Book Description
No building type has the power to capture the imagination like the skyscraper, yet following 9/11, the future of the skyscraper has been called into question. The author presents convincing evidence that the future of tall buildings is as secure today as it was over 100 years ago. Described and accompanied by striking full-color photography are over fifty new skyscrapers that punctuate the skyline of major cities around the world.
Essays delve into cutting-edge skyscraper design and construction, a brief history of the skyscraper's origins, the evolution of the "green" or sustainable skyscraper, symbolism and skyscraper design, and the rise of the skyscraper in Asia. A special section is devoted to the designs for Ground Zero. Far from being a dying breed, skyscrapers are increasingly vital, and continued reinvention of the form awaits us as the next decade unfolds.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful Photography for Architecture/skyscraper Fans........2006-08-08
Beautiful Photography for Architecture/skyscraper Fans. This book is excellent for what I enjoy: The basic Stats, designer, and great photos of buildings. 5 stars.
64 tall buildings in photos and tech. drawings.......2005-09-06
64 projects in this small size survey at only 6.5 x 8.25 inches (16.5 x 21 cm) are depicted mainly by photos, but good ones. Many projects also include renderings, plans, models, sketches, site plans, details, sections, hard line presentation drawings, etc. Following the introductory part on 10 pages with many illustration, each of 64 projects is headed by a title page, half filled with text and half - with illustration(s), followed usually by a page (rarely more) of illustration(s). There is an assay at the end about WTC proposals followed by several pages with photos of WTC projects. This is an album-like book with a slight tech. edge. It is similar to the book "Skyscrapers: The New Millennium" (ISBN: 3791323431), but only a half of its size. Like all from the Universe Architecture series, it is compact and well published. Interestingly, the SEG Apartment Tower presented on pp. 192-5 has a design of its one side found latter in all four sides of the Freedom Tower by David Childs.
CONTENTS:
6 preface
8 vertical now: the skyscraper at the beginning of the 21st century
GLOBAL/LOCAL
20 TAIPEI FINANCIAL CENTER C. Y. Lee & Partners, Taipei, 2004
24 JIM MAO TOWER Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Shanghai, 1997
28 PETRONAS TOWERS Cesar Pelli & Associates, Kuala Lumpur, 1997
HIGH-TECH
36 HONGKONG SHANGHAI BANK HEADQUARTERS Foster and Partners, Hong Kong, 1985
40 CENTURY TOWER Foster and Partners, Tokyo, 1991
42 BANK OF CHINA I. M. Pei & Partners, Hong Kong, 1989
44 WAN XIANG INTERNATIONAL PLAZA lngenhoven, Overdiek und Partner, Shanghai, 1995 (designed)
46 HEARST TOWER Foster and Partners, New York, 2001 (designed)
48 DEBIS HEADQUARTERS Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Berlin, 1999
52 NEW YORK TIMES HEADQUARTERS Renzo Piano Building Workshop, New York, 2000 (designed)
MONOLITHIC
60 LONDON BRIDGE TOWER Penzo Piano Building Workshop, London, 2002 (designed)
62 MILLENNIUM TOWER Foster and Partners, Tokyo, 1989 (designed)
66 AL FAISALIAH COMPLEX Foster and Partners, Riyadh, 2000
68 30 ST. MARY AXE Foster and Partners, London, 2004
70 TORRE AGBAR Jean Nouvel, Barcelona, 2003
74 SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Shanghai, 2008
76 KOWLOON STATION TOWER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Hong Kong, 2007
78 TOUR EDF Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, Paris, 2001
80 SONY CENTER Murphy/Jahn, Berlin, 2000
82 AURORA PLACE Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Sydney, 2000
84 DAEWOO TOWER 88 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Pusan, 1997 (designed)
88 NATIONAL BANK OF DUBAI Carlos Ott and Norr Limited, Dubai, 1998
90 ONE PEKING ROAD Rocco Design Limited, Hong Kong, 2003
92 KINGDOM CENTER Ellerbe Becket, Riyadh, 2003
94 ESPIRITO SANTO PLAZA Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, Miami, 2003
96 TRUMP WORLD TOWER Costas Kondylis & Partners, New York, 2001
100 CREDIT LYONNAIS Christian be Portzamparc, Lille, 1995
102 MAX REINHARDT HAUS Eisenman Architects, Berlin, 1992 (designed)
104 CCTV HEADQUARTERS Office for Metropolitan Architecture Beiiinq, 2008
KINETIC
116 HOTEL HABITAT Dominique Perrault, Barcelona, 2004
118 TORQUED TOWER Santiago Calatrava, Malmo, 2003
120 PARKHAVEN TOWER Kobn Pedersen Fox International, Rotterdam, 2002 (designed)
122 MAAS TOWERS Archi-Tectonics, Rotterdam, 2003
124 DONG BU HEADQUARTERS Kohn Pedersen Fox, Associates Seoul, 2002
126 POSTEEL TOWER Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Seoul, 2003
128 ROPPONGI TOWER Kohri Pedersen Fox Associates. Tokyo, 2003
132 GASOMETER B TOWER Coop HimmelbC)au. Vienna, 2001
SCENOGRAPHIC
140 AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM Raimund Abraham, New York, 2002
142 1250 BOULEVARD REN LEVESQUE Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Montreal, 1992
144 DG BANK Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Frankfurt, 1993
146 PLAZA 66 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Shanghai. 2001
148 SHUN HING SQUARE K.Y. Cheung Design Associates, Shenzhen, 1996
152 INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTER 2 Cesar Pelli & Associates, Hong Kong, 2004
156 BURJ AL ARAB W.S Atkins, Dubai, 1999
MEDIATIC
162 TOUR SANS FINS Jean Nouvel, Paris, 1989 (designed)
164 5 TIMES SQUARE Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, New York, 2002
166 LVMH TOWER Christian de Portzamparc, New York, 1999
170 AlA TOWER OMA Asia, Hong Kong. 1998
172 THE CENTRE Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man, Hong Kong. 1997
174 CHEUNG KONG CENTRE Leo Daly with Cesar Pelli, Hong Kong, 1999
ECOLOGICAL
180 COMMERZBANK HEADQUARTERS Foster and Partners, Frankturt, 1997
182 MENARA UMNO TB Hamzah & Yeang, Georgetown, 1998
184 CONDE NAST BUILDING Fox & Fowle, New York, 1999
186 RWE HEADQUARTERS Ingenhoven Overdiek und Partner, Essen, 1996
190 DEUTSCHE POST AG Murphy/Jahn, Bonn, 2001
192 SEG APARTMENT TOWER Coop Himmelb(l)au, Vienna, 1998
196 GSW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING Sauerbruch Hutton Architekten, Berlin, 1999
198 ADIA HEADQUARTERS Kohn Pedersen Fox International, Abs Dhabi, 2004
200 110 BISHOPSGATE Kohn Pedersen Fox International, London, 2005
202 ELEPHANT & CASTLE, ECO-TOWER T.R. Hamzah & Yeang, London, 2010
204 WORLD TRADE CENTER PROPOSALS, LMDC COMPETITION 2003
FOSTER AND PARTNERS 214
SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL 218
RICHARD MEIER, PETER EISENMAN, CHARLES GWATHMEY, STEVEN HOLL 222 THINK 226
UNITED ARCHITECTS 230
STUDIO DANIEL LIBESKIND 234
Full of Fluff.......2004-07-19
Yet another work of fluff about skyscrapers. This is simply eye candy with no depth or discussion of how the genre' will survive after 9/11. yawn, more garbage from the city that never sleeps...
Book Description
Professional cartoonist Steve Barr shows kids how to use simple pencil shapes to create delightful cartoon versions of sharks, fish, whales and more. The book begins by showing readers the basic shapes and lines used in the drawings. Carefully designed step-by-step instructions give young artists the confidence to experiment and the know-how to draw colorful, refrigerator-worthy creations. The easily followed lessons conclude with a reproducible "Cartoonist's Apprentice" certificate.
Book Description
In 1968, just before Easy Rider roared its way into American consciousness, Danny Lyon published The Bikeriders. A seminal work of modern photojournalism, this landmark collection of photographs and interviews documents the abandon and risk implied in the name of the gang Lyon belonged to: the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle Club. With images and interviews that are as raw, alive, and dramatic today as they were three decades ago, this new edition includes startling new images: 15 additional black-and-white photographs and 14 color prints--long thought missing--of works originally published in black-and-white. With a new introduction by the author, The Bikeriders rides again, capturing like never before the dawn of the counterculture era.
Customer Reviews:
The Bikeridiers.......2007-09-17
This book was very interesting and gave in-site into motorcycle riding, and riders of years past. I found it a little bit hard to read. this is written in the sixties with all the lingo of the day. Through all this I feel any motorcycle enthusiast will enjoy the reading. I also enjoyed all the pictures. They show the styles of the era and the way people customized their bikes.
Purchased for husband.......2006-07-03
My husband loves this book. It's filled with photos too, most of which are from many years ago.
I haven't personally read the book, but he was very pleased with it.
INTERESTING.......2006-03-19
This book tells of the transformation from motorcycle club, to bike gang, the inocence is shown, the transformation is told, very interesting, the photos are unbelievable
Authenticity.......2004-09-07
An amazing collection of incredible photography from an almost undocumented era in American motorcycling. Powerful, moving, deeply authentic.
Throughout history, there have always been people who felt that they had nothing left to lose. People who had come to the conclusion that polite society was just a whitewash over something that was rotten to the core. Often, they decided this during very hard childhoods, as they found themselves betrayed by parents who were themselves just too screwed up to love their children.
Arriving at 18, mad at the world, a fast bike and a wide-open horizon look pretty good to these people; and if you don't care whether you live or die, you ride that bike fast and crazy and you grab whatever goodies life has to offer, legal or not.
I was deeply saddened and powerfully moved by the images in this book. Again and again I got the impression that these are people who are riding away from something as fast as they can, in the ultimately futile hope of outrunning whatever it is. I'd be willing to bet that the pirates of 300 years ago had a similar look in their eyes; a look of sadness and desperation, mixed with the ferocity of an incurable anger.
The photographs are works of high art, and from the perspective of a lifelong motorcyclist, it is wonderful to see choppers that were actually built by their owners rather than bought out of a catalog by people who are "squares" 5 days a week. These images remind us of why we motorcyclists got the reputation we're trying to live down; and despite my sadness for the messed up lives I see here, like everyone else I have to look at this book. Nothing is quite as fascinating as the freedom, the tragedy, the passion and the sadness that comes from having nothing to lose in a society that judged mercilessly without wanting to know what they were judging.
Give a copy of this book to your white-collar buddy with the store-bought $35,000 bar bike; it might give him a little more understanding of who he thinks he's trying to be.
The Bikeriders.......2004-02-15
More a photography book than anything but also has interviews with the people who grace these pages. Chronicles the early years of the Outlaws MC, the pics in this book are amazing. The bridge being ridden across in the photo "Crossing the Ohio River" which is considered by many to be the greatest motorcycle photograph ever is about a five minute ride from where I once lived. Every time I rode across that bridge I thought about that pic. The Bikeriders is one of the few, if not the only, non-sensationalized books having to do with outlaw motorcycle clubs.
Average customer rating:
|
The Bikeriders
Danny Lyon
Manufacturer: The Macmillan Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UFPANC |
Average customer rating:
|
The Bikeriders
Manufacturer: Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQS4EM |
Average customer rating:
|
THE BIKERIDERS.
Manufacturer: Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQTC0W |
Average customer rating:
|
The Bikeriders
Danny Lyon
Manufacturer: The Macmillan Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TB3VT2 |
Average customer rating:
|
Betrayed Confidence, The : Seven Series of Dogear Wryde Postcards By Gorey, Edward, The Famed Illustrator Edward Gorey, Most Well-Known for His Production of the Credit Animation for TV's Mystery Program, Draws Terse, Idiosyncratic, and Morbidly Humorous
SIGNED, with Frontispiece, Illustrated in B/W Edward Gorey
Manufacturer: Parnassus Imprints,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JD64MG |
Customer Reviews:
Mixed Collection.......2000-11-11
Those unfamiliar with Gorey's subtle, obscure sense of the absurd amidst bleak Edwardian scenes had better start with his "Amphigorey" collection. This offbeat small-press offering is more for connoisseurs of his work. It collects some postcard series by Mr. Gorey, as ever using an anagram for the author's name, in this case Dogear Wryde. The artwork is the usual brilliant, careful pen-and-ink fare. "Scenes de Ballet," the first series, pokes hilarious fun at the pretensions of the high arts with absurd ballet names and costumes (though you may need some understanding of French to get some of the joke.) "Menaced Objects" is my favorite series, by far the funniest. It depicts lackluster objects like a spool of thread and a "tray of calling cards" supposedly in peril from other vaguely menacing presences. (My personal favorite: "Formal glove shone on by gibbous moon.") "Arms for Oblivion" is a drawn-out joke displaying utterly forgettable objects in forgettable locations. It's good for a smirk, though you may not return to it often. "Interpretive Series" shows a creature acting out various adjectives that begin with the letter "I." These indeed would make wonderful postcards, though in book form one needn't read them more than once. (I wonder where I can get actual postcards. This reprint book is valuable as a catalog of the master's work, but the work was indeed intended to post.) "Neglected Murderesses" is exactly the kind of morbid humor one would expect, a rogues' gallery of obscure women who used odd means of killing people (such as tipping their wheelchairs over precipices and braining someone with a bowling ball). "Tragedies Topiares" is outrageously funny because the entire premise is so bizarre - various topiaries (sculpted shrubbery) are held up as examples of menace; a shrubbery automobile is seen apparently running somebody over, etc. The contextlesness of the whole thing is marvelous. "Whatever Next" is an intentionally boring series of views of obscure corners of rooms, with no text atall. Again, a one-time look, although one wonders how Gorey could spend so much time to so carefully render this curious joke. Overall, this book is a highly amusing browse for a rainy day, but it helps if you were a fan already.
The Book Form of Seven Sets of Dogear Wryde Post Cards.......1999-04-20
"SCENES DE BALLET:" six cards which caricature the ballet, its exotic titles and its performers. MENACED OBJECTS: 16 cards featuring every day objects with captions that turn the commonplace into the grotesquely sinister, e.g. "Devilled egg beneath a leak starting in the ceiling" ARMS FOR OBLIVION: 15 cards showing common objects within frames with a minimum of connotation e.g. "Papier mache doughnut (Diameter 4') made by D. Guest." or, "Mourning veil and cauliflower in the Uplift kitchen." INTERPRETIVE SERIES: 14 cards featuring a Gorey-creature wearing shoes and gloves with an upper case "I" prop, pantomiming the meanings of various words beginning with "I." "Insouciance" and "Idolent" are two examples. NEGLECTED MURDERESS SERIES: These 13 cards are subtle reminders that the female as well as the male can be deadly. "TRAGEDIES TOPIARES" is the tour-de-force of this collection. Its 13 cards with their captions in French are brilliant visual oxymorons. WHATEVER NEXT? Its 13 uncaptioned cards with a variety of spaces with objects, leave them open to interpretation. I'm convinced that the card with the frying pan setting on the edge of a table is a pictorial tribute to the Three Stooges.
Average customer rating:
|
American Magazine Journalists, 1741-1850 (Dictionary of Literary Biography)
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Journalism
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 081034551X |
Average customer rating:
|
American Magazine Journalists, 1850-1900 (Dictionary of Literary Biography)
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Journalists
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Journalism
| Writing
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0810345579 |
Average customer rating:
- Thanks for the help Mark
- Nothing Better
|
Condos, Co-ops, and Townhomes: A Complete Guide to Finding, Buying, Maintaining, and Enjoying Your New Home
Mark Weiss
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Buying & Selling Homes
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Tips and Traps When Buying a Condo, co-op, or Townhouse (Tips and Traps)
-
Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Co-op, Condo, or Townhouse
-
Keys to Purchasing a Condo or CO-OP (Barron's Business Keys)
-
Condo Living: A Survival Guide to Buying, Owning And Selling a Condominium
-
How to Buy a Condominium or Townhouse (How to Buy a Condominium Or Townshouse)
ASIN: 0793178401
Release Date: 2003-11-01 |
Book Description
Affordability. Location. Amenities. Convenience. Low maintenance. Community.
These are just some of the reasons why property buyers across all regions and all demographic categories are making the markets sizzle for townhomes, condominiums, and cooperatives.
Addressing the unique challenges to successfully buying these kinds of homes, broker and developer Mark B. Weiss brings his insider's depth of experience to mentor potential buyers. Sharing the knowledge and experience gained in more than 15 years dealing with every type of real estate, Weiss presents comprehensive how-to information and brings it to life with true stories from his files.
Weiss explains the pluses and minuses of condos, co-ops, and townhomes and the pros and cons of purchasing new construction versus pre-owned property. He outlines what to consider in detail for every step-from starting to look to financing to eventually selling-and provides sample forms that illustrate the process. Throughout, he provides the answers to such common questions as:
* What are the differences between condos, co-ops, and townhomes?
* Can these properties be financed? What are the special considerations?
* How do assessments affect affordability?
* Can the unit be rented as an investment?
* What is a homeowners association and why is it important?
* Who insures the common areas?
With mortgages more affordable than ever, those seeking the shelter of a first home, a retirement home, or urban luxury, without the hassles of commuting, are turning to association-managed communities. Condos, Co-ops, and Townhomes provides the comprehensive road map needed to avoid pitfalls and make life-enhancing choices for this popular type of home.
Customer Reviews:
Thanks for the help Mark.......2004-07-18
I bought my first condo in a converted loft building 18 months ago. Bad deal! I was taken by the hot shot developer. I learned my lesson. I needed to get out of this home and situation due to mis-representaion and other problems. I bought this book hoping to learn and I did. I felt that had I read this book before my first purchase I could have avoided many problems. I actually called the author who with his staff helped me sell my unit and relocate to a new home I am very happy now. For anyone ready to buy a condo, read this book and call Mark B Weiss Real Estate in Chicago for their expertise in helping people like you or me. I even made more money selling my first condo loft than I had thought. I'm in much better shape now thanks to Mark B Weiss.
Nothing Better.......2003-12-08
While I was riding the "EL" to work I saw this book being read by a number of people over the last month, so I decided that there must be something to it. I recently moved to Chicago and am begining to look for a condo. I found that the authors writing style was not like any of those Dummies or Idiots Books prepared by the "HOW TO" writers but actually by a Chicago developer and broker who tells a good story. Mark hit me where I live, I enjoyed learning from his book because it is an easy read and covers the "never discussed" area's of what you really really need to consider before taking the plundge into home ownership. This man writes from years of practicle experience and it shows. I then realized that Mark had writen other books as well so I purchased those too. I think that after I buy my condo the next step will be investment property. Thanks Mark!!
Book Description
Here is a moving story of personal triumph--and a prescription for how to tame a disease that afflicts millions of Americans and is doubling among children.
Customer Reviews:
Living with Diabetes.......2005-08-09
Not enough information/detail on her life as a diabetic. Focused too much on her Miss America experiences, without including how she handled her diabetes while Miss America.
An inspiration for all persons with diabetes.......2002-02-09
This is an open, honest account of daily living with diabetes. Ms. Johnson shares her history with us and lets us see how she has not only survived with diabetes, but made the most of her life because of her diabetes.
My Good Friend who beat the ODDS and is a big SURVIVOR.......2002-01-03
I am a friend of Nicole Johnson and I had read her book.Be her friend There were things I really didn't know about her.I am Glad she is here and I would tell anyone who may have diabetes or knows some who does to read this book.I don't have Diabetes but I may never know.It could happen to me.I really recommend you buy this book.It is the best investment you could make that may save you or some you know's life.
"There She Is--An American Survivor".......2001-09-30
Forget everything you thought you knew about the Miss America Pageant. After reading Nicole Johnson's Book "Living with Diabetes," it's clear this independent-thinking reformer immediately stepped off her pageant runway and into the trenches as a hands-on activist, lobbying for more comprehensive medical funding as well as raising both public consciousness and millions of dollars for diabetes research, forever metamorphosing public opinion along the way.
Without pandering or reverting to classic 'pageant Pollyannaism,' Nicole honestly and openly weaves a theme of conviction, hope and often painful realism. Particularly gratifying was how she consistently overcame obstacles and utilized the Miss America crown as a means to achieve diverse objectives as opposed to the title being the ultimate objective unto itself.
There she it...advocate, nonconformist, scholar, survivor. While perhaps altering the 'perfect ideal' of the Miss America dream, by giving the reader the opportunity to walk in her footsteps, Nicole conveys a sense of what the 'job' of Miss America is realistically like, made more complex by her constant struggle with an all too often debilitating disease.
Explaining, in easy to comprehend layperson's terms, the symptoms, causes, effects and potential cures for diabetes, Nicole provides an invaluable and potentially lifesaving public service in a format that is both sincere and heartwarming.
"Living with Diabetes" is classic American autobiography at its finest--candid, funny, introspective and inspiring--and is destined to become the great American success story of this decade.
Heart Touching Book.......2001-09-29
WOW! I opened this book at eleven o'clock one night and couldn't put it down until almost three in the morning. Nicole Johnson does an amazing job of making you feel apart of every story. You will laugh, cry, and walk away with a new respect for those that battle this disease.
The book is well written and never looses your attention. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down. Congratulations Nicole!! Watch out NY Times bestseller list here comes Nicole Johnson!!
Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book: A celebrated memoir of life in war-torn Beirut, spanning the 1982 Israeli Invasion and fifteen years of civil war.
As relevant now as it was when first published in 1990, Beirut Fragments records what it is like to live amid shellings, bombings, and gunfights between militias in the streets. While others fled, Makdisi chose to stay, to raise her sons, and to participate in the spirited life of the remaining community. This intensely personal memoir deliberately avoids the political dimension, yet through an exploration of her own migrations—from Jerusalem to Cairo, the United States, and finally Beirut—Makdisi illuminates root causes that reach back to the region's colonial past and presents "a profound indictment of the inhuman politics of this conflict" (Michael C. Hudson, Georgetown University).
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2005-08-26
Beirut Fragments is the only work on the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) that covers the lives of ordinary Beirutis. Whereas almost all other books are loaded with interviews with politicians and analysts and are decorated with conclusions trying to understand the causes of the war and assess its consequent destruction, Jean Said Makdisi, the sister of the late famous Palestinian writer Edward Said, describes with skill her daily stressful life in Beirut during the Lebanese capital's dark days.
Where did people go when the different militias endlessly battled and exchanged bombardment with no apparent reason behind such behavior? How did people manage their daily lives? In Lebanon, answers to these questions are abundant and people talk about them anecdotally and sometimes with nostalgia. Yet, Makdisi offers the most remarkable written testament on the issue.
One of the book's most intriguing statements occurs toward the beginning of the books when Makdisi tries, in vein, to interpret the behavior of the warring factions as she comes up with the conclusion that the scene of the Lebanese civil strife was an incomprehensible kaleidoscope.
This marvelous book, however, includes a chapter about Makdisi's childhood days with her family in Egypt. The chapter, which belongs more to a book of memoirs or an autobiography, looks very much out of place and irrelevant.
Another drawback is Makdisi's apparent intention to capture the feelings of the people who survived the war in an absolute sense rather than offering a descriptive report about the days of this war as seen from the eyes of a regular citizen like Makdisi. Her attempt to keep the book empty of any names or dates - perhaps in order to keep the book away from inter-Lebanese sensitivities - strips the book of any context. Even though I was born and raised in Ras Beirut during the civil war, I could hardly imagine the places or tell the dates the book refers to, except for the Israeli invasion and the so-called War of Liberation.
This severe anonymity made Makdisi keep out even the names of her sons or immediate family members save for a single name, that of her husband Samir, which appeared without such restriction.
The book is a lovely read and Lebanon certainly needs more similar books with more names and dates that would describe the suffering of the daily lives of the Lebanese during that period.
Brilliantly captures life in beirut, the war years.......2004-12-18
I was born in Beirut after the war started and left for the US just a few years after it ended. A few years ago I came across this book in a used-book store (sadly now closed) in Boston. It is incredible how well it captures the life and feelings of the people who stayed on in the city through those days. The day to day decisions, the scheduled cease-fires, the love of life that permeated through all the killing.
If you ever wondered what it was like living through the lebanese civil war, this is where you will find not just an account but a full recreation of a world slowly healing.
a touching story about a lovely community & people destryed by war.......2002-12-26
In 2002 I wrote a review of this book but for some reason its private so I am posting a brief review. At the time in 2002 I said that I had never written a book review before but I really wanted to recommend this book -- so the book was so good and captivating that it merited my first review! :-D I have never been to Lebanon but some Lebanese friends said the book struck home for them and it described for them how they remembered Lebanon from their childhoods. When I read the book in 2002 I did so in 2 or 3 days -- it was so good that I couldn't really put it down...
The city that looked death in the face.......2001-06-09
Makdisi's book is a remarkable testament to a shattered city that was raped, pillaged, battered, dismembered and physically left to die as a result of the civil war that raged from 1975 to 1990. The beauty of her writing lies in her heart wrenching simplicity and descriptive account of those terrible years seen through the eyes of a mother and teacher who witnessed the slow and lingering death of a city that she had grown to love. Every page is a testament to the people of Beirut who lived through the conflict and yet quite remarkably the passion that Makdisi feels for Beirut is heightened to dramatic effect whilst at the same time deploring the wages of war and how the city had become a playground for terrorist activities by largers players on the world scene. The people of Beirut were simply forgotten by the world and yet her love of humanity and how her hope remains unremitting is a shining example to mankind, amidst the carnage. A remarkable book, gripping and vivid, and a testimony to the belief that the human spirit can transcend all conflicts.
An eye-opening perspective........1998-01-15
I have read many books about the Lebanese civil war but Ms. Makdisi's book is by far one of the best. It helps provide a unique perspective and a much-needed understanding of the Lebanese civil war and a generation which lost everything that the rest of the world takes for granted. Indeed, war only looks easy from far away.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics, published by American University in Cairo on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 7528 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Makdisi's war memoir: fragments of self and place.
Author: Shereen el-Abou Naga
Publication:
Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: American University in Cairo
Issue: 22
Page: 87(21)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Based on more than a decade of research, Crows offers an accurate, humorous, and wide-ranging introduction to these fascinating birds. Who would have guessed that there are more than 40 species of ravens and crows, all variations on a theme, cawing and croaking their way through the woodlands of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and various South Sea islands? (Of the temperate continents, only South America doesn’t know the charms of these amusing, intelligent birds.) Topics explored include evolution, distribution, diet and food-getting practices (including their ingenious use of tools), social behavior (including the many crow “languages”), and impact on the human imagination, as reflected in mythology, literature, and popular aphorisms. Appealing to both the avid birder or the more casual nature lover, Crows is rich in insight, humor, and stories.
Customer Reviews:
If you enjoy birds,don't pass this one up!.......2007-06-23
I am an avid Birder and have a large library of bird and Natural History books. Over the years I have see many books on birds that are just a bunch of fluff gathered together by an editor and/or publisher. At a cursury glance,this might appear to be such a book. However;If you are familiar with the author;you'll know that she has authored several excellent books about birds.
This book is a first class look at Crows.It covers history,legend,personal experiences,behaviour and more importantly many intersting things that are recently being learned by some of the best scientists and researchers around today. They have learned things that just might convince you that crows are much more intelligent than they have ever been credited for. Well,not everyone. It is a pretty well known fact to anyone who has spent time in the country;that crows are exceptionally wary. Just try to get anywhere near them carrying a rifle;even if well concealed.You haven't got a hope!
Whether a very knowledgeable birder or one who just enjoys watching crows around where they live;you will be amased at what is in this book.
As a long time Birder,I must admit,I haven't spent much attention on crows.We see them everywhere;and well,they're just there!
After reading this book I am going to pay much more attenion to them;and I highly recommend it.
I am reminded of those famous words of that great Baseball Player,Yogi Berra;
"You can see a lot by watching!"
On top of being an excellent book because of its subject matter;it has excellent construction,high quality paper,top of the line color rendition and printing.It also comes with excellent references and notes.How can you go wrong with such a fine book? You just can't!
A most digestible, intriguing survey........2007-01-07
Crows are toolmakers, tool users, and have complex family lives as well as their own language. Sounds too human to believe? Then you have to read up on them in CROWS: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE WISE GUYS. CROWS celebrates crow abilities, surveying their behavior, natural history, and more. Observations by scientists around the world are based on more than a decade of research and blend stories about crows with scientific observation to make for a most digestible, intriguing survey.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Illustrations Supreme.......2006-08-08
Although there are quite a few miles between Saskatoon and New York, it seems clear to me that many of Candace Savage's Wise Guys and ours must be relatives! They've worked out a real-estate-sharing arrangement with cardinals, blue jays, and many smaller birds (plus squirrels, etc.) -- all in and around a huge oak tree in our back yard. If they're not out and around, I know it's not going to be such a good day.
Ms. Savage covers crow-family relationships and behavior as well as their interactions with urban or rural human surroundings. Her illustrations are many and as varied and wonderful as their subjects - current and historic, geographically and culturally significant. She has an excellent additional reference list and a good index.
Scientists around the world observe.......2006-03-19
Crows are toolmakers, tool users, and have complex family lives as well as their own language. Sounds too human to believe? Then you have to read up on them in CROWS: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE WISE GUYS. CROWS celebrates crow abilities, surveying their behavior, natural history, and more. Observations by scientists around the world are based on more than a decade of research and blend stories about crows with scientific observation to make for a most digestible, intriguing survey.
Fascinating Tricksters.......2006-03-09
If you, like me, love the image of Crows as "swaggering black-clad wise guys", then this book is for you!
Candace Savage's book is not an acedemic tome, or a scientific study..it's a wonderful, witty, captivating exploration into these amazing birds.
The many beautiful illustrations, including several by Arthur Rackham, as well as Pacific Northwest Indian designs, are a treasure in themselves, and her inclusion of myths and legends of this fabled bird make this book an incredible treat. I laughed and cackled all the way through it!
Books:
- Spectacular Homes Of Texas (Spectacular Homes)
- Stickley Brothers, The
- Sustainable Energy Systems in Architectural Design
- Swiss Made
- The Dynamics of Architectural Form: Based on the 1975 Mary Duke Biddle Lectures at the Cooper Union
- The Golden Age of Ironwork
- The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250: Ritual, Space, and Decoration
- The Medieval Sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt
- The Modernist City: An Anthropological Critique of Brasilia
- The New American Dream: Living Well in Small Homes
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Stolen Child: A Novel
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherap
- Statistics in Ecotoxicology
- Scattering Operator, Eisenstein Series, Inner Product Formula and "Maass-Selberg" Relations
- The Critique Handbook
- The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States
- The Ultimate Labrador Retriever, Second Edition
- Refiguring the Post-Classical City: Dura Europos, Jerash, Jerusalem and Ravenna
- Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects
- Imre: A Memorandum
Tall Buildings
Skyscrapers: Structure and Design
High-rise Manual
Skyscrapers
Sky High Living: Contemporary High-rise Apartment (Tall Buildings)
