Obviously you enjoy architecture or you wouldn't be thinking of reading a review of this book. Think no further, buy the book. Frank Furness has been overlooked way too long and this book shows why in pictures and a nice overview of text why this mans work, and what is left of it, should be escalated to the heights of the finest.

Compiled and written by architectural expert and writer Jason Miller, Frank Gehry is a truly gorgeous, full-color photographic showcase of Gehry's avant-garde architecture, ranging from the Schnabel Residence in Brentwood, California; to the Nationale-Nederlanden Building in Prague, Czech Republic; to the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington. An impressive coffee-table book offering beautiful, panoramic captures of architectural genius in both form and function, Frank Gehry epitomizes the life and work of its title architect largely through image accompanied by brief captions, backgrounded with a few short essays enhancing the majesty of the structures themselves. Frank Gehry is a welcome and highly recommended addition to professional, academic, and community library Architectural Studies reference collections.

"I would rather that this work be seen as a sort of inventory of my visual horizon; but also - and without the two aspects contradicting each other - as an expression of my gratitude to destiny, for being born (and surviving) in such an exceptional and crucial period." And with these words, Frank Horvat brings forth 1999 A Visual Diary, with a snapshot of his own visual horizon for everyday of the year. Some resonating with social implications, exposing the face of modern Europe, some lovely and ephermal portraits of his grandchildren. There is no elaborate artistry to this diary, just a collection of color snapshots.

The book is slightly larger than the prints, and gives the impression of a flipbook. You glide through Mr. Horvat's travels, Rome, Paris, his country house, his grandchildren. Some photographs are overwhelmed by the human subject, others are quiet glimpses of unusual cityscapes.

Horvat's diary is characterized by an attention to rich and usual color, as well as interesting faces. And ultimately, the photographs that you find most memorable reflect something about yourself. Looking back, perhaps the most interesting aspect of 1999 A Visual Diary is the inconsistency that arises when my friends are asked to choose their favorites photographs from a collection that escapes any categorization other than snapshots of life.

This book contains all the best, plus the inspiration behind the illustration, written by Mr. Freas himself. The art of this talented man ranges from the nymphette-type babes-in-space to spacemen to aliens to robots with conscience. A must for anyone who is interested in his art & science fiction in general, since he has illustrated for umpteen sci-fi legends, including Weird Tales & Isaac Assimov...now, if only it were still in print!

In a world where almost everywhere has been explored, it is exciting to read about the world's deepest ravine, almost inaccessible, full of vigin forest, strange plants, and animals, and still not fully explored either by Chinese or Westerners. Frank Kingdon Ward explored it in the 1920s, in what was then Tibet, leaving a stretch of several miles unknown to all but the local tribes. His original book is reproduced as the core of the present one (with some editing of his words to remove comments that would today be viewed as unacceptably racist). There are also accounts of earlier explorations of the region, including the wild borderlands of India to the south, choked by subtropical forests and then populated with violent tribes (this border region is still disputed by China and India). Kingdon Ward was a botanist, focusing on the plant life of the gorge, whereas the new book gives accounts by modern explorers and covers additional aspects, such as Tibetan religion. There are some fascinating photographs: black and white ones by Kingdon Ward and modern color ones. Two I particularly like are the same view of mountains and old-growth forest taken from a cave where Kingdon Ward camped in the 1920s. One is Kingdon Ward's photograph, and the other is taken some 75 years later, with individual trees grown larger, a large glacier melted away, and the treeline higher up the mountains. Recent, separate expeditions by Western and Chinese teams in the 1990s have shrunk the unexplored stretch of the gorge to about three miles. The discoveries of the Westerners are described and illustrated in the book, including a "new" waterfall. Unfortunately, though, politics make an unwelcome intrusion at the end of the story.

This book has a large amount of color photographs of his work. The photographs alone show you what a wonderful architect he was. The book also gives you information on all the pictures of his work. Information about the locations, years, and also professional and personal information on Frank Lloyd Wright. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Frank Lloyd Wright And The Prairie School In Wisconsin: An Architectural Touring Guide includes descriptions of forty-seven Wright-designed buildings, as well as thirty-six buildings of other Prairie School architects. Kristin Visser's guidebook will enable visitors to tour more than two dozen buildings, stay in Prairie School bed and breakfast inns, and even rent a Wright-designed cottage. Frank Lloyd Wright And The Prairie School In Wisconsin offers a history of each building, noting special features to observe. There is a brief biography of Frank Lloyd Wright and the other architects whose work is represented, as well as a brief history of the Prairie school. Frank Lloyd Wright And The Prairie School In Wisconsin is enhanced with more than one hundred photographs and practical travel information. James Dennis (professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the owner of a Wright-designed home) provides an informative introduction. Frank Lloyd Wright And The Prairie School In Wisconsin is "must" reading for architectural students and Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts.

Kevin Nute's book, Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan, is written with an unusual depth of inquiry. Thorough and clearly labeled illustrations and descriptive text identify connections between real Japanese buildings and works of art and Wright's architecture and design motifs. By examining the influence of Japanese art & architecture on Wright's work, Dr. Nute also has described the manner in which any designer might be influenced by built and natural environments.

It's great that this book now is available in paperback, as it will prove inspiring to practitioners and students of architecture - as well as the general public. A must buy for everyone interested in the development of ideas who are searching for a fascinating story about creativity at its best!

Kruty has fashioned a craftsmanlike, wonderfully readable account of Midway Gardens. A fascinating study, for design professional and lay person alike, which illuminates not only a lost masterpiece, but the mind and design process of its creator, Frank Lloyd Wright, against the social backdrop of pre-World War I Chicago.

Although many people know that Frank Lloyd Wright operated his architectural enterprise for many years from Taliesin in Wisconsin, relatively few Wright fans have been there. Having been born into the rural farm country of Wisconsin, many of Mr. Wright's architectural ideas emerged from that rolling country and its beautiful rivers and views.

Many who admire Fallingwater will be intrigued to compare the views of the Wisconsin river at Taliesin ("shining brow" in Welsh) with the stunning sights in the Alleghenies. Mr. Wright was working at Taliesin when he sketched his first drawings of Fallingwater. The land is steeper at Fallingwater, and the waterfall at Taliesin was originally there to provide power. Many of the principles of the two sites are otherwise similar in striking ways that will give you a deeper understanding of Mr. Wright's work.

The highlight of this book comes in the wonderful color photography that will probably inspire you to want to visit (in the summer time) to enjoy the hundreds of acres of grounds and the many architectural features that Mr. Wright designed there. Many may not know about his windmill tower that the local farmers predicted would not survive high winds, but which continues to beautifully grace the site.

I was fascinated to see original photographs of Taliesin and its surroundings while Mr. Wright was working there, as well as the views from today. Like a lot of Mr. Wright's work, the romantic idealization of his vision has proceeded quite far. But we will still enjoy it, even if it has evolved from the original.

Having seen this book, I have decided to make a pilgrimage to Taliesin. I have been to Taliesin West many times, and have enjoyed that wonderful Wright work very much. Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona and was Mr. Wright's refuge from the cold Wisconsin winters in his later years.

After you enjoy the beauty and the history of Taliesin in this fine volume, I suggest that you think about the place where you were born. How has it shaped your vision? In my case, my home was nestled in a small valley surrounded by enormous mountains. It was natural to want to aspire to climb to great heights upon considering that monumental view every day.

Take the best from your heritage and share it with those whom it will help!