Book Description
Frank Lloyd Wright is not only synonymous with architecture, his name is also synonymous with the American house in the twentieth century. In particular, his residential work has been the subject of continuing interest and controversy. Wright's Fallingwater (1935), the seminal masterpiece perched over a waterfall deep in the Pennsylvania highlands, is perhaps the best-known private house in the history of the world. In fact, Wright's houses-from his Prairie style Robie House (1906) in Chicago, to the Storer (1923) and Freeman (1923) houses in Los Angeles, and Taliesen West (1937) in the Arizona desert-are all touchstones of modern architecture. For the first time, all 289 extant houses are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses is an event of great importance and a major contribution to the literature on this titan of modern architecture.
Customer Reviews:
Very pretty book.......2007-05-24
This is a lovely coffee table book with mostly spectacular color photos of most of Wrights houses, including many interior shots. There is not much historical information but this is covered in other books.
Clear, concise overview of Wright's architectural designs.......2007-05-12
This book was a wonderful eye opener. It will appeal to the reader for crisp pictures in beautiful settings and landscapes as well as the various style phases Wright went through architecturally. For Wright aficionados, there is a detailed, but not too intense history of his style, works and personal history as he changes design elememts during his career. Grand interior shots only enhance the overall attraction. The book will add diversity to anyone's collection.
Almost As Good As Being There.......2007-03-31
This is a necessary book for all who study architecture. Why? Because the photography conveys something close to the reality of Mr. Wright's works, especially so when it comes to the interiors.
When I was studying architecture in college in the 1970s, the BEST photography books about Wright's oeuvre were "In the Nature of Materials" and the very expensive Wendingen Edition. Both are presented in black and white and while that kind of pared-down quality may have suited the age in which the International Style was still in its ascendancy, it did nothing whatsoever to convey the true sense of a Wright space--specifically interior space. The intimately human scale of these spaces was missed.
And color is so much a part of Wright's aesthetic, and without it, one is in dreary Kansas instead of Oz.
Living in the northeast, it was not possible to see many Wright buildings first hand, until that trip to Chicago... and then what a revelation! These spaces were not cold grays but marvels of ochres and greens and wood tones and conveyed so much more serenity than those older photos could suggest.
Happily, future years placed me in conjunction with many of the Midwestern buildings, and a day trip could take me to Wisconsin or Michigan or other less-frequently visited residential and commercial works by F L W. Friendships with original Wright clients or owners of Wright houses opened other doors--I have experienced about one third of the places in this book, so--trust me--the photos do them justice and are almost as good as being there.
I would guess that anyone who has been in these places will tell you that this book gives a very fine representation of these spaces. And thankfully, more and more of these spaces are open on a regular or annual basis for the student or admirer of Wright to visit. Some residences are even now B&Bs. Wow!
The fine articles that accompany the photographs are also most helpful and enjoyable.
If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.
Wrights' houses at their best.......2007-03-26
There are many different aspects to highlight when studying the work of one of Americas' greatest architects. The part of his work that is probably the most accesible, are his private houses. It was great to see all these houses together in one beautiful volume. The photographs are stunning, and it is great to see so much attention paid to the interior of these houses, as Wright was responsible for most interior design too.
As a professional or just a fan, when you love Wrights' work and want to visually enjoy it to the fullest, this book is a must have. The only thing better is to buy one of his houses...
WOW - Photography and Essays.......2007-03-09
One beautiful and well done book. Look, read and indulge yourself in Wright. Wonderful photography and ineresting writing by many authors that all to the lore of Wright.
A great gift for someone who has on interest in FLLW.
Customer Reviews:
From the Publisher.......2005-11-20
"Three hundred full-color illustrations and elucidating text showcase the work of the Taliesin Architects, a firm started by the students and coworkers of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright after his death in 1959. Guided by a desire to create buildings in harmony with nature; to make a positive contribution to the way people live; and to keep Wright's vision alive, this book offers an overview of Taliesin Architects' work of the past forty years and a succinct summary of his design principles.
"John Rattenbury worked and studied with Frank Lloyd Wright for eight years. Since he cofounded Taliesin Architects, he has designed more than two hundred architectural and planning projects. Rattenbury teaches design and professional practice at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and lectures throughout the United States.
"296 pages, size: 10.5" square. 300 color photographs and drawings. Casebound book, with dust jacket. ISBN: 0-7649-1366-2."--© Pomegranate
Mr. Wright's vision lives on in Taliesin Architects.......2000-12-01
I had no idea of the quantity and quality of the work that has been and is still being brought forth by the Taliesin Architects! Projects that were not realized in Mr. Wright's time have been brought forth lovingly and true to his vision of "organic" architecture. Not to mention the breathtaking original homes, churches, auditoriums, nursing homes, banks, hotels, mobile homes (YES!) and other moderate cost housing. Not copies of the works of their inspiring teacher, Mr. Wright would not have that! They have found their own way of "organic" architecture that would make Mr. Wright proud!
The Wrong Stuff.......2000-11-06
John Rattenbury's 'A Living Architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright and
Taliesin Architects' is the kind of 'coffee table' book that gives the
concept of the coffee table book a bad name. The publisher's
advertising blurb seems to promise an intelligent and inclusive
examination of Wright's Taliesin Fellowship, founded in 1932. Instead
we get a brief mention of only 3 of the many apprentices who studied
at the architect's elbow, and little else regarding an in-depth
history of the movement. The blurb goes on to promise a substantial
survey of the designs of the fellowship's numerous graduates since
Wright's death, again to concentrate instead on the work, much of it
mediocre indeed, of only a few, the author himself getting the lion
share of the mention. Rattenbury also spends some considerable length
in a rehashing of Wright's definition of organic architecture, a
definition that can be found in dozens of published tracts by Wright
himself, all available for far less cost than this tome demands. The
definition presented is general, simplistic, often derivative, and
offers nothing fresh to the veteran admirer of Wright; while someone
coming new to that great architect would be far better served to
expose himself to Wright through far better - and far less expensive -
introductory works such as those by Scully or Hitchcock or Twombly. As
a former apprentice and now teacher for Taliesin Architects,
Rattenbury limits himself to mainly uncritical press agentry for that
group, in a format almost totally devoid of depth or
scholarship. Strongly not recommended for anyone but the most satiated
Wright fan looking for yet another expensive, 'skin deep' presentation
trading on Wright's name and glory.
Average customer rating:
- On a 20th Century Footing
- the whole story
- Racy, readable, delightful.
- Flawed, like the man
- Fascinating book
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The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship
Roger Friedland , and
Harold Zellman
Manufacturer: Harper
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Binding: Hardcover
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Wright, Frank Lloyd
| Architects, A-Z
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ASIN: 0060393882
Release Date: 2006-08-22 |
Book Description
Frank Lloyd Wright was renowned during his life not only as an architectural genius, but as a subject of controversy—from his radical design innovations to his turbulent private life, including the notorious mass murder that occurred at his Wisconsin estate, Taliesin, in 1914. Yet, as this landmark new book reveals, that estate also gave rise to one of the most fascinating and provocative experiments in American cultural history: the Taliesin Fellowship, an extraordinary architectural colony where Wright trained hundreds of devoted apprentices, while using them as the de facto architectural practice where all of his late masterpieces—Fallingwater, Johnson Wax, the Guggenheim Museum—were born.
A decade in the making, The Fellowship draws on hundreds of new and unpublished interviews, along with countless unseen documents from the Wright archives, to create a captivating portrait of Taliesin and the three mercurial figures at its center: Wright, his imperious wife Olgivanna Hinzenberg, and her spiritual master, the Greek-Armenian mystic Georgi Gurdjieff. Authors Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman reveal how the idealistic community of Taliesin became a kind of fiefdom, where young apprentices were both inspired and manipulated by the architect and his wife. They trace the decades-long war of wills between Wright and Olgivanna, in which organic architecture was pitted against esoteric spiritualism in a struggle for the soul of Taliesin. They chronicle Wright's perennial battles with clients, bankers, and the government, which suspected him of both communist and fascist sympathies. And through it all they tell the stories of Wright's devoted apprentices—many of them gay men—who found an uncertain refuge in the architect's Wisconsin and Arizona compounds, and who helped the master realize his dreamlike architectural visions, often at great personal cost.
Epic in scope yet intimate in its detail, The Fellowship is an unforgettable story of genius and ego, sex and violence, mysticism and utopianism—a magisterial work of biography that will forever change how we think about Frank Lloyd Wright and his world.
Customer Reviews:
On a 20th Century Footing.......2007-08-16
The 20th Century was to have been the era of transformation in which the human race, and indeed human nature itself was to be wholly revised and repaired. There were as many different formulas as there were thinkers and doers. From Lenin to the Ayatollahs, everyone had a plan to bring paradise back from the lost and found. It hardly needs to be said that all of the various visions found themselves at war with each other. More than 100 million people died in the ensuing competition.
Frank Lloyd Wright thought that transformation would be a natural result of living in a dwelling that conformed with his ideas of "organic architecture". The dwelling would be properly sited in a non-urban, highly programmed, planned community. He hated cities.
In the Taliesin Fellowship, Wright had the opportunity to operate his vision the way a model railroad enthusiast operates a miniature transportation network. The results are instructive. The story is a most entertaining read and well told by the authors, Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman. The writing is excellent. The narrative has everything: sex, power, ego, mysticism, a grand vision, vivid characters, tragedy and madness.
Frank Lloyd Wright has been called the greatest architect of the 20th Century. He may be. It will remain an article of debate for as long as people care about 20th Century building. There is no debate that he lived in interesting times. The Taliesin Fellowship is an excellent mirror in which to glimpse both some of the glory and some of the horror of that time.
the whole story.......2007-08-02
Like many former apprentices I learned much more about Olgivanna
than I knew from my own contact during the time I was apprenticed at
Taliesin. It never occurred to me that she was indeed cruel--I just thought she was
FLLW's means to keep himself free of the logistics of housekeeping.
He never expressed much liking for the mystic Gurjieff, and Olgivanna set up the school
following Wright's death which spelled the demise of Wright's ideas in favor of the mystic.
I am sorry that the existing remnants of the Fellowship at Taliesin
seem to have prevailed in denying this exposition. The idolization of
Olgivanna persists!
The book reveals it all and is a great read!
Bill Patrick
Racy, readable, delightful........2007-07-03
What fun this book is! I could hardly put it down. A fascinating, almost embarrassingly readable entree into a group of brilliant, talented and contradictory people who literally changed the face of America. Frank Lloyd Wright comes across as a conflicted and rather scary genius who attracted star-struck acolytes prepared to put up with his mercurial humors; his family and entourage are equally vividly brought to life, as is the fascinating intellectual and artistic spirit of the times in which Wright's unique vision was born and developed. Some critics claim that sources are not cited - not true, they are, dozens of pages of them, but you don't realize they're there until you've finished the book (no callouts in the main text). Treat yourself to this one, you're almost certain to love it, and learn from it too.
Flawed, like the man.......2007-06-14
If you liked muckraking author Seymour Hirsch's sensationalist book about the Kennedy Administration, "The Dark Side of Camelot", then you'll lover "The Fellowship". If you would prefer an objective, concise, and balanced review of Mr. Wright's architecture as well as his personal life, then you would be better served by reading the revered architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable's recent book, "Frank Lloyd Wright", from the "Penguin Lives" series of biographies. Ms. Huxtable is both a Pulitzer Prize winner and a MacArthur Fellow, which puts her credibility head and shoulders above the authors of "The Fellowship", one of whom sounds like he could be a disciple of Gurdjieff himself.
Fascinating book.......2007-06-12
Not only did this book teach me a lot about architecture, it also presented a highly entertaining soap opera about an incredible bunch of people. Fun read.
Book Description
America's most famous architect was obsessed with small houses. Even though this exciting aspect of his work has been long overlooked, the truth is that Frank Lloyd Wright spent most of his career addressing the problems of houses intended for individuals or small families of modest means. In the only book on the master architect to focus on "the house of moderate cost," Wright expert Diane Maddex takes the reader inside a selection of his small houses from across the country, turning the spotlight on Wright's ingenious solutions to make these homes look and feel large.
Customer Reviews:
Wright-Sized Book for custom homes........2007-08-02
I am building a custom home and I keep going back to this book for inspiration and important details. I have a library of at least 20 other FLW (Frank Lloyd Wright) books, but this is the most up-to-date and most on target reference for new home design. The photographs are large and focused on details, not just exterior elevations. Doors, windows, roofs, entrances and many other important features are explained and given an indepth perspective. This is a must have for any FLW library and I guarantee you will be handing this to to your architect if you want FLW details in your custom home. A great read.
Ludicrous topic, excellent book.......2007-04-01
Despite the questionable purpose to show "solutions for making small houses big", as if using Wright's architecture for a DIY book, and the fact that all houses in the book are small like a condo, this is a very good book.
Selection of the photographs, print and layout are excellent and decidedly over the average, even for such a popular subject.
Plans and texts are plain and clear and eventually contribute to making it very easy for quick consultation. Somehow and unexpectedly, in my studio, you can never find this book in the same place.
Illustrates Wright's Ideas - Easy to understand.......2007-03-09
I'm a Wright fan and an architect, so it was good to find a book the describes and illustrates FLLW's architecture "gems" to be considered in home design. Well done and useful, whether you are considering a "FLLW-inspired" or another architectural style. I think this book is a good compliment to Sarah Susanka's books (i.e., "the not so big house", etc.).
I my opinion, Wright's approach is universal to many architectual style.
Very good synthesis of Wright's work.......2007-02-24
I really liked this book. Quite well structured, it presents first key characteristics of Wright's architecture apearing in Prairie but also Usonian houses.
The second part gives full details of some houses (mainly Usonian since the theme is about "making small houses feel big")
Special interest for Isabel Roberts house, River Forest (on front and back cover pages) which is to my mind Wright's Masterwork joining Prairie and Usonian concepts.
Photos are nice and drawings are also indicated (with scale and orientation).
The only point I disliked is the fact comments relative to photos are not always fully precise : they could have highlighted a bit more key characteristics quoted in book's first part. The author has also preferred giving some details about Owners rather than focusing only on architecture.
One of the best Wright books out there.......2006-05-11
This is a beautiful picture book that keeps its title's promise. Maddex actually identifies the specific FLW solutions for making small houses feel big. Her description of these solutions are well-written and aimed at appealing to the intelligent layman. Mercifully, she avoids the academic, pedantic and patronizing tone. A real pleasure. Couldn't recommend more highly.
Book Description
Frank Lloyd Wright exerted perhaps the greatest influence on twentieth century design. In a volume that continues to resonate more than seventy years after its initial publication, Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography contains the master architect's own account of his work, his philosophy, and his personal life, written with his signature wit and charm.
Wright (1867-1959) went into seclusion in a Minnesota cabin to reflect and to record his life experiences. In 1932, the first edition of the Autobiography was published. It became a form of advertising, leading many readers to seek out the master architect--thirty apprentices came to live and learn at Taliesin, Wright's Wisconsin home/school/studio, under the master's tutelage. (By 1938, Taliesin West, in Arizona, was the winter location for Wright's school.)
The volume is divided into five sections devoted to family, fellowship, work, freedom, and form. Wright recalls his childhood, his apprenticeship with Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, the turmoil of his personal life, and the background to his greatest achievements, including Hollyhock House, the Prairie and the Usonian Houses, and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
Customer Reviews:
great story.......2006-03-14
Not just for architects.... the autobiography of Frank Loyd Wright it's a great story for everybody who's interested in passion for life.
Book Description
The most pivotal and yet least understood event of Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated life involves the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Unaccountably, the details of that shocking crime have been largely ignored by Wright’s legion of biographersâa historical and cultural gap that is finally addressed in William Drennan’s exhaustively researched Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders.
In response to the scandal generated by his open affair with the proto-feminist and free love advocate Mamah Borthwick Cheney, Wright had begun to build Taliesin as a refuge and "love cottage" for himself and his mistress (both married at the time to others).
Conceived as the apotheosis of Wright’s prairie house style, the original Taliesin would stand in all its isolated glory for only a few months before the bloody slayings that rocked the nation and reduced the structure itself to a smoking hull.
Supplying both a gripping mystery story and an authoritative portrait of the artist as a young man, Drennan wades through the myths surrounding Wright and the massacre, casting fresh light on the formulation of Wright’s architectural ideology and the cataclysmic effects that the Taliesin murders exerted on the fabled architect and on his subsequent designs.
Customer Reviews:
All My Life I Have Been Plagued by Fires.......2007-09-29
Ever since I studied FLW as a freshman in architecture school, I wondered how he made it thru such a dark and difficult time. So when I found this book, I had to get it. I have always admired and actually enjoyed studying FLW designs and visiting his works. I had read that he was very arrogant but most of what I had read just glossed over his personal life and focused on his work.........which is ok. In fact when I can, I tend to use his design vocabulary in my designs. After reading this book I am truly sickened to discover how much of jerk and crook FLW truly was. How a father of six children could leave and not just leave but stay away from them for over a year? I am grateful that I did not know him as a person and that I cannot relate to his behavior at any level.
Given that, I have no idea how such a loser could be such an architectural genius? If it takes an ego of this magnitude to BE a genius, I am grateful that I am not one.
It appears that the author has researched the Taliesin murders in great depth. There are over 30 pages of footnotes! Drennan's analysis for me is sound. The only thing I could not agree with was that FLW's houses became fortifications after the Taliesin murders. If you read the book "Wright Space: Pattern and Meaning in Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses" you will find that all his houses were sanctuaries of refuge starting with the hidden entrance. That's one of the characteristics of what his clients loved about the houses, security and privacy. Did FLW look for ways to prevent fires after the murders........yes as all competent architects should, would and do.
It is clear that he got caught up in some bad karma. The Spring Green community hated him the most and believed that FLW committed the murders. Even the parts of Taliesin that were burnt (living quarters) versus the parts that remained untouched (design studio) reflected his life.
There is not much evidence to support racial hatred towards Julian Carlton, the alleged murderer and arsonist, but being so close to the time of the civil war, it seems likely that there was. I still don't understand why they let the wife go. She was found hiding dressed in her Sunday's best? She had answers that remained hidden.
No matter how much FLW deserved getting what was dished out to him, you can't help but pity the man when at the end of the book, one of his apprentices heard him walking the grounds of Taliesin in the dark repeating the following statement over and over, "All my life I have been plagued by fires, All my life I have been plagued by fires.............."
Brilliantly written. I had very difficult time putting this book down.
"Enquiring minds want to know" journalism.......2007-05-14
Mixed view of this book. The author has dug deeply to unearth whatever facts are still out there about this tragedy. And, the story is compelling. However, I am bothered somewhat that recent books on Wright have focused soley on the sensational aspects of his life rather than the work which made him famous and which is still relevant today!
As for the content, I am not totally convinced by the timeline of events which he puts forth. However, he does convincingly demolish the long-standing, accepted version. That leaves some big questions which will probably never be answered. Finally, Bill (the author) has an irritating tendency to constantly refer to Frank Loyd Wright as "Frank". Bill needed a more competent editor.
Well Done.......2007-05-07
This is a fascinating book that is written in an interesting style The history of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders in particular are well documented. Well worth the purchase.
This book has it all.......2007-05-03
William Drennan blends brutal murder, sensational scandal, exhaustive research and thought-provoking theory in this important book. A clear style and a flair for the mot juste make this book both scholarly and page-turning.
At last, an author has had the courage, persistence and skill to delve into Wisconsin's crime of the 20th century. It's a wonder no writer previously tackled this topic, given that it involves a horrific killing that claimed the paramour of America's foremost architect, as well as his signature home design, Taliesin. We're all fortunate Drennan accepted the challenge.
A Great Read!.......2007-04-26
Meticulously researched and thoughtfully presented, Death in a Prairie House is also a great read. I recommend it.
Amazon.com
Of all the books that have appeared in the last 10 years on Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture, this is the one that will last. It is in all ways comprehensive: its text is as organized and complete as a set of blueprints; its striking pictures of projects as small as the modest Usonian houses or as grand as the Guggenheim Museum are arranged in order by the visual information they reveal about each project; and even its copyediting is noticeably coherent, with dates just where one expects such details to be, in the first picture captions for each project. The book as a whole is so carefully conceived that, reading it, one knows exactly where to look for any particular bit of history. And while, for casual readers, the essays may offer too much to digest at first, Robert McCarter's prose is agile and passionate. "Wright understood buildings to be the background or framework for human existence," he writes. "Architecture gave dignity to daily life." --Margaret Moorman
House & Garden
By explaining Wright's complex geometry in the clearest language (a new tack for architecture criticism), McCarter amply repays a "debt of love."
Customer Reviews:
Useful not only for reference on his work.......2002-02-26
This is a great book, not only as a reference for FLW's work, divided into sections of building type, containing hundreds of great photographs and drawings of his works (about 20 on Fallingwater alone), by which you can really get to know his work in detail. Because it's so visually rich, it is also a reference for constrution techniques and details (and, as you know, FLW is a very echletic architect). The text is very well written and covers everything related to each work, like clients' reviews, technical specifications, the story of the building, and so forth. I recommend it to anyone interested in architecture and FLW.
Great book, different outlook on the man+his work.......1998-05-01
Oustanding commentary, well researched and insightful. The text here is mighty different from other commentaries on Wright, and feels much more substantive. Ony con: not enough images + some floorplans are reproduced too small to read clearly. - not a photo overview, a study on the man.
Amazon.com
Any admirer of the creative talent of Frank Lloyd Wright should not be without this excellent book, which records 50 of his domestic interiors. Diane Maddex, who has written several books on Wright, has assembled a photographic collection of his living and dining rooms as well as playrooms, libraries, and a few public spaces, including Wisconsin's Johnson Wax building and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Wright's signature style--a combination of arts and crafts and the "prairie school"--was achieved by designing human-scale spaces with beautifully crafted materials. Maddex includes the finest examples of this in the book. The rooms span Wright's entire career--from the Robie House in 1906 to the Guggenheim, which was completed in 1959 (after the architect's death)--and they demonstrate the evolution of his style. The photographs are sensational; they capture the light, scale, and color of each interior. Accompanying each photo is a brief description of the clients, their requirements, and what Wright created for them. This is a lovely book that serves as a beautiful historical record of one of the 20th century's greatest architects.
Customer Reviews:
Good use of the full size of the book for big photos.......2007-03-28
A very natural companion book to 50 Favorite Houses by FLW by the same author. I think I prefer this one. It's not often I see photos of the interior of the Marin County Civic Center though there's just one. Despite there being 22 different photographers or souces for photos, they're all credited for 1998, the year the book was printed. This could explain why almost every interior shot appears to have, as much as possible, the same camera angle, that is, to include the ceiling and floors. It gives a feeling of first walking into a room. For some reason I like this book a little better than the 50 Favorite Houses one. Not sure why, maybe it's the rich natural wood colors of his interiors while all the homes in the other book are not as dramatic in color and bright detail as these rooms are. Both are worth having if you can get them at less than full price, which, thankfully, is one of the great strengths of this site. The author does a nice job with her medium sized column of information that is on the facing page of each entry. I'm always a happy FLW big color photo book owner when the book has every single photo (except one of FLW) take up the entire page and maybe half of them also covering a third of the facing page. That's what I want in such books, big color photos of his work taking up as much of the page as possible. Worth it owning this lovely book. chrisbct@hotmail.com
50 Favorite Rooms Review.......2003-08-29
This book is great either if you are wanting infornmation on Frank Lloyd Wright, his personal life or the works of art he created. It gives examples of his personal choices and styles. Each page includes a full page color picture of one of the rooms he designed.
It also is a good book if you are just looking for examples of interior design or aritechture. It has unique pieces and will give you great ideas!
Excellently arranged; quality overview of great room spaces.......2002-02-02
The first thing that struck me about this book is how well put-together it is. In "50 Favorite Rooms by Frank Lloyd Wright," Diane Maddex (listed in the credits as "Project Director") has crafted a book that is clean, simple and elegant in its presentation of the architect's trademark design of personal living spaces.
If you've visited more than a few of Frank Lloyd Wright's creations, chances are they won't all be represented here. He completed hundreds of homes and buildings, which means that this book could have been entitled "250 Favorite Rooms ..." and it still would have been too thin. What you do find are superb photos which are amazingly successful in capturing the perspective and harmony of lines, space, furniture, ornamentation and even lighting. My favorite views are inside the homes, but the public spaces are interesting also. You don't have to be an architect to appreciate the mastery in Mr. Wright's designs.
The chapters are grouped by room type (e.g., living rooms, dining rooms), with each of the pictures taking up AT LEAST one full page, and supported by 20-30 lines of text describing key design aspects of the room. The photos are of the highest quality in terms of exposure, lighting and balance. In some cases, the vantage point allows for a look beyond the windows to the surrounding landscape or greenery. A nice touch, indeed. In short, if you're looking for the definitive image of a room, you'll find a bunch of them right here.
If Mr. Wright had designed a book, I think this is what he'd have come up with. I give this my highest recommendation.
Seeing the Sublime from Behind Closed Doors.......2001-07-19
Most of the 5,000 plus wonderful rooms designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are not open to the public. This book gives you a chance to go where you often cannot go in any other way to see 50 of the best.
Unlike most architects, Mr. Wright designed in such a way that "the rooms inside would dictate the architecture outside." Even inside, he designed all elements of the room, including floor and wall coverings, art glass in many cases, lighting fixtures, furniture, and where everything should be located. He also specified that those who used the rooms should be limited to bringing in only certain types of objects, and for certain locations. For example, ornamental china was allowed on one ledge of the dining room in Robie House.
I have had the chance to visit many Wright homes and buildings, yet this book greatly expanded my understanding of his work.
Mr. Wright was primarily a home architect, and "the living room was the heart of the home" for him. He would use built-in benches to encourage reading, fireplaces for conversation, windows with designs to inspire contemplation, tables for informal dining and card playing, and views of nature for living more organically.
Clearly, it would be hard to outdo a Wright living room, and most of the best examples of his work in this book are living rooms. I thought the best ones were in the home and studio in Oak Park, Dana-Thomas House, Robie House, May House, Little House, Fallingwater, Taliesin West, Wingspread, Cedar Rock, R.L. Wright House, and Rayward House.
I liked his dining rooms best in the home and studio in Oak Park, Dana-Thomas House, Robie House, May House, and Boynton House.
For nooks and crannies, I liked the Oak Park studio library, and the Storer House Terrace.
Of the public spaces, my favorites were the Unity Temple Sanctuary, Coonley Playhouse, the Guggenheim Museum atrium, and the Marin County Center skylit atrium under the barrel vault.
If you ever have a chance to see any of these, be sure you take advantage of it! Robie House is now being rebuilt in Hyde Park, Illinois, but is open for tours. Final restoration is expected to be done in 2007. The Oak Park home and studio are open every day. Taliesin West is open most days. Fallingwater has an extensive schedule of being open. Unity Temple, the Guggenheim, and Marin County Center are usually open.
After you examine these wonderful living spaces, think about how your life would be improved in such more natural surroundings. How can you make where you live closer to his ideal?
Look for the most natural way to be with others!
The Essence of Eternal Art and Architectural Mastery!.......2000-02-01
This book touches me in many ways. First, it brings memories of childhood, with the illusions of art full in my mind. I have always loved art and buildings and when in Sr. High School, I had the opportunity to visit one of Mr. Wright's creations, I was in awe at the sight of it. It was in Falling Water, PA. When you have the opportunity to walk into one of these homes, not houses; it is like you feel the presence of the man who designed it, not just a building. Looking at the pages in this book is as close to walking in one of the luxurious rooms as a person can get without actually physically being there. Frank Lloyd Wright truly is an Eternal Artist. His book is lively and full of feeling, as well as detailed artwork that comes from the love of designing itself. I could go on for a long time about his works, but I will leave a little to the imagination now. If you haven't already seen or looked at one of his creations, I suggest that you at least buy one of the many wonderful books about them. You will be delightfully pleased for years to come.
Book Description
This extraordinary book presents thirty-eight of the most renowned and significant buildings of America's premier architect, from his early Prairie work in Oak Park, Illinois, in the 1890s to his daring creations of the 1940s and 1950s.
In entirely new photographs taken especially for this book by two leading architectural photographers under the direction of co-editor David Larkin, such internationally famous buildings as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater and Wright's homes Taliesin, Taliesin West, and the Oak Park Home and Studio are seen afresh, benefiting from the photographers' special access.
Several lesser-known residences, such as Auldbrass Plantation in South Carolina, an array of wooden buildings that is Wright's American alternative to antebellum architecture, the William H. Winslow house in River Forest, Illinois, one of the architect's earliest and most surprisingly decorative houses, and the Kenneth Laurent house in Rockford, Illinois, a masterful curvilinear design, are seen in full color and demonstrate dimensions of Wright's work less often seen before. Public buildings, such as the dramatic concrete, glass, and steel Marin County Civic Center and Beth Sholom Synagogue show Wright as engineering virtuoso as well as creative architect. In addition to these existing masterworks, only the most famous of which are open to the public, the book covers buildings that have been demolished, notably the Larkin Company Administration Building, Midway Gardens, and the Imperial Hotel, which are represented here by drawings and rich archival photographs.
Each of the buildings is presented from conceptual sketch, plan, or drawing to finished masterwork, and each is accompanied by an in-depth essay detailing the development of the work. Extensive quotes from Wright's writings, unpublished talks, and private letters to the clients give valuable insight into the architect's own thinking about each commission. Never before has Wright's architecture been presented so elaborately in one volume.
Customer Reviews:
The best overview of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest designs.......2007-09-08
No one book could capture the full range of Frank Lloyd Wright's brilliance and versatility, but this one comes close! If you're a fan of the man who was arguably the 20th century's greatest architect, this book is a must-have. It covers his design philosophy, and shows how that philosophy was manifested, from Wright's preliminary sketches to great photos of the finished structures. A visual treat and an invaluable reference work.
Ahhhhh Frank!!!!!.......2007-09-04
Coffee table book, lovely photos; if you love the vision of FLW you'll enjoy this book
Wright for the Novelist.......2007-05-09
This is a good book for someone who is intersted in FLW and wants to see most of his Masterworks. However, I wouldn't call much of anything he did after the late 1940's a Masterwork but never the less the book gives a nice overview of his entire career. The guy lived to be 92! Lots of just gorgeous photos. Not many floor plans and the ones included are too small to read. Lots of original colored renderings, sections, elevations & some floor plans. The ratio of text to pictures is 20:80. The book goes quick.
The book is almost a masterpiece itself........2007-04-01
Thirty-eight of his buildings are presented mainly with large color photos along with around a dozen architectural drawings. About a fifth of the book is text. The dust jacket has a striking photo of the exterior of Fallingwater with the lights on inside at night. Maybe half the color photos fill the page. There are about nine black and white photos, mainly in the front of the book as well as a page of eight other black and white photos showing the construction of one of the buildings.
If you want a high quality overview of his work, this is the book to get. Enough buildings are shown to give you a broad view of his work and the book is long enough to go into some detail on each building. The text provides lots of information and reads less like a textbook and more like someone revealing the work of a master, in this case, America's finest architect.
You're not likely to be able to find this for much of a discounted price. It's certainly a well done book and does not fall in the catagory of discounted books. Some things are worth paying for and this could be one of them. I gotta admit, I was more willing to pay full price for Fallingwater by Kaufman. The big difference was that his book had far more full page color photographs. That's one of my few small complaints about this book. If only. But the quality of presentation, the consistently high quality of the photos and, of course, the buildings they focus on, really makes this a book deserving of a full 5 star rating. There are no bad or weak or slightly out of focus photos in this book. Many of the photos are particularly beautiful. This is the finest collection of his drawings I have seen in one book. If you only plan to own two FLW books I would definitely say make it this one and the Fallingwater book.
Wonderful Gift .......2007-03-09
I bought this item as a gift. The person I gave it to loves it. Wonderful descriptions and beautiful photographs. A great gift for the Architecture and/or Frank Llyod Wright enthusiast.
Books:
- Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods
- Fundamentals of Space Systems (The Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory Series in Science and Engineering)
- Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I (with ArtStudy CD-ROM 2.1, Western)
- Gardner's Art Through the Ages (with ArtStudy Student CD-ROM and InfoTrac )
- Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue
- Geo-Metrics III: The Application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Techniques (Using the Customary Inch Systems)
- Graphic Design Solutions, Third Edition
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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