Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan

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In this fanciful volume, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.), both analyzes and celebrates New York City. By suggesting the city as the site for an infinite variety of human activities and events--both real and imagined--the essence of the metropolitan lifestyle, its "culture of congestion" and its architecture are revealed in a brilliant new light. "Manhattan," Koolhaas writes, "is the 20th century's Rosetta stone . . . occupied by architectural mutations (Central Park, the Skyscraper), utopian fragments (Rockefeller Center, the U.N. Building), and irrational phenomena (Radio City Music Hall)." Filled with fascinating facts, as well as photographs, postcards, maps, watercolors, and drawings, the vibrancy of Koolhaas's poignant exploration of Gotham equals the heady, frenetic energy of the city itself. Anyone who loves New York will want to own this book.

Customer Reviews:

What an interesting philosophical dissertation.......2007-02-05

through the exhaustive historiography of the phases of congestion coney island brought to manhattan, koolhaas provides a rather cynical view of the Grid as being an ulimatley neutral zoning system of constraining ideas that represent the continual decline of a phantastically realistic civilization, represented as mutated symbols of architecture in the "void" of repeated "pregnancies."

it's really well written. funny. uses, like above, a somewhat inefficient vocabulary but remains in the same vein throughout. it is also a graphic design hubris consuming every page, even the left-justified text, showing off koolhaas's interpretation of the importance to combine scholarship and marketing.

buy it. it's a very good book.

Way Too Much To Think About Sometimes.... .......2006-11-09

A very inventive concept of New York's "culture of congestion" and how people are affected by the architecture they create. It is heavily researched and exhaustive, and after pretty much the third page I agreed with his concept of NY being "totally fabricated by man". What could of been a fascinating article becomes a spastic, heavy-handed read with a sledgehammer effect to your brain. (However,for those of us reading it for school, there are plenty of pictures that fill up the almost devastatingly vast 300+pages quickly.) It will scramble your brain with its thousands of nearly bumper-stickerish statements ("It hides life." "The Mountain MUST become architecture.") written with pretentious glee. However, I believe an independent scientific study has concluded that when pretending to read this book on the train people around you will assume your IQ is 40% higher than truth.

Eating oysters with boxing gloves, naked, on the nth floor........2005-05-25

The quote written above is excerpted from Delirious New York. It is a perfect example of the lyrical quality of the writing prevalent throughout this amazing book. Delirious New York is not an objective chronological listing of New York's development, but a collection of manifestos and stories with opinionated perspectives about a city founded on the idea that maximum congestion is a desirable factor. It is informative, funny (the midget firefighters of Coney Island had me laughing aloud for a solid minute or two), twisted, and inspiring.

Rem Koolhaas is edgier and far more interesting literary figure in architecture than say, Le Corbusier. Koolhaas's analytical yet shockingly refreshing writing style is a blessing for architecture, since he stays away from academic incoherent writing style that most architectural historians and architects tend to employ.

Get a copy of this book if eclectic (and at times disturbing) tales of architecture and urban development is something you think you will enjoy.

best koolhaas ever, man.......2004-01-30

koolhaas is a bit over-the-top for me, but this I think is is best work. it's worth checking out if only for the story of coney island. once you get past blisteringly pretentious phrases like "coney island is a fetal manhattan", you'll find it gloriously entertaining as both a narrative and theoretical work.

the culture of congestion.......2002-12-24

This is by far Koolhaas's most accessible work, as it is rooted so clearly in detail from the city's past. Further, the book is simply brilliant. His take on urban history is to Jane Jacobs what Socrates is to common sense. New York is a special case of modernism that sprang from a special constellation of poltiical and technological forces that collectively create a cultural "big-bang" at the turn of the century. Read it. Blow your mind.

The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings

Average customer rating:

Landmarked but Flawed
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years
Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years

The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings
Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
Manufacturer: Monacelli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buidlings and Landmarks
Building New York: The Rise and Rise of the Greatest City on Earth
New York, Empire City: 1920-1945
One Thousand New York Buildings
The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho

ASIN: 1580931545
Release Date: 2005-05-09

Book Description

The Landmarks of New York is a definitive resource book on the architectural history of the city, documenting and illustrating more than 1100 buildings that have been accorded landmark status over the past forty years. The chronological organization gives the reader a sequential overview of the city's architectural richness and diversity. The book presents a broad range of styles and building types-simple colonial farmhouses, churches, schools, libraries, Gilded Age mansions, and the great twentieth-century skyscrapers that are recognized throughout the world.

That so many of these structures have endured is due, in large measure, to the efforts of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, established in 1965. Since then, New York city has become the leader of the preservation movement in the United States, with more buildings and districts designated and protected than in any other city. Within this constantly changing metropolis, old buildings are often adapted to new uses, offering further proof of the quality of their design and construction.

Customer Reviews:

Landmarked but Flawed.......2006-12-18

Pound for pound this was the most disappointing of a series of books on New York City architecture that I have read over the past several years. This does not make it a bad book; its 600+ pages are filled with more information on New York City's 1100 designated landmarks than any other single volume, and each is accompanied by a fine black and white photo. Its format, with the buildings ordered by the year they were build allows the reader to thumb through the 1860's for example and see a succession of French Second Empire buildings with their iconic mansard roofs.

Still there are several flaws I have found with this book that weighs nearly seven pounds and has a sticker price of $65.00.

First and most egregious is the apparently careless editing.

One entry, that of the Van Cortlandt Mansion in the Bronx, seems to be lifted word-for-word, without attribution from Goldstone and Dalrymple's wonderfully literate book, "History Preserved". It is possible that Ms. Diamondstein-Spielvogel had permission to do this, perhaps the authors were friends from their days together on the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Maybe "The Landmarks of New York," is a successor to the older book. As there is no bibliography or explanation we will never know.

A second entry, that of Staten Island's Gardiner-Tyler House, the author writes in part, "Mrs. Tyler rarely visited the house before 1868, when as a widow she returned to Staten Island with Tyler's seven children from a previous marriage."

The author is of course referring to President Tyler's second wife Julia, whom he married in 1844, when she was 24 and he 54. By 1868, Tyler's youngest child from his first wife Letitia, Tazewell Tyler was 38, a physician, and living in California; his oldest surviving child Robert Tyler was 52; and only four of his children from Letitia were still alive. It is hardly likely that any of them followed Julia to Staten Island. What the author meant to say was that Julia moved there with her seven children from Tyler.

Another example, more one of carelessness than error is found in her entry on 359 Broadway, a fine Italianette style building found on the corner of Broadway and Leonard Street and best known for housing the studios of the great Civil War photographer, Mathew Brady, for a few years in the 1850's.

The last paragraph stated, "At the end of the century, the Ladies Mile neighborhood changed from a fashionable shopping district to a textile and wholesaling zone."

My first, surprised reaction upon reading this, was how the author could place this building, situated at the edge of today's Tribeca, in the Ladies Mile, which as anyone interested in New York history knows was located further uptown, along Broadway and 6th Avenue from about West 8th Street to West 23rd Street. As it turns out, this area was once called a ladies-mile, about a half-century before its better-known successor. But the entry doesn't explain this subtlety and there lies the confusion.

What this book is really lacking are neighborhood or area maps that locate each of the Landmarks. While a map isn't necessary to conceptualize the location of a building with a typical Manhattan grid address, the Alwyn Court Apartments at 182 West 58th St. for example, it would be nice to be able to quickly see the location of a farmhouse in Brooklyn or an old church in Staten Island, especially when that farmhouse or church is positioned on a page with a townhouse on the Upper East Side, a building it has nothing in common with aside from the year in which it was built. Perhaps in a future edition a map section could be added to the end of the book and an easy key can be developed to clearly cross-reference an entry to its map number or page.

In a book devoted specifically to "designated" New York City landmarks, how does one handle those buildings that are good enough to be landmarks on their own, but have never been designated individually because their inclusion in one of the several dozen Historic Districts before being considered for individual designation obviated the need for such designation? New York's two greatest Historic Districts, Greenwich Village and Brooklyn Height contain many of these worthy buildings. In its" Guide to New York City Landmarks", the Landmarks Committee deftly handled this issue by separately listing and discussing the dozen or so most important buildings in each of those two districts. Ms. Diamondstein-Spielvogel, however, chose to ignore them completely. So there is no mention of the famous Washington Memorial Arch, no mention of the unique teak wood detailing of the façade of the Lockwood deForest House, no mention of the great Jefferson Market Library, that whimsical Victorian Gothic building that has become a symbol of the village and was one of the first and finest examples of use conversion envisioned by the Landmarks Preservation Committee as a way to save old buildings. There is also no discussion of Brooklyn Heights' best buildings including Plymouth Congregational Church, where the fiery abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher preached, or Minard Lafever's Gothic Revival masterpiece First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn.

The book does however have a section that describes each of the Historic Districts so that a reader can get an overall feel for these districts, and ironically, given their nonexistence elsewhere in the book, has fine maps attached to each entry, showing the boundaries of each of these districts.

Any single book with this much information about its subject certainly deserves a recommendation, but for this book to reach its pretensions of being the standard reference of New York City Landmarks there is much that can be improved.

Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years.......2005-10-06

If it's one weighty, definitive library reference you need to New York City's landmarks, make it Landmarks Of New York: An Illustrated Record Of The City's Historic Buildings: its scope and format can't be beat. Art and architectural libraries as well as New York City specialty collections will welcome documentation of over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years. A chronological arrangement guides readers through a wealth of building styles and types, from farmhouses and churches to mansions, with black and white photos of each accompanying descriptions, comments on style and design, listings of architects involved in the building's construction and redesign over the decades, and style descriptions. A 'must' for any serious architectural or New York history collection.

Over 1,100 buildings which have earned landmark status over the past forty years.......2005-10-06

Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York

Average customer rating:

A top pick not just for New York libraries
ITS A WONDER HE DID NOT TRY TO PART THE EAST RIVER
A modern take on the metropolis that Moses crafted

Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Urban & Land Use Planning | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Urban Planning & Development | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism from the Bicentennial to the Millennium (New York)
Conquering Gotham: A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels
Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies
The Death and Life of Great American Cities

ASIN: 0393732061

Book Description

A fresh look at the greatest builder in the history of New York City and one of its most controversial figures.

In various roles in city and state government from 1930 to 1965, Robert Moses reshaped the fabric of the city. From Lincoln Center to the Triborough Bridge, the West Side Highway to the Cross Bronx Expressway, his public projects, reassessed in this book by notable urbanists, continue to exert a strong influence in the lives of New Yorkers. 250 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

A top pick not just for New York libraries.......2007-07-07

ROBERT MOSES AND THE MODERN CITY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF NEW YORK, which offers a new look at legendary architect Robert Moses, who reshaped the skyline of New York City. Readers familiar with New York will readily recognize some of his major contributions from the Lincoln Center to the Cross Bronx Expressway - so it's surprising to note this is the first major publication since the 1974 biography THE POWER BROKER appeared - and ROBERT MOSES AND THE MODERN CITY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF NEW YORK comes packed with photos that his biography doesn't provide. Far from hastening the demise of New York, this book shows how his works strengthened the central city and brought it into modern times, altering road systems and creating an urban design plan to foster changes. Plenty of detailed history surround the photos and descriptions of each project's special challenges, making this a top pick not just for New York libraries, but for any college-level art or urban planning collection.

ITS A WONDER HE DID NOT TRY TO PART THE EAST RIVER.......2007-03-22

Now this man had POWER. It is amazing how much control he had over the building of infastructure in NYC, he was the first and last word. He was like a 20th century Baron Hausemann. This book is well written and scholarly and frankly just fascinating. I saw a documentary on Robert Moses one time and was just blown away at his hubris and power. His reign over NYC spanned several powerful mayors and to this day no person has ever had so much power of the cities infrastructure. Great book, highly recommended.

A modern take on the metropolis that Moses crafted.......2007-03-19

The Power Broker (another prominent work on Moses) is a product of the 1970s pessimism concerning the death of the city, saying that Moses helped bring about the downfall experienced in 1974 when the book was published. In Ballon's book, we have the experience that 30 years of hindsight provides, and the tone is radically different Ballon and other essayists provide a more modern insight to Moses and his achievements. Do not be fooled, this is not a coffee table book, but almost a text book for urban planners on the practices employed by Moses. The book was inspired by the museum exhibits going on currently in New York City concerning Moses and his works, and is an excellent supplement to them. If you are interested in NYC, public works, or Urban History- this is a must buy, and will become more important as time wears on.
I also recommend The Power Broker and Moses' own book Public Works: A Dangerous Trade

North Shore Long Island: Country Houses, 1890-1950

Average customer rating:

Beautiful...
Best Gold Coast book
FASCINATING ARM CHAIR VISITS
GOLD COAST

North Shore Long Island: Country Houses, 1890-1950
Paul J. Mateyunas
Manufacturer: Acanthus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930 (The Architecture of Leisure)
Long Island's Prominent North Shore Families: Their Estates and Their Country Homes Volume I
Long Island's Prominent North Shore Families: Their Estates and Their Country Homes Volume II
Glitter That Was Once Gold: Long Island Gold Coast Trivia
Carrere & Hastings, Architects

ASIN: 0926494376
Release Date: 2007-03-16

Product Description

NORTH SHORE LONG ISLAND: Country Houses, 1890 1950 covers 40 of the region s most noted homes, representing the breadth and variety of architectural design and the social and sporting life that characterized the North Shore in its golden age. Drawing on 15 years of extensive research and introducing dozens of never-before-published original photographs and social records, author Paul J. Mateyunas traces the stories of the grand estates and the people who built and occupied them. Each estate covered in the book was carefully chosen; many are written about in detail for the first time. Scarce source information, much of it provided by heirs of the original estate families, clarifies incomplete or misleading information offered by other books on the subject. Each estate is illustrated with both exterior and interior views of the residence, the outbuildings for service and sport, and lushly landscaped grounds that made Long Island famous.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful..........2007-04-15

Wow.

I grew up in Old Brookville and was drawn to this book. While I know some of the history, and remember bits of it from anecdotes and people and stories from my childhood, Mr. Mateyunas has done a compelling, well researched job of evoking a lost era of a magical time in American history. And even better, he has captured all of it in one beautiful book.

He has done a masterful job (and this from someone who writes for a living). I shall give this book as a gift and am proud to have it in my library.

"And so we beat on, boats against the current..." FSF

Best Gold Coast book.......2007-04-14

This book is absolutely amazing. It is by far the best book out there for this part of Long Island, in this particular time period. There are so many pictures that I've never been able to find anywhere else. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough information about the few houses in the back part of the book (one of them is my old house and I can't find any info about it anywhere!!). Finally someone has put all of the best info about the classic North Shore together in one place. Excellent work!

FASCINATING ARM CHAIR VISITS.......2007-04-09

Ever imagine what it might have been like to have dinner with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda, to attend one of the fabulous parties so vividly painted in his literature? Their time is often called the Gilded Age, and it truly must have been if the amazing homes featured in North Shore Long Island are examples of houses they frequented.

As most know, the North Shore of Long Island borders Long Island Sound and once boasted some 1,000 stately homes, more accurately mansions, earning that area the sobriquet Gold Coast. These were the homes of the rich and famous, the celebrated, and a gathering place for those who yearned to be a part of their storied existence.

In all probability, it is the setting for Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) with its memorable descriptions of privileged lives. North Shore homes with their varied architecture, verdant gardens, pools, furniture and appointments once outshone any to be found elsewhere in America or in Europe.

Art historian Paul J. Mateyunas has selected 40 of these homes as the focus of "North Shore Long Island/Country Houses 1890 - 1950." He not only presents 350 duotones and floor plans in his beautiful volume but also traces the building of the homes and the lives of those who were in residence. All of this makes for a fascinating arm chair tour of another time in an unparalleled place.

Recommended.

- Gail Cooke

GOLD COAST.......2007-03-28

Acanthus Press rocks..and this is another great book from them..this book is fantastic. The North Shore of Long Island is the benchmark for high society living..the movie The Great Gatsby may have been filmed in Newport, but it was about the Gold Coast. This is the bastion of WASP high society of the turn of the century into the sixties. The book itself is perfect, scholarly text and crisp, vivid images. Highly recommended, you wont be disappointed.

New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism from the Bicentennial to the Millennium (New York)

Average customer rating:

NewYork grandeur
NYC
Great Gift Book

New York 2000: Architecture and Urbanism from the Bicentennial to the Millennium (New York)
Robert A. M. Stern , David Fishman , and Jacob Tilove
Manufacturer: Monacelli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Urban & Land Use Planning | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Architectural | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Urban Planning & Development | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

New York 1960
Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York
New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age (New York)
New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890-1915
Rooms

ASIN: 1580931774

Book Description

As the world's financial and cultural capital, New York demands the best in innovative architectural design, balancing the pressure to build with the need to preserve the historic fabric of the city. Author Robert A. M. Stern and his colleagues trace the rise and fall of the real estate market, the impact of the designation of historic districts and new zoning on development, and the emergence of new commercial and residential centers. Organized geographically, this survey moves north from Lower Manhattan to Harlem and on to study the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

New York 2000 documents the milestones in the city's architectural history--the development of Battery Park City, the rebirth of Harlem and Times Square, the creation of the cultural precinct around the new MoMA, the reclaiming of the waterfront along the East and Hudson Rivers as recreational parkland--and celebrates the achievements of internationally recognized architects including Sir Norman Foster, Cesar Pelli, Richard Meier, and Renzo Piano.

Customer Reviews:

NewYork grandeur.......2007-02-13

NewYork as I know and love it.This is an exceptional book,it explains why the city is like it is.Every outstanding architecture is well described and it is readable by everyone.

NYC.......2007-01-16

At 1300 pages this is quite comprehensive and exhaustively researched. NYC has had a real resurgence in skyscraper building in the last ten years or so and many good buildings have been built..like the Time Warner Bldg. the Bloomberg Tower, and the New York Times building..and so far it looks like the world trade center site is going to have some specacular buildings, frankly im still not sure about the Freedom Tower(please find a new name, lord)design but it's so much better than that untenable Libeskind designed, frankly I love the Norman Foster design but whatever, but I digress...as for this book it's fantastic and if you love NYC you will have to have this in you collection, really a complete, thorough book on current architecture in NYC, buy this book you wont be disappointed.

Great Gift Book.......2007-01-03

I bought this book as a gift for my boss who loves both NYC and architecture. He loved it! I looked through it before giving it to him and agree it is a great book. It's $100 in the book stores, so it is a good buy on Amazon for $63.00. Great for anyone who loves NYC.

Bricks and Brownstones: The New York Row House (Classical America Series in Art and Architecture)

Average customer rating:

NEW YORK CLASSIC
Simply a beautiful book
If you're planning on buying a townhouse or you're just interested in them

Bricks and Brownstones: The New York Row House (Classical America Series in Art and Architecture)
Charles Lockwood
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

The American Townhouse
American Rowhouse Classic Designs (International Design Library)
Creating the New American Townhouse
New York's Fabulous Luxury Apartments, with Original Floor Plans from the Dakota
Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan: An Illustrated History

ASIN: 0847825221
Release Date: 2003-11-08

Book Description

Bricks and Brownstone: The New York Rowhouse 1783–1929 was first published in 1972, and remains the only book ever written on the New York row house. It has been met with impressive critical praise ever since and Rizzoli is proud to publish this revised and updated edition as the introductory volume in the new Rizzoli Classics program, dedicated to keeping in print important architecture titles.

Charles Lockwood looks at different architecture styles of the New York row house. The book is comprehensive, examining the history of New York's changing neighborhoods and the history of the various row house architectural styles--the Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, and Second Empire, as well as the eclectic but picturesque styles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The text and illustrations also delve into the architectural details, paying meticulous attention to all features, including doorways, glass, mantels, staircases, ceiling ornaments, and ironwork.

Twenty years later, this edition is updated to include specially commissioned new color photographs of interiors and exteriors of some of New York's most impressive homes. Also included is Best of the Brownstones Walking Tours, carefully detailed and illustrated with color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

NEW YORK CLASSIC.......2006-09-23

Simply a fantastic book on a most deserving subject. The author captures what makes NYC's brownstones so saught after and prized. New York City is blessed with an embarassment of rich's when it comes to classic townhomes and brownstones and they are given a scholarly treatment here. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in classic row houses, fine architecture and craftsmanship, or just enjoy great books in general, you won't be disappointed.

Simply a beautiful book.......2006-02-20

As a preservation contractor this book is a fantastic addition to my library.

If you're planning on buying a townhouse or you're just interested in them.......2005-10-23

there isn't a better book on this subject. I'm a Real Estate professional at Stribling & Associates. As such, I'm in and out of townhouses nearly on a daily basis. I have found this book to be an invaluable reference, as well as a joy to read. There's a tremendous amount of information contained in one place. Even those who already have great deal of knowledge, will discover new things in every chapter. I highly recommend this book to townhouse owners, prospective customers, & architects. Additionally, Historians or anyone with a love for, or interest in, the history of the City of New York will benefit greatly, as housing is an integral part of life in the world's greatest metropolis. --Jamie

Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand

Average customer rating:

A Captivating "Biography"
K-0862 my NEW friend
Story of a Steinway Concert Grand Piano
A Very Nice Book for What it Is
Last minute gift for the piano enthusiast.

Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand
James Barron
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway and Sons
Steinway and Sons
The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier
2006-2007 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Annual Supplement to the Piano Book)

ASIN: 0805078789
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

Like no other instrument, a grand piano melds engineering feats with the magical sounds of great music: the thunder of a full-throated bass, the bright, delicate trill of the upper treble. Alone among the big piano companies, Steinway still crafts all of its pianos largely by hand, imbuing each one with the promise and burden of its brand. In this captivating narrative, James Barron of The New York Times tells the story of one Steinway piano, from raw lumber to finished instrument. Barron follows that brand-new piano -- known by its number, K0862 -- on its eleven-month journey through the Steinway factory, where time-honored manufacturing methods vie with modern-day industrial efficiency. He looks over the shoulders of men and women -- some second- and third-generation employees, some recently arrived immigrants -- who transform wood and steel into a concert grand. Together, they carry on the traditions begun more than 150 years ago by the immigrants who founded Steinway Sons -- a family that soared to prominence in the music world and, for a while, in New York Citys political and economic life. Barron also explores the art and science of developing a pianos timbre and character before its first performance, when the essential question will be answered: Does K0862 live up to the Steinway legend? From start to finish, Piano will charm and enlighten music lovers.

Customer Reviews:

A Captivating "Biography".......2007-08-25

I took my copy of "Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand" to the beach with me. I read it in 4 days! Mr. Barron infuses a wealth of information into a wonderful story about this piano,and oh so much more. Before you know it K-0862 is a character you care about. I cannot imagine anyone not finding something to love about this book!!! Masterfully written!

K-0862 my NEW friend.......2007-08-22

K-0862 became a living...feeling...emotional entity by the end of this book........A very very original idea (to breath life into this piano) and well written. Actually EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN book...My NEW favorite among all books...right up there with OVER THE EDGE OF THE WORLD......... The two most enjoyable....... educational........ books I have ever read!!!!!! KUDOS!!!!!!! I hated when i got to the end of this one!!!!!!

Story of a Steinway Concert Grand Piano.......2007-05-12

Excellently and diligently written, this little book tells the story of one Steinway concert grand piano from conception to adolescence. Barron loves the piano, respects the Company, and is dilgent in showing the evolution of Steinway, as well as the creation of one, new opus - a 9 foot concert piano. Barron introduces us to the barons of Steinway and the individual craftsmen who hand make these excellent instruments. To me, the quality and individual character of each Steinway piano are no longer a mystery.

Each time I play my own small grand piano (a quality A B Chase, close replica of the Steinway model S), I think of the efforts that went into it. Unlike Yamahas and such, the Steinway is an almost hand-built piano from a Company which has never relented in its determination to produce the best.

The book also explains why age is not all that becoming in the tonal life of a piano. The instrument has a birth, a development, and an aging process which are measured in tonal character progress, not just years. The aged Steiway seems a time integral of all that has come before - including hundred year old designs and techniques, and all the way up to its last tuning.

If you think a piano is a piano, is a piano, Barron's book will change your outlook.

A Very Nice Book for What it Is.......2007-04-18

The writing style is very engaging and readable. It is more about the people who build the pianos and the history of Steinway than it is about building a piano, but still a nice read.

After reading this you might be interested in: The Violin Maker: Finding a Centuries-Old Tradition in a Brooklyn Workshop by John Marchese, and then perhaps Guitar: An American Life by Tim Brookes (these two books a longer and more detailed then Piano but are similarly styled).

Last minute gift for the piano enthusiast........2007-04-11

pricey, but less expensive than giving lessons to someone who thinks they have talent. :D

New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buidlings and Landmarks

Average customer rating:

New York, New York
Portraits of the city
Wonderful description of the BIG APPLE
What a wonderful pleasure!
What a wonderful pleasure!

New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buidlings and Landmarks
Christopher Gray , and Suzanne Braley
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Lost New York, Expanded and Updated Edition
One Thousand New York Buildings
Guide to New York City Landmarks
The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History
The Landmarks of New York: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings

ASIN: 0810944413

Book Description

Christopher Gray's engaging tales of historic Gotham locales transport readers back in time for a stroll through the streets of old New York. The noted architectural historian, who writes the popular "Streetscapes" column in The New York Times, here gathers 190 of the best-loved of those columns to captivate readers with his wealth of information about sites and buildings and the intriguing lives of the people connected to them.

From the Bridge Cafe (New York's oldest surviving bar) on Water Street to the Revolutionary War-era Morris-Jumel Mansion in upper Manhattan, Gray turns the spotlight on both obscure and familiar landmarks, and each of his witty, urbane essays is illustrated with at least one period photograph. Gray's vast enthusiasm and love for New York's architecture is evident in all that he writes, as is his concern for the preservation of the city's architectural treasures.

Customer Reviews:

New York, New York.......2005-12-23

I really enjoyed this book, the photos are so crisp and the text is quite informative. I am pleased that the vast majority of the buildings the author chose are still extant. After absorbing this book, you really appreciate the great architecture and workmanship of the past, the more current buildings in New York just don't measure up. The author does her research and it shows, I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in New York, it really is a must have.

Portraits of the city.......2005-04-22

Some books on the older buildings of New York City will give you the nuts and bolts about the structures: who designed it, who constructed it, when it was built, etc. And some photo books of old New York don't tell you anything at all. New York Times writer, Christopher Gray, with the assistance of the untiring researcher, Suzanne Braley, actually breathe life into these buildings. Not only do we learn the who and the when of a building's birth, but also the why and the how. Why were white brick apartment buildings so prominent at one time? How did the Winter Garden evolve from a huge stable? It's the little and, sometimes, epic anecdotes surrounding the buildings that fascinate Mr. Gray which, in turn, fascinate us. This is an indispensible book for anyone who loves the city, and who has ever stopped in front of a building and asked, "How did that ever get there?"

Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS

Wonderful description of the BIG APPLE.......2004-04-12

As a New Yorker all I can say is this is the best book I've read about the city.

What a wonderful pleasure!.......2003-05-23

A tremendous gift to anyone who loves the history of Manhattan. Gray writes well, his information is military in both precision and accuracy and the anecdotes alone are worth the price of the book.

My only wish is that one day, after he retires, a work of all his columns will be published. Perhaps the title "Gray's Anatomy" would suffice.

What a wonderful pleasure!.......2003-05-23

A tremendous gift to anyone who loves the history of Manhattan. Gray writes well, his information is military in both precision and accuracy and the anecdotes alone are worth the price of the book.

Customer Reviews:

A fantastic book for a very much loved park.......2006-07-26

Did you know that the elm lined mall leading to the Bethesda fountain and the view of the ramble are actually based on the layout of a church? Or that all of the lakes in Central Park are manmade. This and many other very interesting facts are interspersed with lovingly taken photographs of the park which were taken by the author of the book as well. Miller starts decribing how the park came to be and the leading ideas and ideals that lead to its creation by Olmsted and Vaux. She proceeds to describe systematically the various sections of the park providing historical information as well. She delves into the some of the controversies and compromises that Olmsted and Vaux encountered in the creation of one of the finest examples of 19th Century art but it is not a comprehensive history of the park. There is a 2 page map of the park at the of the book with a legend identifying each of the features discussed in the book. If you are first time visitor to the city wishing to explore the park in detail or a life long New Yorker this book will delight and surprise you.

Definitive Review of the Finest Work of Art in NYC.......2006-02-20

As an avid fan of Central Park who has been exploring it and studying the books on it for decades, I was amazed at what there was still to learn about it from Miller's book. For example, other historians allude to a connection between Central Park's design and the Hudson River School of landscape art: Miller provides actual sources of the designer's inspiration and shows the results explicitly in the photos. And all in a way that is not at all "bookish" but instead makes you want to go right in and see for yourself the scenes she shows so well in the book's illustrations. The beautiful photos and fascinating stories and the well chosen historical prints all work together in such a compelling and entertaining way that one might never realize one is being educated by a superb textbook in the field of art.
With her emphasis on the past of the park, and its present restored beauty, it is understandable that the author does not use very much of the book's valuable space on the remaining present-day problems, but she might at least have alluded to the incongruity of the city's insistence on using this artistic matepiece as a through route for motor traffic during the majority of daylight weekday hours. In effect, the city's Dept. of Traffic is providing a refuge from the chaos of the surrounding streets during rush hours - but for the cars, not for the people. If you want to appreciate the park shown in this book, go during the times when the traffic noise does not drown out the wind in the trees, the birdsong, and the happy voices of children!

New York's Oasis.......2005-09-21

Central Park is breath taking and this book does a fine job of giving the reader a feel for what makes this 850 acre masterpiece so special. The book is quite thorough and does an commendable job of disecting various sections of the park. The color photos are vivid and well thought out and the text is highly informative. The author has a real love for the park and it comes out in her writing. If you have never visited Central Park or have visited and fell in love with it like so many others, you will love this book. This oasis really is the heart of New York City and to understand New York you have to understand the parks history and its vast importantance to the city. Central Parks importance to New York and New Yorkers cannot be overstated, I can't imagine the city without it.

A Gorgeous Book Commemorating America's 1st Public Park.......2004-03-16

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Central Park, photographer and historian Sara Cedar Miller celebrates the aesthetic, cultural and historic significance of America's first public park with the book "Central Park, An American Masterpiece." This is the park's definitive illustrated history, and offers some of the most gorgeous photographs I have seen on the subject - a difficult task given the number of pictures that have been drawn, painted and photographed of the Manhattan landmark. The book includes over 200 color illustrations, original plans and drawings alongside modern photos, giving the viewer/reader an historical perspective.

Accompanying Ms. Miller's work, portraying the park throughout the seasons, is a well written text which highlights the conception and creation of the park and its art and architecture. This is a big, beautiful picture book that would make a wonderful addition to any home or library. It's a wonderful gift idea. I know as I have given it numerous times.

Ms. Miller is the parks official historian and photographer and has been since the mid-1980s.
JANA

A book as worthy as the park it celebrates.......2003-11-26

Sara Miller has put together an outstanding book: a book as vast and detailed as the Great Park itself. For those not familiar with the park and its history, this is an invaluable introduction to the political, demographical, economic and, especially, aesthetic thinking that went into the creation of 800 acres of gorgeous park space in the middle of Manhattan. For those seasoned veterans of NYC history, this is a welcome reminder of the enormous vision and efforts of Calvert Vaux and Fredrick Law Olmsted, as they conceived the park.

Nota Bene: A lot of books have gorgeous photos but the print job is miserable ... Others have high-qualtity prints but the photos aren't that interesting ... This book has glorious prints and an expert print job. Pick up this book.

Book Description

Repairing Old and Historic Windows Windows are a common problem in nearly every rehabilitation projectshould they be repaired or must they be replaced? What can be done to repair a water-damaged sill? Can a window be retrofitted with storm windows? How can windows be replaced while still maintaining their historical integrity? Repairing Old and Historic Windows explores these questions and provides detailed information on how to go about refurbishing windows within current preservation standards. Written for homeowners, architects, builders, engineers, and preservationists, Repairing Old and Historic Windows is the complete and authoritative guide to window maintenance and repair. Chapters focus on window problems, including deterioration, weather damage, paint problems, and condensation; window maintenance, including cleaning, weatherstripping, and installing shutters; and window replacement, including design, fabrication, and installation. Some 140 photographs and illustrations, many of which are technical drawings, an extensive glossary of window refurbishing terms, and a suggested reading list provide further ideas and guidance for undertaking the repair of old and historic windows. The complete primer on window repair and maintenance.

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