds of conundrums (as well as some riveting sex scenes)

Tainted Legacy: 911 and the Ruin of Human Rights

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Tainted Legacy: 911 and the Ruin of Human Rights
William F. Schulz
Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X6VQ2M

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