A must have for the architecture buff
590600
I bought this for my husband for Christmas because he has recently shown a real interest for Architecture.  Let me tell you, this was a grand slam home run.  He loved it and declared it the best gift ever!  He now points out every single architectural element of every single house we see - that's just how much knowledge he gleamed from this book.  This is THE premiere book for all things architecture!
568503
I have several books on Islamic architecture and art.  I am fascinated with literature and art on Byzantium, Constantinople, and subsequently Istanbul.  I found it hard to map out the palace from previous works I have read, but this book has wonderful layouts of the grounds and palace, along with Davis' profound knowledge of its history and easy-to-follow detail and corrections of previous scholars' errors.  Her writing creates visual images as well as new insight.  The photographs and illustrations add to the full visualization of the Palace.  An excellent resource for researchers into this subject and one to refer to repeatedly.  I don't think you will be disappointed with this historical work.
2675282
You can say that this book lists the world's 100 best office buildings which were completed in 2012 or 2013. The book's overview about current office architecture is overwhelming. Among the chosen architects are, of course and rightly, the usual suspects as Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, Richard Meier or Baumschlager Eberle but also young architects and architects which are not (yet) well-known. The book documents a broad range of styles, including classic functionalism, minimalism, organic architecture, natural aesthetics, deconstructivism or pop-art renaissance. In any case, it shows impressive creativity and the future of office work as well as corporate architecture.
The buildings are from all continents and usually shown on four pages, with exterior and interior photographs, floor plans and short descriptions. The book's quality is outstanding.
2245605
A Five Star Desert Sabbatical.  This is my favorite book re: architecture.  The desert is so beautiful.  In these house that are so transparent one could really take that in. This is like going to an art show, to view a genius's  work.  It's like taking a vacation to Arizona, a very high class one.  The writing in the book is very sophisticated, and at the same time, down to earth and readable.  I would almost call this book spiritual.  David Hovey is one of the most talented architects I have ever seen.  This book is well worth the price, anyone would love looking at it.  Great coffee table book.  The book itself is a work of art.
3726628
When I moved to New York in the early 1970s, I wound up taking a short course on New York City architecture at NYU School of Continuing Education. The original version of this book was the text. It was excellent on that level, but also great as a coffee table-type book to flip through and enjoy the photos.

New York is a dynamic city that has rebuilt itself many times. Inevitably, a lot of wonderful architecture has been lost forever. This book is outstanding and it's great to see that the author updated it.
3517520
Of the many Architecture books one can find, it's refreshing to see one like this. We can always find examples that show buildings and grounds in the normal way. This book is a rare find and a fine example of a point of view one never gets. The larger format gives you the ability to nearly "climb" into the images and see the widest of views. Anyone who knows what it's like to stand next to, or inside one of these buildings, I think would enjoy the wider perspective. We have seen, and we can see these places in the normal format. I fully enjoyed the ability to see the whole view. I encourage anyone to take the time to think about how we are seeing things and to perhaps try to take in a view we are never really able to see on our own.
573800
A wonderful guidebook with clear walking tour maps and photographs that explore the best of New York's Art Deco buildings.  The author's style is refreshing and informative, well conveying his passion for the subject matter.  The book is loaded with fascinating facts about building's I pass every day! I will now look with fresh eyes at these buildings thanks to this wonderful book. It will be a cherished addition to my architectural library.
111641
The standard reference for historic preservation professionals is back in a second edition, with many improvements over the already fantastic first edition from 1984. I'm not sure if I can adequately capture in words how much I'm in love with this book! The photos are crisp and detailed, the additional text -- and there is plenty of it -- covers community development and suburb design (among other things), and Mrs. McAlester has named every style of American residential building constructed through about 2010. Even the paper used to print the pages is gorgeous to the eye and to the touch. I appreciate that Knopf Doubleday clearly understands that this is a book which will be picked up and used on a regular basis; the quality of the product is just superb. This is a book you could keep on your coffee table!
4865630
This is the first book written by an architect who analyses rigorously the buildings (12 American and 6 European museums) from an architectural point of view and presents the museums' problems and choices in the first decade of the 21st century. A lot of images: photos, plans, drawings, details. A must have for everybody interested in art, museums and architecture
1337129
As a NYC resident of more than 25 years who has broken the spines of both the third and fourth editions of the AIA Guide to New York City, I think the latest edition is a must-have item for any New Yorker with an ounce of curiosity about the buildings and history of the five boroughs. During the decade since the last edition, the cityscape of NYC has been changing at a frenzied pace--at least until the housing bubble popped and the luxury condo boom crashed.  This new edition revisits the old, updates the transformed, and point out the new in concise paragraphs of historical fact and pithy architectural criticism. I may not always agree with the authors' opinions but I do appreciate their dry, witty style. The fifth edition has also improved the quality of the maps and the photographs enormously, and I really enjoy the addition of the "necrology" sections--paeans to buildings that are no longer there.

New Yorkers--buy this book and look up! You'll never look at your city the same way.
4838981
I bought this book for an architecture project and I think I will keep it. It was very informative and the images are gorgeously taken and printed.
1618698
I got this book as a father's day present and I absolutely love it. It has great photography of each of the finished projects, gives a brief description of the project and interesting facts about each. There are also photos of some of Graves' 3-d models for some concept buildings that never "made it to production", as well as a peppering of his wonderfully whimsical sketches. A must have for anyone interested in architecture or design, or anyone that has even a remote fascination into the beauty that is a Graves' design.
2410219
If you like public art and if you like New York, buy this book. It's a fascinating history of an organization that has, for four decades, been at the forefront of this field. This book is beautifully done by Princeton Architectural Press and the several year effort by director Anne Pasternak and her staff is really quite amazing. The 300 plus projects they have sponsored are chronologically presented with beautiful color photography and interspersed with essays and interviews by some fascinating people. Also, this book is going to be a collector's item because each cover is a distinct numbered print generated by a machine recording the sights and sounds of NYC. You can either skim the surface by focusing on the projects alone, or you can delve deeper into the minds of the people who have created and presented these projects.
3948305
This is the kind of guide to architecture that I appreciate: plenty of color photos, and good identification of sites to visit.  It's eye candy for Art Deco enthusiasts even if you aren't planning a trip to London.
1722601
The first book (this is the follow-up) is not only incredible useful and needed, but visually stunning and inspiring. If this is anything like the first, I can't imagine anyone in architectural design not having a copy around. To understand the range of materials available and what can be done with each of them, including some really surprising things, is so critical to good design.
4413615
Published by the Museum of Modern Art in the 50's, this is a great architecture book with many examples of beautiful mid-century buildings. The cover so well designed, it looks great displayed on a coffee table.
3992796
If you love art and architecture and are going to New York, this is the  only guide you need. This book is beatiful and informative.