I was very disappointed with this book. I found the writing style dry and the photographs/layout just not up to par. It almost seemed like somebody's thesis with som photos thrown in. Somebody needs to do a large format picture book on this subject with more about Jackie!

The writing is dry. The pictures are not the best and it fails to show whnat the White House looked like before the restoration. Everyone says that it looked horrible so why not give the reader a taste of what was so wrong with it? If you can find the White House guidebook that was produced to pay for the restoration read that instead. It has much betters photos.

A superb survey of the White House decor of President & Mrs. Kennedy. The book documents the ideas, process, decisions and choices behind the stunning interiors of the Kennedy White House-both the public and private rooms. What comes through the text is Mrs. Kennedy's leadership and vision - combining taste, history, beauty and great cunning - just to create and then manage this melange of egos, talent and intelligence was an accomplishment, and the results live on today (albeit not as beautifully or artistically). We all gained a greater knowledge and appreciation of our nation's historic and artistic past because of Mrs. Kennedy's work.

I've corresponded with Mr. Abbott and he's been most kind and interesting. He assisted in the current show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years," and there's a number of items on display relating to the White House decorations.

Read the book, catch the exhibit (it moves to the JFK Library in Boston in the fall).

Seems less than half the examples are houses; the rest are studios, guest houses, or cabins. All stylishly spare and uninviting. And while there are occasional floor plans and elevations, and about two detail drawings, the emphasis is on the pictures. You'll finish this book in about 20 minutes and wonder why anyone would spend money on these unlivable houses.

This book is a good resource for people who are looking to build a smaller, designed home. It shows that architects aren't just in business to build 10,000 sq. ft. trophy homes like the ones in the other two books in this series. It is full of ideas for designers and home onwners alike. It can be used as a starting point for opening up communication between client and designer. The thing I like most about this book series is that the author includes some of the construction drawings for some choice details. A student could learn a lot about how to put something together from these drawings (although, some are a little unclear and lack the neccesary context drawings, but I do this thing for a living and I like to see the whole picture when comes to why these designers came up with such COOL stuff!)

For those with smaller homes who are searching for ideas, this book is a real find. Tons of color photos showing great detail. The material of choice is wood, but some metal structures are included. This is not a back to the 60's book about building with remnants. The homes are first rate with a tremendous amount of innovation and care. I stole more than a few ideas for my own home.

Make no mistake, TNAH3 is beautiful. I loved the photos, especially of the interiors of the homes. However the floor plans are very difficult to read:

- numbers corresponding to a legend, and not words or obvious icons (like say a table and 4 chairs to indicate a dining room) are used for each room

- it is hard to tell with some of the larger designs what is interior or exterior, what's a wall versus a fence

- dimensions are not provided for either the rooms or the overall structure

"The New American House 3: Innovations in Residential Design and Construction" is truly a monumental resource for those interested in home architecture. Editors James Grayson Trulove and Il Kim have assembled 30 case studies of homes built between 1996 and 2000. The homes range from a 2,200 square foot residence to mansions of 10,000 and 12,800 square feet. The houses come from locations all over the United States: Lovell, Maine; Duluth, Minnesota; Fayettevile, Arkansas; Seattle, Washington; Tucson, Arizona and many other places.

Each case study includes detailed, eye-friendly floor plans, as well as many full-color photographs (both exterior and interior). Other features found in many of the case studies include cross sections, detailed elevations, axonometric drawings, site plans, and other visual supplements. Also included are descriptions of materials used in construction.

Although the houses represent a range of design approaches, the overall flavor strikes me as modern. Some of the many highlights include the daring cantilevered elements of the Nomentana Residence; the "Y" House (shaped, unsurprisingly, like the letter "Y"); the Emerson Residence, which beautifully blends traditional-looking shingled gables with some innovative elements; the Townsend Residence, a fantastic, flowing series of interconnected circles and curves; and Ledge House, with its striking blend of rough-looking logs and stone. These are just a few of the amazing sights in this book. I recommend "NAH3" with great enthusiasm.

This book contains some really good work. The previous books had a few projects here and there, but this one is pretty consistent on the quality of design. I especially like the number of projects from Arizona. (Dessert architecture out there is up and coming.)

As said before, I love these books because of the inclusion of key building details and the neccessary drawings to "see" the work past just the flashy photographs. Once again, I recommend the books in this series for someone interested in contemporary residential design, and for the designer who might need some ideas to get "un-stuck." I like to use them as visual aids to clients, also.

Instead of reading from the beginning, I started with The Red Rover first. I enjoyed it immensely; it was filled with sailors' superstitions, eery encounters with unknown ships, and many tales of the 'unexplained' occurances on sea. There were wonderful descriptions from Cooper that appealed to the senses. The Red Rover is a page-turning tale of suspense. The reader is left to ponder over the identity of the captain Red Rover and the nature of his near magical power over his men, yet Cooper gives the reader a slap in the face when we realize that it is our hero, "Wilder", who is not what he seems! The story continues and ends with more identity-revealing. I finished The Red Rover with a dazzled mind, and then turned to The Pilot. Expecting more intriguing tales of the sea, this book was a let-down in that it nearly focuses on two young lieutenants trying to kidnap their lovers from England and whisk them away, back to America. Redeeming the tale slightly is the vague pilot himself, never named, but patterned on a heroic and rather "chivalrous" John Paul Jones.

Well, if this was 1997, I would consider Gimpels book to be very good, but considering the historical distance, that compels me to knock a few notches off. Consider that the line-item veto was declared unconstitutional in 1998. Of course, this was not mentioned in the book. That could lead to incomplete research on behalf of the student. Also consider the 104th Congress tax proposal. He mentioned the proposal. He mentioned the debates, but at the end of the chapter, he did not make clear to the reader what was passed in the House. Plus, considering the historical distance, the reader never knew what happened to the bill in the Senate or if it got vetoed. These are some aspects taht can lead to inadequate research on behalf of the student.

Plus take into account of the 1994 election. He explained why the Republicans won with such a landslide in many House races. But, these critiques were his own ideas, with very littel factual support. I would argue that the economic slump caused by Reaganomics, plus a high rate of divorce that led many teens/young adults confused and angry is what led to some aspects of the Republican Revolution. Also keep in mind that early to mid 90's was known as "the age of rage." We faced Waco, Ruby Ridge, OK City, Rodney King and the LA Riots. If we take Gimpel's arguments, then we would have to dismiss many social scientists assesment that when the economy is good, society looks for ways to help. When the economy is stagnant, the focus is put on self.

Do not be misled. If a student was doing a report on the Contract With America, this would be a good starting point. Abundant information is available through reading the book. Make sure that you also read other books written later on the subject.

This is an incredibly fascinating book for those interested in the history of the American Presidency and particularly of the occupants of that office. Mr. Barber analyzes the presidents by two main factors: activity (how much effort a particular president put into performing his job) and the president's personality type and world-view (whether a president viewed his role in the world in a positive or negative light). From this Mr. Barber theorizes that there are four major presidential types: active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative. By analyzing an individual's personality prior to his entry into the White House, Mr. Barber suggests that one can predict his performance while in the presidency. For example, he categorizes FDR, JFK, and Truman as active-positives (high activity while president with each having a positive view of the world), Taft, Harding and Reagan as passive-positives (low effort put into performance of their duties, while trying to show a positive, if timorous, face to the world), and Coolidge and Ike as passive-negatives (each viewing his role in the presidency as a duty to perform rather than something in which to look forward).

The best parts of the book are in which Mr. Barber talks about the active-negative presidents, all of whom have proved disastrous to the office. Each of these presidents had put much effort and personal investment into the performance of his duties, but without any enjoyment. For each of these men, life has always been a struggle and the personal rewards few. Compulsiveness and anxiety was each man's life-script. None of them could ever afford to rest on his laurels after some success, because if he did so, he would only have to re-double his efforts next time for fear of committing failure. None could admit error and saw compromise with his opposition something to avoid at all costs. All became frozen in the rightness of a certain policy line. This was despite all evidence showing that policy had long been proven a failure.

Woodrow Wilson would not compromise with opposition Republican Senators who had certain reservations about the U.S. becoming a member of the League of Nations. The result was that the League treaty was voted down, the U.S. never became a member, and America entered a generation of isolationism. World War II was the final outcome. Herbert Hoover, sticking to his belief in "rugged individualism," would not modify his opposition to the government's stepping in to ameliorate of the effects of the Great Depression. By the time Hoover put forth his Reconstruction Finance Corporation proposal to provide loans to some businesses, the financial and unemployment crisis in the country seemed beyond repair. The voting public was ready to dump the seemingly heartless and "inactive" Hoover (who was really anything but) for the more positive and hopeful FDR. Lyndon Johnson persisted in sending more and more troops into the Vietnam quagmire despite all evidence indicating that his persistent escalation of the war had long been proven wrong. The result was ever-rising death toll of American boys, massive anti-war demonstrations, and devastating urban riots. Then, of course, there was Richard Nixon, who persisted in his lies and deceipt in the coverup of the Watergate Scandal. Not only did he become the first president to resign, but his legacy was a weakened presidency by a casting of mistrust and suspicion on all the future inhabitants of that esteemed office. Mr. Barber said that all of this could have been avoided if the American people had paid closer attention to Nixon's behavior in previous political campaigns and then deciding not to honor him by elevating him to president.

To Mr. Barber's credit, he readily admits that some presidents do not fit easily into one category or the other. For example, while he generally classifies Eisenhower as a passive-negative, Ike showed from time to time some active traits in the presidency. Likewise, while Truman was basically an active-positive, he often peevish personality could have easily lead him into some negative policy trap.

Tom Wolfe, in this book, makes the same basic mistake as Karl Marx. He figured out what he wanted to say, researched it and made all his observations and all the facts concerning the subject fit his original idea. It really should be the other way around. I think Wolfe probably woke up one morning with a grudge against modern architects and decided to write this pamphlet attacking them and their buildings. While it is true that modern architecture has made some gigantic and monstrous mistakes, it has also produced some exceptional buildings. Norman Foster and Richard Rogers (to name only two of a wide range of very talented contemporary architects) would never be erecting HSBC or Lloyd's buildings if Le Corbusier and Gropius and Mies van der Rohe hadn't existed. In one instance, Wolfe criticises the latter for the Seagram building, claiming that it is full of contradictions to the Bauhaus rules. Perhaps, but the Seagram building is an architectural classic and it helped pave the way for a generation of sexy edifices. However, some of Wolfe's attacks are well founded. It is true that the Bauhaus architects believed themselves to be intellectual giants and that some of their ideas were spectacular and costly blunders (Will somebody please tear down Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation in Marseille?)Yet Wolfe strikes again with his brilliant idiosyncratic style that makes one forget the shallowness of his argument or the fact that it seems he bears a grudge against these people. It's a good book, it will make you laugh out loud and if you don't know much about architecture, it's a good start to get acquainted with the names of the main players and the buildings they designed.

Wolfe hits the nail on the head with most of this book. But I also agree with the reviewer who says that he generalizes too much. Granted, he does give Wright due praise, but he seems to lump the rest of the modernists together as if they were all the same (Kahn is treated as just another International disciple and Aalto is conveniently left out altogether). I disagree with a lot of his analysis of early modern architecture, and I happen to think some of the ideas of the Bauhaus guys were very important. But any Corbu-bashing is music to my ears; his late work in particular is just hideous and anyone who doesn't admit at least that much has to be hiding behind pretentious theories or hero-worship. The real prize of the book is Wolfe's excellent take on postmodernism. He basically confirms the suspicion that today's artists are pulling the wool over our eyes, and he exposes the blatant stupidity and intellectualization of Venturi and his cronies. A great read, lots of fun!

This polemic is a landmark work and should be required reading of any would-be architect to demystify the god-like aura he will be introduced to regarding certain architects of the past. Mr. Wolfe lays the parallel between the pretensions masquerading as art in his earlier seminal work, "The Painted Word", and that of the lofty pretensions of modern architecture, a means to generate lots of money without any real regard to beauty. Within a few chapters and just 128 pages of the softbound (including several dozen black and white photos), he skillfully and unabashedly strips the "clerisies" of the "Silver Prince," the "White Gods," and the "Scholastics" of their reams of air-head theories of 'buildings for the working class' to show the bald pretensions of those seeking not art, but self-adoration!

I treasure my copy of the 1982 pocket book edition with a cover showing a model of the author (in his signature white suit, of course) standing and leaning against a model of a Victorian townhouse complete with the usual porches, turrets and dormer, in preference to the model of a modern and soulless, detailless 'glass block' building next to him. In a rapid and learned language, the author skewers the enormous egos, the blasé pretensions and the artless greed of our modern architects and developers as no on else can. He shows how an intellectual vogue of the 1920s beginning in the Bauhaus of reconstruction Germany found several variations and warpings with new materials and cheaper construction methods to create the 'glass box skyscrapers' with their flat roofs so characteristic of post World War II construction. One would think that to design an efficient building that is somewhat beautiful and within budget would be enough to satisfy any real architect, but here is shown that these would-be 'gods' preferred to build around themselves a worshiping school of acolytes so awed by these silver-tongued devils and so bereft of their own originality, that they caused the architecture schools to elevate these opportunists to an 'Olympus of Architects' from which Mr. Wolfe duly dethrones these supposed 'kings.' This reviewer is an admirer of that uniquely American form of architecture: the Movie Palace, a structure type that these 'elevated' "White Gods" would not even deign to call 'architecture,' so I am delighted that so clever a writer and perceptive a critic took on the task of setting history straight: the ornamentation that we all naturally love DOES belong in and on our buildings as part of the reflection of how God chose to ornament the acme of all architecture, the Earth itself, with flowers and such not directly needed in its superstructure. Form may follow function, but as here pointed out so skillfully, it does not mean that 'Naked is beautiful' in buildings.

While it can be argued that as long as mankind ever more concentrates in squalid megalopolises, it will be necessary to build towering glass boxes to achieve the best use of limited space at a cost a developer can afford. I for one hope to avoid any megalopolis that alienates men from the true God and inflates the egos of man-made 'gods' to darken our lives with tasteless structures of profit only to the rich. Ironically, Mr. Wolfe chooses to reside in New York City with his family and every day must confront the ugly congestion of an 'urban forest' of buildings that block the sun from his life, but evidently not from his heart. In the finale, he heralds a halting return to ornamented structures and even admires some of the achievements of such diverse designers as Frank Lloyd Wright and John Portman, so he leaves one with hope that the fawning adoration of the Bauhaus and its descendents will wane, and that High Tech will cease to be 'High Ugly.' Let us rally to this call for a return to artistry and realize that to repeat the past of European architectural standards is not regression, but a realization that even in new materials of today we can continue to achieve the fine dimensions and proportions of human-scaled cities of ornamental beauty that were realized by our forefathers. (Matthew 23:27)

In the fourth installment of the Leatherstocking Tales, Cooper introduces a nautical theme upon the surface and along the shores of Lake Ontario. The Pathfinder is ultimately a love story tinged with the conspiracy of treason, though it takes no extra-sensory perception to uncover the traitor long before he is exposed in the book. Cap, a grizzled saltwater veteran, accompanies his niece to visit her father stationed at the British outpost of Fort Oswego, NY. Once there, the two become embroiled in the confrontation between England, France, and their Native American allies for control of the lake. Cap is dismissive of landlubbers and "freshwater ponds", such as he describes Ontario, setting the stage for his mind to be turned by the derring-do of inland waterman, Jasper Western. Indeed, Cap is so outspoken in his contempt for the ways of his new found associates, that he becomes somewhat of an annoyance to the reader. Cooper chose to give the character little in the way of redeeming qualities nearly spoiling the pleasure one takes in Cap's ultimate and grudging respect for the wilderness and the men who master it. Such a thoroughly boorish character simply creates no emotional connection. But, Cap isn't guilty of treason. You'll spot the traitor shortly after he appears.

The Pathfinder is formulaic, utterly predictable, and, at times, almost childlike in substance, but throughout, as in all other Leatherstocking Tales, radiates the simple goodness, manly deportment, and rustic charm of Nathaniel Bumppo. Indeed, Bumppo as a character is so masterfully wrought that Cooper could place him in a melon patch for the duration of a book and still manage to eke out a classic. Having previously read The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Prairie, I find The Pathfinder the weaker of the four, but fourth in favor in this wonderful series of stories isn't any black mark. Indeed, it qualifies The Pathfinder as yet another loveable yarn from the pen of James Fenimore Cooper. 4+ stars.

In this, the third Leatherstocking tale chronologically (after Deerslayer and Last of the Mohicans), James Fenimore Cooper takes us, once again, to his vision of pure, unadultered, nature. Once again he weaves a tale around his ideas of morality, race, and religion. This time around Leatherstocking (known here as Pathfinder) is the pursuer of love, whereas before (in Deerslayer) he was the pursued.

These three books are the only ones that I have read to this point, and it is true that both this and the Deerslayer are more of romances than the Last of the Mohicans, which is an adventure.
Alot of people give the other books in the series flack because they are expecting the same as what they read in Last of the Mohicans. However, if you begin reading the book without those preconcived notions leading to disappointment, I think you will find that the other books are equally entertaining

All three are great books and I highly recommend them all.

I originally wanted to read the Last of the Mohicans because of the very enjoyable movie but I picked up this book and chose to read it first. I do not regret my decision. I was unaware when I began reading this book in the Leatherstocking series that it was not the first book in the series. A reader who has not read other books in the series can feel confident that they won't feel lost if they start reading this book. The book portrays very detailed images of the forests, lakes, rivers, and people of the French and Indian War time period during the 18th century. The character development and plot are very well done. The book also gives a glimpse of the harsh realities of war during this time period. The writing style of the book is also fascinating and reminds me, at times, of epic poetry. I highly recommend it.

This book was VERY,VERY DISAPPOINTING!It had only 2 chapters on 30yrs.of being a SLAVE(if you can believe that!) and 13 CHAPTERS
on 4 yrs. in the White House!!
GO FIGURE!!!!! I am SO SORRY I had my daughter get this book for me for Mother's DAY!

The story/diary it self I found wasn't written very good.However I found Ms.Keckley's relationship with Mrs.Mary Todd Lincoln and her family intersting.
She gave some insightfll thoughts about Mary and Abraham that was quite a treat to read.

I got a copy of this book from a book fair not on purpose. As a non-native English learner, what strikes me is the ability of Keckley to express rich emotions in very simple words and sentences. I always like reading first person narratives, fictions or true stories, but seldom find one as captivating as this. A five-star from me and it's a pity she didn't seem
to have written other books.

Like many of her fellow "Progressives," Jane Addams was born in the midwest and received an exceptional scholastic and religious education. She was strongly devoted to her father and shared with him a reverence for Abraham Lincoln not just as a man, but as a living ideal against which all men should measure their ideas and actions. Typical of many reformers of her era, Addams was not attracted to evangelical duty. Missionary work left her with a sense of futile detachment from the wretched social conditions she witnessed in East London. After visiting Toynbee Hall, Addams decided to establish a similar settlement house in the rapidly-growing city of Chicago, where "the evil and vices of American life seemed to be exaggerated." Her experiences at this settlement house are the subject of this book.

Although, on the one hand, Addams seemed the typical Progressive; on the other hand she did not follow many of the ideas of the more radical reformers. She was very practical and refused to be swayed by the claims of certain social movements and untried panaceas. she did not become a socialist. Although she greatly admired Tolstoy, she found his message "confused and contradictory" and doubted its suitability to the situation in Chicago. She deplored any violent tactics associated with socialist and anarchist groups despite their "noble motives." Addams demostrated an understanding of the ways in which strikes had a detrimental effect on people outside the labor movement (her dying sister was unable to see her family because the transportation system was blocked due to the Pullman strike. Unlike most reformers, she also had respect for the immigrant cultures represented at Hull House. A labor museum put native sewing machines and other instruments and crafts on display for all to enjoy.

One observation made by this reader was the animosity on the part of European reformers toward the work of the settlement residents. Tolstoy offered petty criticisms and one English visitor concluded that reformers in America were indifferent to the plight of the poor because they could not recite the "cubic feet of air required for each occupant of a tenement bedroom." Such remarks smack of a "caring competition." Addams, however, was well aware that the settlement house experiment was far from complete. Jane Addams' honest and humble account--albeit long and sometimes rambling (don't let the skinny paperback fool you)--demonstrated her unwavering commitment to achieving the improvement and unity of humanity.

Twenty Years at Hull House is an outstanding example of the humanitarianism movement in America at the turn of the century. Jane Addams, the author and narrator of the book, was born in Illinois. Early in her life she began to see the effects of poverty on people. She recalls one incident early in her life of seeing a homeless man on the street. She asked her father why that was, and he replied that that was just the way things were. Her father was a Quaker and the most prominate role model in Jane's life. As a child she grew up wanting to be just like him. For a while, she aspired to be a mill owner just like him. Her mother is not mentioned in the book at all. Jane went to Rockford College and soon toured London. It was there that she came up with the idea of the Hull House. Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago. It offered day care and college level classes for women. Spawning from her work at the house, Jane joined many causes that she passionately fought for. These causes included working hours for women, child labor laws, and juivenile court. She could be considered an early feminist. Also from her work at Hull House, Jane started studing the causes of poverty and the effects it had on society. She was not satisfied with just the success of her house; she wanted to know why there was a need for it at all. Later in her life she joined the womens sufferage movement. Jane Addams was a wonderful reformist and feminist that sought to better the country. Twenty Years at Hull House offer insight into one of America' most interesting time periods.

Though Addams' prose often gets mired in the florid and highly mannered style of her era, this is a surprisingly compelling book. Free of the ethnic racism and stereotyping that blight many similar works of the era, Addams' account of her groundbreaking community center in one of the worst parts of late 19th-century Chicago fairly overflows with compassion and almost unbelievable fairness. Addams's intelligence is evident, and many of her ideas and attitudes seem decades ahead of their time. It's not light reading by any stretch of the imagination, but "Twenty Years at Hull House" contains many gripping portraits of the desperation of immigrant life and the simple power of human decency.