Private Architecture: Masterpieces of the Twentieth Century

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Schezen's book "Places and Memories" is one of my favorites -- great buildings I didn't know about, shown in very original pictures. So I was quite disappointed with "Private Architecture" -- the same old "greatest hits" portrayed in somewhat sloppy photos, and all-too-briefly described with uncritical reverence.

Rating:
Summary: PRIVATE ARCHITECTURE:MASTERPIECES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Review: The photography and overall quality of this book is excellent as you would expect in a book of its price, but some aspects of its contents did disappoint. I'm not a professional Architect, so my interest in Architecture is purely a personal one. I enjoy looking at floorplans and relating them to photographs, but in this book some of the plans are too small, others are incomplete and the lack of a key or legend only leaves you guessing in most cases what each room is. You can in some instances match the photos to the plans but as the designs of these houses are still revolutionary, all you can do is guess. To be fair, the houses are well represented with excellent photos and informative text with a brief history of the house and its designer. FLW's Fallingwater in particular is covered in detail as is my personal favourite, Gio Ponti's Villa Planchart. This book would probably be a good buy in the U.S, but if you're in Australia it becomes a bit too expensive by the time it lands on your coffe table!