Frank Lloyd Wright: A Gatefold Portfolio

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and More
Review: This incredible fold-out book (called a gatefold) presents 16 of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. Each structure is rendered (the original drawing)in a sepia tone that pulls out to a 2.5 foot gatefold.

On the other side of this gatefold are full-color photos of the structure, as well as a floor plan. The accompanying text describes how the commission was obtained, the construction, etc.

The book includes some of Wright's most famous residences, religious buildings, and public structures.

While not a complete overview of Wright's work, I gave it 5 stars because of the uniqueness of its presentation. I was just fascinated by the book's design-- it is beautiful, elegant, and informative.

Rating:
Summary: Good illustrations
Review: This volume presents 16 gatefold illustrations of as many outstanding buildings by architect Frank Ll. Wright, along with photos and brief appreciations. The gatefolds are Wright's own presentation drawings. You can almost see the individual bits of texture in the colored drawing leads. These pastel colored drawings have some beauty in themselves--Wright was a man of many talents--and are valuable to show what the architect found the centers of interest in each project.

The layout of the portfolio is ingenious: bound loose-leaf and prefaced by a page of appreciation, the gatefolds on medium stock will lay flat to the right for examination, or can be wholly removed. The reverse side of each contains another page of discussion, a small plan by William Storrer, and colored photos of interior as well as exterior views. I suppose one could cut off and frame the long drawings. All the text can be read without opening the gatefolds. Text and headings are set in a most attractive, 1930-ish Wrightian typeface ("Eaglefeather," I believe). This is not an essential study of Wright, but for the price it is impossible to go wrong with this quick overview of his most spectacular works.