Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home

Book Description

In this groundbreaking book, noted landscape designer and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy and bestselling author Sarah Susanka reveal how to bring house and garden into perfect harmony. After all, who doesn't yearn for a landscape that is as well designed as the interior of their home? In Outside the Not So Big House, Julie and Sarah teach you everything you need to know about the design concepts essential to extending your home beyond its four walls.

Lushly photographed and illustrated with vivid drawings, Outside the Not So Big House explores how to build pathways and journeys in your gardens; how to make the most of your site; how to use details to bring it all together. Twenty homes from across the country aptly illustrate these easy-to-grasp design ideas. Fans of Sarah's previous Not So Big books will be pleased to discover not only Julie's clear, concise prose but also a new vision for creating home.

Customer Reviews:

The Rather Big 'Not So Big".......2007-03-29

I come away with the feeling that Sarah was lead astray when this book was in development.

Many of the houses in previous books in the 'Not So Big' series have been rather expensive even if they have not been that big. At least these books have provided me with ideas in redoing our moderate sized/priced house.

In this book I find a 'Not So Big' house with a library, a sitting room, and a sunroom on the first floor in addition to a mudroom, kitchen with eating area, formal dining room and living room. The next house in the book sits on a 4 acre lot. Almost every house in the book has grounds that require hired maintenance professionals.

I would imagine that one of the first chapters in Sarah's new book, 'The Not So Big Life', will recommend reducing the square footage of your house and the maintenance required for your grounds. Reducing the square footage of your house will substantially reduce the work needed for upkeep. The 'grounds' could be turned into a native prairie for which God will provide the maintenance. Half of our 1.3 acre lot is native forest looked after by God.

The subtitle of the new book is 'Making Room For What Matters'. One of the things that matters for me is making time for things I enjoy by spending as little time as possible 'mowing the lawn'.

pretty much only covers enormous houses.......2007-01-11

I find the title of this book incredibly misleading. For her, "not so big" means "integrated with nature" as opposed to, well, "not so big"! Almost all of the houses in here are enormous (without counting I'd say maybe 38 of the 40 she talks about), so it's not very helpful for someone like me with a smaller house. Granted, she says her "starter home" was a large Victorian in Boston with a wrap-around porch and stained glass windows, so her perspective is bound to be different from the average American's! But unfortunately I had a hard time applying her concepts to my smaller home (on a 1/4 acre lot), and found myself heartily annoyed because the title had promised something that perhaps might be more useful to someone like me.

Landscaping 101.......2006-09-14

This is a grand book with homes in differing sites in differing parts of the US. One can glean many ideas from the great photographs and text. Julie Moir Messervy's designs are elegantly simple and reflect her studies in Japan. This book is a real addition to the library of anyone interested in designing their landscape.

Wonderful Book- Susanka is the best!.......2006-08-22

Susanka is a great architect! Love it all and look forward to generating a whole new look for my entire property!

Many ideas for designing small areas near small houses.......2006-07-15

(4.5 Stars) I can see from the other reviews that there exist a wide range of opinions about this book. I fall on the high side, I suppose. I enjoyed the large number of photos and ideas for landscaping small areas - spots even - in the yard around a smaller home.

One, rather unreal aspect was that, most of the homes pictured are modern homes with interesting custom architecture. Some of us live in simple ranch-styles (boxes).

Julie's training and interest in architecture does come through, but I did not find it distracting. In fact, I found the emphasis on the relationship between the interior design of the home and landscape as seen from inside very useful. Most landscaping books present only the view TOWARD the house, not FROM it.

I got several good ideas from this book and learned a bit about design.

On Chinese Body Thinking: A Cultural Hermeneutic (Philosophy of History and Culture)

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On Chinese Body Thinking: A Cultural Hermeneutic (Philosophy of History and Culture)
Kuang-Ming Wu
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004101500

Book Description

This book uses Western philosophical tradition to make a case for a form of thinking properly associated with ancient China. The book's thesis is that Chinese thinking is concrete rather than formal and abstract, and this is gathered in a variety of ways under the symbol "body thinking". The root of the metaphor is that the human body has a kind of intelligence in its most basic functions. When hungry the body gets food and eats, when tired it sleeps, when amused it laughs. In free people these things happen instinctively but not automatically. The metaphor of body thinking is extended far beyond bodily functions in the ordinary sense to personal and communal life, to social functions and to cultivation of the arts of civilization. As the metaphor is extended, the way to stay concrete in thinking with subtlety becomes a kind of ironic play, a natural adeptness at saying things with silences. Play and indirection are the roads around formalism and abstraction. Western formal thinking, it is argued, can be sharpened by Chinese body thinking to exhibit spontaneity and to produce healthy human thought in a community of cultural variety.

The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment (Feng Shui)

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The Western Guide to Feng Shui
Balance in your life
Just Ok
Not a bad read!
One of the best Feng Shui books I've found so far

The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment (Feng Shui)
Terah Kathryn Collins , and Terah Kathryn
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1561703249

Customer Reviews:

The Western Guide to Feng Shui.......2007-06-27

I purchased this book for a friend because I already had a copy. Its a straightforward compilation of the Feng Shui Bagwa map. I have several other books and they are complicated and confusing. This book lays out the theory and shares some stories of changing the decor according to the feng shui principles. I enjoyed reading it and I have enjoyed moving things around in my house.

Balance in your life.......2007-05-13

Feng Shui may not change your life, but if by taking the time to balance your surroundings, you also balance your life, isn't that something special? I am having fun with this just making my home more pleasant.

Just Ok.......2007-03-24

Most of the other reviews I've read must have been written by someone who has never read any Feng Shui books before. This book is OK for a beginner, but I borrowed some from my local library that were a bit older, but way better, and with much nicer pictures and more specific fixes and cures. I also bought the Room by Room from the same author and so far I'm a little disappointed. It has a lot of examples but it's not very well written, and it could use more illustrations, and even suggestions on where to buy the crystals and other cure items.

Not a bad read!.......2005-09-27

I have a hard time actually judging if these books are good or bad, being that I don't really have much of a Feng Shui background.

However, the book was easy to read and covered a lot of ground- especially if you wanted to know more about Bagua maps. The advice wasn't too out there, but the examples seemed a little over the top at times.

Overall, it wasn't a bad read, and if it doesn't work for you, then move the furniture again! :)

One of the best Feng Shui books I've found so far.......2005-01-05

Easy to read and has nice examples that help a lot in understanding the concepts

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Feng Shui by Eva Wong
Best I've seen!
a feng shui approach to the naturalistic landscape
Excellent Source for Traditional Feng Shui
Finally, a clear understanding and a practical guide.

Feng-Shui
Eva Wong
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570621004
Release Date: 1996-07-15

Book Description

The first complete, in-depth course in the traditional Chinese art of harmonious design for interiors, buildings, and sites—including instructions for making your own geomantic compass for feng-shui readings. Deeply rooted in Taoist and shamanic origins, feng-shui is not simply a list of directives for building auspicious structures or arranging interiors for good luck. It is the art of reading the patterns of the universe and living in harmony with the environment. With 200 photos and diagrams.

Customer Reviews:

Feng Shui by Eva Wong.......2007-06-21

A book must not be miss if you are looking for answer in feng shui as the author Eva Wong had all the question and answer you need to know.

Best I've seen!.......2003-03-17

Wish I'd seen this book before I had read other books on the subject - I could have taken the author's advice to read a couple of them thoroughly than try to read a library's worth on this harmonious way of living and designing your environment.

Feng-shui has shed the image of "some Easern mumbo-jumbo that has no impact on modern life," as people have increasingly realized and accepted its benefits and become more aware of the need to live in harmony with the environment.

This is a great book on the subject - easy to read but full in addressing its subject. It should be required reading, not just for any urban or other planner, but for anyone interested in living a better life.

a feng shui approach to the naturalistic landscape.......2002-06-11

Eva Wong's book has much in its favor. Historically, the selection of a grave site was one of the most important commissions a feng shui master would receive. You had to be at peace with nature for a long time, and this was no snap question.

Mistress Wong introduces you to this ancient Chinese landscape of the mind. I would never have come to appreciate the red raven formation in front of my Seattle home were it not for this informative book.

I do not pretend to be expert in these arts. Westerners used to consider all of this 'black magic.' This is fusion culture for those who like fusion cuisine. Bon appetit!

Excellent Source for Traditional Feng Shui.......2002-01-27

When I started to become interested in Feng Shui, I didn't know where to look. So many books are out there, but which ones are for real? And which ones are just jumping on the new fad band-wagon? At some point I came across some information on Eva Wong and decided to purchase this book. It was a great decision.

With Feng Shui, you have to realize that it is an ancient art that is so much bigger than what you read in a book. This volume is an excellent step in the right direction if you are desiring to learn about the tradional Chinese practice. It covers everything from the history of Feng Shui to taking readings of your home. It is simply amazing the time and knowledge that goes into this practice and Ms. Wong breaks it down chapter by chapter.

Taking time to really sit down and study Ms. Wong's book has been rewarding...and has me asking to learn more. One great piece of advice she does mention is to learn one or two books well...no need to ready everything everyone has written on the subject.

Finally, a clear understanding and a practical guide........2001-12-03

I had been searching for a good feng shui book for months when I found this one. This books is both beautifully written and a very easy read, which is quite rare for an instructional book. The layout of this book is a mastery in itself, and the cross references between chapters are great. Although I had originally planned to skim - or yes maybe skip - some of the chapters, I quickly found myself engrossed. The background information gave me a much clearer understanding of the art of feng shui and a strong foundation for its practice. Often I find teachers of Chinese art forms caught in a trap between a desire to make the art form easier for the Western world to adopt/understand and a desire to stay true to the art form as it should be practiced. In my opinion, Ms. Wong did a masterful job of avoiding this trap. It is at once a very practical, very beautiful guide. Thank you for a wonderful book!!

The Teachings of Padmasambhava (Brill's Indological Library, Vol 12)

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Guenther's brilliant work
difficult but rewarding

The Teachings of Padmasambhava (Brill's Indological Library, Vol 12)
Herbert V. Guenther
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004105425

Book Description

This study explores the ideas of the enigmatic and controversial visionary, known as Padmasambhava. It takes as its starting point a unique and hitherto untouched source: Padmasambhava's writings preserved in the rNying-ma rgyud-'bum that remain excluded from the standard editions of the Tibetan Tanjur collections to this day. The first chapter explains Padmasambhava's holistic background that reflects an anthropocosmic worldview. The second chapter deals with the problem of how this anthropocosmic whole becomes enworlded as samsara and of how the enworlded experiencer disentangles himself from it and regains his original wholeness. The third chapter assesses Padmasambhava's psychological insights and their hermeneutical interpretations. In this study, Herbert Guenther discloses the mind of one of the greatest spiritual geniuses in human history, Padamasambhava -- wanderer, mystic, and one of the original founders of Tibetan Buddhism. Here his teachings step out from obscurity to speak with a wonderful clarity. In them is found a surprisingly postmodern portrait of how process dynamics self-organize to construct and "light up" our worlds of experience.

Customer Reviews:

Guenther's brilliant work.......2006-10-15

Although Padmasambhava (eighth century A.D.) is revered as a second buddha, almost nothing reliable is known about him. His Tantric works also have been rarely mentioned by the Tibetans themselves, probably because they were deemed too subversive. The late Prof. Guenther, who had made a lifelong study of Padmasambhava and his Nyingma lineage, begins his monograph by reviewing the scant information about the "precious teacher" (guru rimpoche) that is available, and then proceeds to delineate Padmasambhava's original, holistic, and visionary philosophy of liberation. As the author notes, "Padmasambhava has revealed himself as an `exception' personage whose vision and evolutionary thinking were far ahead of his time and have remained unparalleled through the history of Buddhist thought" (p. 38).

Utilizing a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach, as was his custom, Guenther page after page seeks to unravel Padmasambhava's Gnostic thought for the comprehension of Western readers, who are steeped in Aristotelian categories. As always, Guenther is not easy to follow, and sometimes his terminology gets in the way of comprehension. His insights about the teachings of the second buddha, however, are truly seminal.

After a detailed examination of Padmasambhava's cosmology, as a tripartite system springing from mystical experiences, Guenther goes on to discuss--in a 54-page chapter--the adept's Gnostic involutionary schema: the path home to Wholeness. This process consists in a deconstruction of the empirical, finite mind, whereupon the Whole lights up. In Padmasambhava's mystical language (and in Guenther's rendering):

Through the dissipation (dissolution) of representational thinking's constructs, )the experiencer) immerses himself in immortality's elixir (that is the whole's) giving birth to thoughts/meanings;

When the phenomenal disspates (dissolves) into its legitimate dwelling, (the experiencer) immerses himself in immortality's elixir (that is the whole's) dimensionality of meaning; and

When (the experiencer's) ontic foundation dissipates (dissolves) into its legitimate dwelling, (the experiencer) immerses himself in (the whole's) energy.

Padmasambhava's writings are riddled with Gnostic metaphors, which demonstrates that he was undoubtedly influenced by Sethian and Valentinian Gnosticism, though equally unquestionably his philosophical edifice was very much his own original creation.

In the concluding 75-page chapter, which is the most obscure, Guenther inquires into the symbolism of Padmasambhava's "luminous language of being." Central to this language is the concept of the "Little Man of Light" (khye'u-chung), the Anthropos, who is commissioned by his divine parents to retrieve the precious jewel of "real being," which then allows him to find his way back to his real home, the Whole. The consideration revolves around the originary Light (mkha') and the dharma-kaya (chos-sku), as well as the ecstatic leap into Wholeness, in the context of Padmasambhava's sweeping anthropocosmology.

In his epilogue, Guenther brilliantly summarizes his findings. "As a visionary thinker of the highest order," writes the author, "he is one who knows and speaks from experience and, for this reason alone, he is a striking example of individuality" (p. 205). "In conclusion we may say that Padmasambhava's importance lies in the fact that he is first and foremost a process-oriented thinker, maybe even the first in recorded history."

Copyright ©2006 by Georg Feuerstein. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any form requires prior permission from Traditional Yoga Studies at www.traditionalyogastudies.com

difficult but rewarding.......2000-11-12

Reading Carl Jung would help in understanding this book, and of course a study of Guenther's previous work. Also, and more importantly, a serious meditation practice, and thorough grasp of buddhist philosophy and practice. That the information has been kept under wraps by tibetan authorities, including respected lamas, is intriquing to say the least. I believe it is because the approach cuts through sectarianism and its power structures (no enlightenement without initiation, etc.) completely, to the essence of spirituality.

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The Feng Shui Handbook
Lam Kam Chuen
Manufacturer: Gaia Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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A Philosophy of Interior Design (Icon Editions)

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A Philosophy of Interior Design (by S. Abercrombie)
A Philosophy of Interior Design (by S. Abercrombie)

A Philosophy of Interior Design (Icon Editions)
Stanley Abercrombie Faia
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006430194X

Book Description

This book explores and explains the fundamentals of interior design. Because it does not emphasize current trends and fashion, its value will be long lasting.

Customer Reviews:

A Philosophy of Interior Design (by S. Abercrombie).......2000-05-25

There are very few books out there that combine "philosophy" with "interior design." For this reason alone, Abercrombie's book is a worthy contribution to the literature in interior design. One trait of philosophical works is their tendency to identify broad but fundamental categories that, together, describe a particular reality. I take this approach to be what the author means by "a philosophy of" interior design. That is to say, Abercrombie provides a menu of basic categories (plan, room, planes, levels, ornament, furniture, art, details, etc) and parses the reality of an interior built world through these lenses. His examples are good, and the book is well illustrated (although some of the magic of interior experience is not conveyed by the black and white pictures). Another good aspect about this book is this: the author is subtle in not making an arbitrary line of demarcation between "interior design" and "architecture." Even though his categories serve to focus on the topic of interiors, it does so without disconnecting interior design from the domain of architecture in some artificial way - and I think that is as it should be. In other words, this is a worthwhile book for both architects (who sometimes forget about interiors) and interior designers (who sometimes forget about architecture). As one who teaches design and has been in practice for many years, I would consider this book a good fit for those just starting to learn about interior design and/or those who are seasoned designers looking for something of a refresher on the fundamental nature of interior design. As the title implies, the book is not meant to be a "nuts-and-bolts" reference text for the practitioner; it is more of a meditative reflection about the nature of the worlds that the design practitioner can create for others.

A Philosophy of Interior Design (by S. Abercrombie).......2000-05-25

Suarez' Transzendentale Seinsauslegung Ude Die Metaphysiktration (Studien Und Texte Zur Geistesgeschichte Des Mittelalters)

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Suarez' Transzendentale Seinsauslegung Ude Die Metaphysiktration (Studien Und Texte Zur Geistesgeschichte Des Mittelalters)
Rolf Darge
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004137084

Book Description

This volume deals with the theory of the transcendentals 'being' ('thing'), 'unity', 'truth', 'goodness' in Suárez' Disputationes metaphysicae (1597). From its beginning in the 13th century the doctrine of the transcendentals is characterized by a plurality of motives and philosophical approaches to which correspond divergent traditions of thought. How does Suárez' metaphysics relate to them? From what point of view does it take up and transform the methods and doctrines which came down from medieval thinkers? Does Suárez arrive at a new synthesis and - if this is the case - what are the peculiar features of this synthesis? Through the discussion of these questions the study leads to a new interpretation of a milestone in the pre-kantian development of metaphysics as transcendental theory.

Ways into the Logic of Alexander of Aphrodisias (Philosophia Antiqua)

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Ways into the Logic of Alexander of Aphrodisias (Philosophia Antiqua)
Kevin L. Flannery
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004099980

Book Description

Ways into the Logic of Alexander of Aphrodisias is intended to give an overview of the logic of Alexander of Aphrodisias (fl. early 3rd century A.D.). Since much of what might be called Alexander's logic is simply Aristotelian logic, instead of engaging in point-by-point analysis, it takes up three themes, one from each of the main areas of traditional logic: the assertoric syllogistic, the modal syllogistic, and the area of metalogical concerns. It provides insight not only into Aristotle's logical writings themselves but also into the tradition of scholarship which they spawned: the ideas and analyses of such figures as Theophrastus of Eresus, John Philoponus and (more recently) Jan Lukasiewicz.

Skepticism and the Foundation of Epistemology: A Study in the Metalogical Fallacies (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History)

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Skepticism and the Foundation of Epistemology: A Study in the Metalogical Fallacies (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History)
Luciano Floridi
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004105336

Book Description

Can knowledge provide its own justification? This sceptical challenge - known as the problem of the criterion - is one of the major issues in the history of epistemology, and this volume provides its first comprehensive study, in a span of time that goes from Sextus Empiricus to Quine. After an essential introduction to the notions of knowledge and of philosophy of knowledge, the book provides a detailed reconstruction of the history of the problem. There follows a conceptual analysis of its logical features, and a comparative examination of a phenomenology of solutions that have been suggested in the course of the history of philosophy in order to overcome it, from Descartes to Popper. In this context, an indirect approach to the problem of the criterion is defended as the most successful strategy against the sceptical challenge.

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