Amazon.com
Celebrating seventy-five years of defining architectural standards, Wiley is proud to introduce the most thorough revision of Architectural Graphic Standards in a generation. This anniversary edition of the indispensable architect's tool features an entirely new design created by Bruce Mau Design, improved organization, and expanded and all-new content covering contemporary issues.
|
Browse sample content from Architectural Graphic Standards (.pdf) |
 |
 |
 |
Interior Construction |
Shell Design Considerations |
Exterior Enclosure |
 |
 |
 |
|
Roofing |
Architectural Woodwork |
History of AGS |
 |
|
Landmarks in the history of Architectural Graphics Standards |
Book Description
Since 1932, the ten editions of Architectural Graphic Standards have been referred to as the "architect's bible." From site excavation to structures to roofs, this book is the first place to look when an architect is confronted with a question about building design. With more than 8,000 architectural illustrations, including both reference drawings and constructible architectural details, this book provides an easily accessible graphic reference for highly visual professionals.
To celebrate seventy-five years as the cornerstone of an industry, this commemorative Eleventh Edition is the most thorough and significant revision of Architectural Graphic Standards in a generation. Substantially revised to be even more relevant to today's design professionals, it features:
An entirely new, innovative look and design created by Bruce Mau Design that includes a modern page layout, bold second color, and new typeface
Better organized-- a completely new organization structure applies the UniFormat(r) classification system which organizes content by function rather than product or material
Expanded and updated coverage of inclusive, universal, and accessible design strategies
Environmentally-sensitive and sustainable design is presented and woven throughout including green materials, LEEDS standards, and recyclability
A bold, contemporary new package--as impressive closed as it is open, the Eleventh Edition features a beveled metal plate set in a sleek, black cloth cover
Ribbon Markers included as a convenient and helpful way to mark favorite and well used spots in the book
All New material
Thoroughly reviewed and edited by hundreds of building science experts and experienced architects, all new details and content including:
new structural technologies, building systems, and materials
emphasis on sustainable construction, green materials, LEED standards, and recyclability
expanded and updated coverage on inclusive, universal, and accessible design strategies
computing technologies including Building Information Modeling (BIM) and CAD/CAM
new information on regional and international variations
accessibility requirements keyed throughout the text
new standards for conducting, disseminating, and applying architectural research
New and improved details
With some 8,500 architectural illustrations, including both reference drawings and constructible architectural details, Architectural Graphic Standards continues to be the industry's leading, easily accessible graphic reference for highly visual professionals.
Customer Reviews:
Buy the Tenth Edition if you can.......2007-06-16
To date, I've had to resort to previous editions of the Graphic Standards for most of my information. And I find it odd that a book titled graphic standards does not illustrate what the graphic conventions are. But it LOOKS PRETTY!
As for the CD-Rom, it has to be installed on the computer to use it, and the license agreement allows it to be installed on only one computer.
Great changes to an already good book.......2007-05-25
Some great details, case studies added to the book. More imformation added.
Book Description
Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction is an all-new visual guide devoted exclusively to construction standards of residential structures. Created exclusively for professionals working in residential design and construction, this guide combines key information culled from the tenth edition of Architectural Graphic Standards with all-new material on residential design. This special volume provides thousands of standard architectural details and guidelines and is an easy reference for anyone designing or constructing a residential project.
From detailing foundations to designing home theaters, home offices, and other specialty rooms, Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction is a resource that's as efficient as it is comprehensive. You'll find design details that incorporate best construction practices as well as guidelines for state-of-the-art wiring, heating, and cooling systems. In step with current practices, this volume includes the latest guidelines for:
- Energy efficiency
- Accessibility
- HVAC and indoor air quality
- Green construction
An essential guide for designing in today's fast-paced and competitive building environment, Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction is a critical resource if you're an architect, contractor, engineer, developer, home-builder, or other professional involved in designing residential buildings.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Own Book for Serious Residential Do-It-Yourselfers.......2006-06-17
This book is an excellent reference book for use in designing, planning, and building a new house or remodeling an existing one. Whenever I plan on doing something on the house, I double check with this reference before finishing my designs and plans. It's a must own book for serious do-it-yourselfers.
Readers' Digest Version of AGS.......2005-04-15
Although these editions change little, this review is based upon AGS 10th Ed. & AGSRC 2003.
Negative:
This is bascially a regurgitation of the more complete Architectural Graphics Standards, distilled to a "residential" focus but appears as volumous because some details have been photo-enlarged (in poor-average quality). Few, if any new residential details/information has been provided.
Positive:
Those ONLY interested in residential construction and NOT requiring a full brace of ALL details will find this quite a good value - compare its price to Architectural Graphics Standards.
Recommendation:
Anyone in construction should have one, but not both of these books as a prime resource. The content does improve every year, although some years it's like watching grass grow.
Challenge:
IF there are numerous portions of the Residential version that are unique and new to it, exclusive of passages in the larger AGS version - I would really appreciate a review that contains how to locate these passages, as I've spent enough time trying to find them. If enough of these exist, it would give thought of updating this resource once in awhile.
One volume encyclopedia.......2003-11-25
Experienced readers will benefit from its brief summaries and drawings covering the broadest range of topics imaginable. Some economizing is evident in the paper and printing quality, some of the drawings look 50 years old, but there is lots of reference information, like span tables, solar position data, etc. Probably not the last word on every topic, but still worth consulting.
A wonderful resource.......2003-03-27
Following in the terrific legacy of the benchmark Architectural Graphic Standards book, this edition clearly makes building for residences an easier task. I've found innumerable details that I've used in my residential practice on a daily basis, details not found in other reference books. Of particular help are the pages that give an overview of how parts of a house interconnect with each other, such as foundation-to-framing. Also, there is a wealth of info on HVAC, new window technology and other things I've found very, very helpful.
Book Description
"What is abstract art good for? What's the use--for us as individuals, or for any society--of pictures of nothing, of paintings and sculptures or prints or drawings that do not seem to show anything except themselves?" In this invigorating account of abstract art since Jackson Pollock, eminent art historian Kirk Varnedoe, the former chief curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, asks these and other questions as he frankly confronts the uncertainties we may have about the nonrepresentational art produced in the last five decades. He makes a compelling argument for its history and value, much as E. H. Gombrich tackled representation fifty years ago in Art and Illusion, another landmark A. W. Mellon Lectures volume. Realizing that these lectures might be his final work, Varnedoe conceived of them as a statement of his faith in modern art and as the culminating example of his lucidly pragmatic and philosophical approach to art history. He delivered the lectures, edited and reproduced here with their illustrations, to overflowing crowds at the National Gallery of Art in Washington in the spring of 2003, just months before his death.
With brilliance, passion, and humor, Varnedoe addresses the skeptical attitudes and misunderstandings that we often bring to our experience of abstract art. Resisting grand generalizations, he makes a deliberate and scholarly case for abstraction--showing us that more than just pure looking is necessary to understand the self-made symbolic language of abstract art. Proceeding decade by decade, he brings alive the history and biography that inform the art while also challenging the received wisdom about distinctions between abstraction and representation, modernism and postmodernism, and minimalism and pop. The result is a fascinating and ultimately moving tour through a half century of abstract art, concluding with an unforgettable description of one of Varnedoe's favorite works.
Customer Reviews:
Pictures of Nothing.......2007-10-13
This is a very good collection of lectures given about abstract art. It gives some valuable clues as to the genealogy of modern art.
overrated and wordy.......2007-09-19
a disappointing book - pretentious and unenlightening - get hilton kramer's "the trium of modernism" instead!
They really need a Zero Star category for books like this one.......2007-07-24
I watched the excellent series on art on DVD called "Power of Art" by Simon Schama. The last episode of the series is on Mark Rothko, an abstract painter. It made me want to learn more about abstract art, so I bought this book. Annnt! Thanks for playing. This book is a dog. It didnt help me understand abstract art one bit . In fact, it goes on and on about pieces of "art," but does not explain them beyond being smears or smudges or works of technique. The basis of abstract art is not explained at all.
BTW, it appears from this book that these guys were often making paintings just as rude jabs at one another's work.
I found the book a total waste.
Review by P Hutchings, Melbourne, Australia.......2007-06-13
Kirk Varnedoe's Pictures of Nothing is a masterpiece of empirical art chronology/criticism. It is gritty and on the ground. This is a relief after Danto's warmed-over Hegel and Clement Greenberg's star-spangled marx with a small M. If one might venture any hypothesis about the artists about whom Varnedoe wrote it would have to face, square on, any counter-instances. No Zeitgeist, just Popperian falsifiablility. Good. It is of course a pity for those of us who were not in New York at the right time. But, that's life.
Patrick Hutchings
Department of Philopsophy
University of Melbourne
Australia
Abstraction clarified.......2007-02-07
A brilliant and thorough explication of contemporary abstract art. The lectures were not intended for
arts professionals but are a literate and enjoyable guide to the visual arts since Jackson Pollock.
Average customer rating:
- 2 for 1
- Life Doesn't Frighten Me
- Undecided
- Art Appreciation For All Ages---
- Pure Bosh
|
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
Maya Angelou , and
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Criticism
| General
| Regional
| Themes
| Women in Art
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nursery Rhymes
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Classics by Age
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Single Authors
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| British & Irish
| Continental European
| United States
Angelou, Maya
| ( A )
| Poets, A-Z
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Angelou, Maya
| ( A )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me
-
I Live In Music
-
May I Feel Said He (Art & Poetry)
-
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
-
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now
ASIN: 1556702884 |
Customer Reviews:
2 for 1.......2007-08-12
You have two great contemporary artists combined in this book.....I plan to buy it again as I gave it to a friend who is a new grandmother.
Life Doesn't Frighten Me .......2007-05-21
This is a great book! This book is a good starting point for conversation with children in helping them talk about what might frighten them. The artists (both Maya Angelou and Jean-Michel Basquiat) both have created a unique book for all ages.
Undecided.......2007-04-22
The pictures are abstract looking and dark in tone. The book makes reference to; ghosts, bad men fighting in the dark, and cougars in the park. I'm not sure my 3 or 5 year old children had thought up these bad things on their own yet. While reading them the book I felt uneasy about the dark pictures and scary references to things they may not have even thought of before. I'm still undecided if it will be helpful in convincing them that they don't need to be afraid of life or if it will convince them that life is pretty scary and they ought to be afraid! There is one reference to 'having a lucky charm up her sleeve' that protects her from the bad stuff and also allows her to walk on the ocean floor without having to come up to breathe. Those are both useless defenses in the real world so the book doesn't offer any real reasons to not be scared of life.
Art Appreciation For All Ages---.......2006-11-19
This book is truly for both parents and children. The cadence of Angelou's poem is one that appeals to kids of all ages, even if they don't initially understand it's meaning. The artwork in it's 'stick figure form' can be appreciated by all who enjoy the complexity of Basquiat's work as well as children relating to it's color and elementary presentation. It's one of my favorite gifts, from baby showers to adult parents. If you appreciate art and culture this book is one to have in the home as well as gift to a friend.
Pure Bosh.......2006-07-13
What a deep, deep woman this Maya Angelou is. At least this book ADMITS it's for little kids, unlike a lot of her other work.
Book Description
For everyone who craves a simpler lifestyle, not only in how they live but also where they live, The Simple Home features 21 houses and presents six different approaches to creating a home that realizes its full potential both simply and elegantly.
We are living in complex times, in a commodified, virtual, and overstimulated culture. One response to high levels of complexity and overstimulation is to look for yet another gadget or closet organizer to simplify our lives. But the answer lies somewhere else. The road to a simpler more satisfying life begins with a clear-eyed examination of the choices we are making for our time--and that includes choices about where we want to live.
The Simple Home presents six paths to simplicity, each illustrated by human-scaled, unadorned homes with straightforward floor plans and forms. These are open, light-filled homes (with rooms or spaces that are often multipurpose) that express their beauty in their utility and practicality. Simple homes are low maintenance and often green, designed for homeowners who wish to embody a different set of values in their housing choices than the run-of-the-mill starter castles littering the landscape.
The 6 Paths to Simplicity:
1. Simple is Enough
2. Simple is Thrifty
3. Simple is Flexible
4. Simple is Timeless
5. Simple is Sustainable
6. Simple is Refined
Customer Reviews:
Houses that live large for their owners.......2007-08-17
Wonderful case studies about 20 homes with good explanations about material choices, site considerations, and the people who own them. It's a Taunton Press book, so the photos are great, of course. I especially like the floor plan illustrations that support the photos and give a sense of flow through the houses.
Eye-opening book.......2007-08-04
This book is amazing! The pictures are great, and so well coordinated with the text that the reader can truly "see" each house. For anyone dreaming of a second home, or a more efficient first home, this is an ideal volume.
Defines the concept of a 'simple home' .......2007-07-08
Sarah Nettleton's THE SIMPLE HOME: THE LUXURY OF ENOUGH defines the concept of a 'simple home' and offers interior design tips to achieving satisfaction from a basic home design. This involves eliminating non-essentials and practicing restraint: six avenues to achieving a 'greener' lifestyle from this approach blends full-page color photos with comments on designs which refine and simplify the home - perfect for new students of interior design and homeowners contemplating reconstruction.
Great Book!.......2007-05-14
Wonderful pictures! This book has so many great stories of the home and how people really make their houses simple and comfortable.
Hmmm?.......2007-05-12
My copy came with many scratches on the dust cover and a broken binding when I opened the book. As far as the contents...I was expecting more of a layman friendly simple life-style type approach. Instead I felt like I was buying a book a self-contractor could use. My perusal indicated more about architecture as opposed to simplifying home content. Not a happy camper with this book. I returned it.
Average customer rating:
|
The Graphic Standards Guide to Architectural Finishes: Using MASTERSPEC to Evaluate, Select, and Specify Materials
ARCOM , and
The American Institute of Architects
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Reference
| Subjects
| Books
| Almanacs & Yearbooks
| Atlases & Maps
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business Skills
| Careers
| Catalogs & Directories
| Consumer Guides
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Education
| Encyclopedias
| Etiquette
| Foreign Languages
| Fun Facts
| Genealogy
| General
| Job Hunting
| Large Print
| Law
| Publishing & Books
| Quotations
| Spanish-Language Reference
| Study Guides
| Test Prep Central
| Words & Language
| Writing
Drafting
| Drawing & Modelling
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drawing & Modelling
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Architectural Standards
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Building Construction
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Buildings & Construction
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Engineering
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Reference
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Reference
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Interior Graphic Standards, Student Edition
-
Specifying Interiors: A Guide to Construction and FF&E for Residential and Commercial Interiors Projects
-
Materials and Components of Interior Architecture (7th Edition)
-
Estimating for Interior Designers
-
Interior Lighting, Fourth Edition
ASIN: 0471227668 |
Book Description
From ARCOM and The American Institute of Architects
A complete visual guide to choosing and using finish materials
In this unique guide, the authors of MASTERSPEC® and Architectural Graphic Standards join forces to offer architects vital single-source access to the unbiased information they need to evaluate, select, and specify the best finish materials for any job.
This powerful visual resource combines hundreds of illustrations from Architectural Graphic Standards with corresponding building material performance and specification information from AIA's MASTERSPEC®, published by ARCOM. Use this book during the schematic and design development phases of a project and as an indispensable aid for product selection and specification.
Essential for architects, interior designers, and building designers, this vital reference provides information to make informed decisions about specific design goals, such as affordability, environmental friendliness, durability, fire resistance, and esthetic success. Features include:
- Unique source of independent, in-depth building product performance information-the one source that gives you reliable building product information before you consult with manufacturers
- Covers a full range of standard finish materials and includes selection criteria, details, typical product sizes, and installation and maintenance data
- Provides current standards based on research by government, association, and independent testing organizations as well as the input of experienced architects and specifiers
"Architectural Graphic Standards has served the design community for decades as a virtual `bible' for architectural detailing. MASTERSPEC® Evaluations have long comprised one of the best resources available for building product selection and specification. Consolidating the strong points of both into this new desktop reference is an act of sheer brilliance!"
-Martin M. Bloomenthal, FAIA, CCS, CSI, Principal, The Hillier Group, Princeton, New Jersey
Book Description
From the publishers of Architectural Graphic Standards, this book, created under the auspices of The American Planning Association, is the most comprehensive reference book on urban planning, design, and development available today. Contributions from more than two hundred renowned professionals provide rules of thumb and best practices for mitigating such environmental impacts as noise, traffic, aesthetics, preservation of green space and wildlife, water quality, and more. You get in-depth information on the tools and techniques used to achieve planning and design outcomes, including economic analysis, mapping, visualization, legal foundations, and real estate developments. Thousands of illustrations, examples of custom work by todays leading planners, and insider information make this work the new standard in the field. Order your copy today.
Customer Reviews:
A public sector must-have resource.......2007-04-07
An excellent resource for anyone involved in public sector land-use planning. Contains great detail on many different subjects. Good illustrations throughout. Not the best resource for site planning, though.
Book Description
In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about.
Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. It recounts how the drive and imagination of an iconoclastic entrepreneur, Malcom McLean, turned containerization from an impractical idea into a massive industry that slashed the cost of transporting goods around the world.
But the container didn't just happen. Its adoption required huge sums of money, both from private investors and from ports that aspired to be on the leading edge of a new technology. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the titans of organized labor, Harry Bridges and Teddy Gleason, as well as delicate negotiations on standards that made it possible for almost any container to travel on any truck or train or ship. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential.
Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe.
Customer Reviews:
No where near technical enough.......2007-10-03
Like many jounalists' stories this is set around a particular factor. In this case an entrepeneur who no doubt had a big role to play.
But there were lots of other factors which are not given much play and others bearly alluded to. Also, not even one drawing of a container or its fittings!
So OK as an intro but by no means a comprehensive history.
Global supply chains explained.......2007-08-13
It's hard to dispute that containerization has dramatically altered the rules of the game: global supply chains, logistics, and outsourcing are all direct consequences of the massive trade flows enabled by modern containerships. Marc Levinson's account of this industry is an interesting mix of politics and history. A good section of the book is dedicated to labor disputes, and the general resistance of the dock workers and US unions to mechanization. In retrospect, they were worried for the right reasons, modern ports require very little human involvement and the days of breakbulk shipping are long gone. In all, 'The Box' offers a good mix of the politics, strategy, and historical research.
Interesting Look at the Building Blocks of Globalization.......2007-08-08
Although THE BOX may be somewhat too American centered, economist and business journalist Marc Levinson has written an eminently readable history of the advent of the modern logistics industry that goes a long way toward bringing the attention of a nonspecialist audience to the topic. Despite his belief that his subject has "all the romance of a tin can" (p. 1), his account is anything but dull because he builds much of his narrative around a cast of colorful entrepreneurs, engineers, and union leaders. The most significant character is Malcom P. McLean, who launched modern containerization in April 1956 by having fifty-eight truck trailers loaded onboard a refitted oil tanker that sailed from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston. The main background to Levinson's account, however, consists of the various roadblocks to containerization put in place and enforced by government regulators in agencies such as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), the United States Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Board. In the author's opinion, the bureaucrats, far from having the consumer's best interest in mind, usually undertook to protect established commercial interests by limiting competition in the transportation industry....
Levinson's treatment of the revolutionary days of container shipping, which lasted until the early 1980s, is very thorough, but his account of the more recent past is much less so. Indeed, people familiar with the industry may get the impression that a final (non-American) chapter is missing from the book. For example, although Levinson describes the rise of container ports in western Europe and East Asia, he devotes only two paragraphs to the fact that European and Asian firms that were late entrants in the game now dominate the industry. No U.S. firm is currently listed in the world's top eighteen container ship companies. Five of these top firms (including the three largest) are headquartered in Europe, three in China (two in mainland China and one in Hong Kong), three in Japan, two in Taiwan, two in South Korea, and the remaining three in Singapore, Chile, and Israel. (See Ted Smith-Peterson, "Railroading's New Economy: The Spigot," TRAINS 66, no. 9 [2006]: 34-41.) In Levinson's opinion, these late entrants achieved success because they "arrived with financial and managerial skills foreign to many of the carriers they replaced, skills appropriate to an industry in which raising capital and managing information systems were far more important than maritime knowledge" and because they were not burdened with "the legacy of government subsidies and directives that had crippled many of their predecessors by forcing them to buy ships built in their home countries or to sail routes determined by regulators" (p. 275). No doubt many readers would like to know more about these developments and about which skills Levinson means.
Levinson also barely alludes to more recent technological advances and to the amazing fact that the rest of the world now handles only one-third as many containers as the Chinese do (for both domestic and international trade). Furthermore, in the words of one industry analyst, China has now become the "U.S. railroads' growth engine" and has been the cause of an American "rail renaissance" (Tom Murray, "Railroading's New Economy: The China Factor," TRAINS 66, no. 8 [2006], p. 28).
Despite such shortcomings, however, THE BOX is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in understanding the emergence of our contemporary "globalized" world economy.
Superb for non-specialists.......2007-05-08
I read this book a few months ago for my nonfiction "foreign policy" book club and we loved it. I continue to rave about it and recommend it to others in diverse fields from national security to development to leadership studies. As generalists unfamiliar with shipping, this book was incredibly readable and engaging. Chapters treated a diverse range of topics, which we found well covered and incisive, such as the discussion of the role of labor unions, business entrepreneurship, and interplay between containerization and globalization. Kudos to Mr. Levinson for a superb effort.
A fascinating read about "boring" containers.......2007-04-25
Ever looked at a modern city's ports and wondered about those gigantic cranes or the logistics chain that they were a part of? Or wondered how we went from a world of stevedores/longshoremen and manual unloading to the gigantic container ships and nearly automated loading and unloading? Or better yet, how goods get so cheaply from the world's manufacturing facilities in China to the US, Europe and other places?
These are the questions the book addresses. It does so by focusing on the humble containers at the root of all this process and retelling their history over the last 50 years or so. If we didn't have a global standard for shipping container sizes, none of the infrastructure built around them like container ships, cranes, ports, rail cars, truck trailers and others would be possible.
The book shapes the story of the shipping container around one man Malcolm McLean who is widely regarded as the person who first used containers and built a shipping business around them. The book does a good job of detailing the history of the container including the initial struggles, the opposition of the longshoremen's labor unions and the rise and fall of ports as they bet (or did not bet) on the economies of scale that were brought about by the container. One does get a sense by reading the book of how much of our global economy we owe to the changes brought about by containers.
So why only 4stars? For one, I think the subject matter is interesting only to a narrow cross section of the population. Second, the book does drag quite a bit in places. The author does a great job of making the matter accessible, but he could have gone further. A certain pedantic nature does creep into the book and I felt some of the material could have been edited out of the book to trade off readability at the cost of scholarly completeness.
Book Description
Gardening can be a political act. Creativity, fulfillment, connection, revolution--it all begins when we get our hands in the dirt. Food Not Lawns combines practical wisdom on ecological design and community-building with a fresh, green perspective on an age-old subject. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares her nine-step permaculture design to help farmsteaders and city dwellers alike build fertile soil, promote biodiversity, and increase natural habitat in their own "paradise gardens." But Food Not Lawns doesnÂ't begin and end in the seed bed. This joyful permaculture lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden--simplicity, resourcefulness, creativity, mindfulness, and community--to all aspects of life. Plant "guerilla gardens" in barren intersections and medians; organize community meals; start a street theater troupe or host a local art swap; free your kitchen from refrigeration and enjoy truly fresh, nourishing foods from your own plot of land; work with children to create garden play spaces. Flores cares passionately about the damaged state of our environment and the ills of our throwaway society. In Food Not Lawns, she shows us how to reclaim the earth one garden at a time.
Customer Reviews:
An inspired 40-something.......2007-09-04
Food Not Lawns speaks to my heart and has inspired me in my home gardening. I bought copies for two dear gardening friends who are in their 20's and 30's, and they are also excited by the ideas presented in the book. The author takes a holistic view of community and gardening, of working with Nature as an orchestra of forces influencing each other and working collectively together. Heather Flores encourages us to think out of the box and some might find that uncomfortable, but I still think her vision and sense of hope is so needed in our world today. Share this book with family and friends!
completely false advertising.......2007-07-05
I see that this books appears a hit with many reviewers, but I am unfortunately going to dissent. I was excited to read this book when it arrived and was subsequently dissappointed in the overall quality of the work as a whole. First and foremost, Flores leaves out a great deal of detail with regard to the actual work involved in any form of agriculture, be it animal husbandry, permaculture, or anything between. I say this not only as an avid reader, but also an environmental studies major reviewing the work for a class as well. Second, Flores' method of combining the topics of agriculture and social change is facetious at best, with no real segway from the former to the latter. In other words, this is literally two unconnected books sharing the same binding. Finally, and most disheartening of all, the work gives faulty advice at best, especially with regard to her advice on dealing with numerous aspects of gardening (traditional and permaculture), pending jail time, and conflict management strategies(with latter are potentially dangerous). I will also note that I resold this book immediately upon completion due to the above. Those interested would be better served to read The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing, or other such related books by other reputable authors such as Joseph Jenkins, Eliot Coleman, Louise Riotte, or John and Martha Storey. In short, do not purchase this book if you are serious about either agriculture or social change.
if you are over 40 skip it... so gen X.......2007-05-25
This is a very shallow book by the new generation of writers that find fault with everything done in the twenty years before they were born,
Its very shallow, big type and very preachy.
If you are interested in gardening, try Giaas garden, a much more serious study of permiculture.
In this rambling book, the aurthor boasts of not making over 8 k a year, but inherited the money to buy her farm!
I liked camping living until I was thirty, now I am 45 and really like my freezer and new stove.( yes, I have my own three hens and belong to a CSA)
I know a number of the original flower/farm people, and as they got older they liked having a few more comforts.
So this is one of the new gen X books, shallow to a fault. Nothing but sound bites.
the aurthor sems all hyped about third world living, but I am not sure she has ever been to a third world and seen how hard that style of life is,,it is easy to glamorius the distant!!!
Not just Gardening--A guide to Activism and Environmentalism.......2007-01-23
I picked up this book to learn practical application of permacultural principles applied to urban yard scales--and there is a wealth of such information here. However, I do feel like Flores preaches just a little too much about the environmental destruction and political problems currently plaguing our country. In my view, anyone picking up a book called Food Not Lawns probably is already well-versed in such issues, and Flores is essentially preaching to the converted. That said, this book DOES have tons of practical information, and I would recommend it as an excellent counterbalance and companion book to Toby Hemenway's Gaia's Garden.
Keys to change any reader can use........2006-12-14
For activist readers who believe activism is a political pursuit, FOOD NOT LAWNS: HOW TO TURN YOUR YARD INTO A GARDEN AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A COMMUNITY offers a different viewpoint, maintaining that growing food where you live is a key method of becoming a food activist in the community. Chapters advocate planting home and community gardens with an eye to drawing important connections between the politics of a home or community garden and the wider politics of usage, consumption, and sustainability. Another rarity: chapters promote small, easy changes in lifestyles to achieve a transition between personal choice and political activism at the community level, providing keys to change any reader can use.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Description
"Textile Designs is a dazzling, informative fabric encyclopedia of archival beauty. It is a necessary tool for the fashion industry, schools, and libraries."
Women's Wear Daily
"An iconography of textile motifs and a vocabulary of pattern. . . . Highly recommended." Choice
Never before have printed textiles been celebrated in a book of this magnitude. Now in paperback, Textile Designs is the indispensable sourcebook for the colorful patterned materials that have been used in fashion and interiors for the past 200 years. Organized not chronologically or geographically but by motifFloral, Geometric, Conversational, Ethnic, and Art Movements and Period Stylesthis bible of textile design presents a stunning cross-section of the materials of everyday life: printed calicos and cottons, flowered cretonnes and chintzes, polka-dot silks and foulards. With its informative text and pattern names provided not only in English but also in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese, this is a must-have for everyone interested in color and pattern.
Customer Reviews:
It's Awsome!.......2007-08-02
I've already known this book, because of this I've bought it!
It's really great ideia to have one if you are a Fashion and Patern Design!
Source Book.......2007-04-26
This book is a fabulous resource for artists and designers. Unlike many textile books, it is not arranged by cloth, but by the patterns on the cloth. Every time I open this book, I find something new. There isn't much text, which is fine by me, just plenty of eye candy.
Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period.......2007-01-11
This is another Xmas request from my daughter who is a graphic designer; she thinks this book is a valuable edition to her professional library as reference.
my favore.......2007-01-05
a great book.
if you are intersted in textile and even if your not this book is good for any designer . this book contain many patterns all over the historey and all over the world.
im highly recommend about this one.
Through the Eyes of a Historical Consultant and Designer.......2006-11-13
I find books of this nature to be invaluable - both in dating articles of extant clothing in my research and becoming more knowledgeable of fabrics in certain time periods, to make the right fabric choices for the reproduction clothing I design and produce. This book does not disappoint!
Books:
- Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
- Bali Houses: New Wave Asian Architecture and Design
- Barcelona Tile Designs (Agile Rabbit Editions)
- Billy Baldwin Decorates
- Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente
- Classic English Design and Antiques: Period Styles and Furniture
- Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui
- Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
- Color Drawing: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers
- Computer Applications, Volume 2, Queueing Systems
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Public Relations Writing: Form and Style
- Chronicles: Volume One
- The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
- You Want Me to do What
- Building Automated Trading Systems: With an Introduction to Visual C++.NET 2005
- Dian Hanson': The History of Girly Magazines: 1900-1969
- Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body
- The Costing Heritage: Studies in Honor of s Paul Garner
- "Unto this Last": Four Essays on the First Principles of Political Economy
- Lipid and Biopolymer Monolayers at Liquid Interfaces