Rating: 
Summary: An In-Depth Look At The Life Of A Beloved Icon
Review: I would reccomend this book to people who would like a detailed look at the Twin Towers. No full color photos here. They were destroyed because of it's affiliation with capitolism. Find out how they were constructed, the history of who constructed them[The Port Authority of NY and NJ] and why they were constructed. Why were they disliked by critics? You'll find out in this book. You will also find out the daily life of a person who onced worked there.
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Summary: Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center
Review: I, too, was very disappointed in the lack of pictures. I live in Washington, DC, so I was definitely in search of a book for my living room table that showed those beautiful towers.
Rating: 
Summary: Like Its Subject, Ambitious but a Bit Bland
Review: It's certainly possible to write a brilliant, riveting book that looks in depth at the design, construction, operation, and cultural significance of a major civil engineering project. I know it's possible, because Angus Kress Gillespie (along with a co-author whose name escapes me) has already written one about the New Jersey Turnpike. The Turnpike Book was brilliant, but _Twin Towers_ is no more than good. It covers its intended subjects with clarity and precision, but (unlike the Turnpike book), I was never particularly driven to push on to the next section.Partly, I think, the problem is familiarity. Most of us are a lot less familiar with the history and inner workings of a major highway than with the inner workings of a major skyscraper. There's something fascinating about listening to an expert explain, layer by layer, the hidden mysteries of some overly familiar piece of the everyday world. It's harder to do that with the World Trade Center because--to some extent--we *do* know about very tall buildings and what they're like. Part of the problem, too, may be a basic difference of opinion between Gillespie and I. He clearly thinks that the WTC is a beautiful structure, and one that the architectural establishment (which hates it) hasn't given a fair shake. I'm not an architect, but I never liked it much either. Despite his best efforts, I *still* don't like it that much, and by about halfway through the book, his praise of it was beginning to wear thin. Gillespie is a clear and graceful writer (if only he could stop saying "as we shall see" so often he'd be even better), and he makes the complex comprehensible. If the idea of a book about the inner workings of one of the world's tallest buildings intrigues you, then _Twin Towers_ is well worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: The World Trade Center as it was....
Review: It's hard to imagine two months after the collapse of the twin towers (and the nostalgia they have since brought) that this entire complex, though having gained public approval over the years, was not always applauded during its short life span.
Angus Gillespie does a good job at recounting the history of the towers from well before their inception and he manages to do much of this through the eyes of the Port Authority, the World Trade Center's overseer. Indeed, that so much of the book is ABOUT the Port Authority I wondered how long it would take to actually know what went on in the World Trade Center of only a few months ago. Still, Mr. Gillespie presents a fascinating background as he includes political, historical and economical reasons for the building of the twin towers. And he introduces a cast of colorful characters who often feud with state politicians and, of course, amongst themselves. He takes the reader through many years of planning and strategizing and gives one a bird's-eye view of the vast conglomeration of people, businesses and egos that drove the project. Mr. Gillespie serves as a cheeleader for these towers, most notably standing up to a host of architects who simply disdained them. He relates delays in construction and why they happened, the unique relationship between New York and New Jersey and loads of other facets of life as the towers were slowly erected. There are a few downsides. No photos and few drawings exist. Facts are often repeated. (In the first 25 pages the author tells us no less than five times when the Port Authority was established) And there is not nearly enough information about the daily workings of the Trade Center. It is only in the very last chapter that Mr. Gillespie gets down to the brass tacks of telling us the ins and outs of running such a large complex. It is only then that color begins to seep into this book. I realize that this book was written two years ago, but except for the Austin Tobins, the Guy Tozzolis and a few other principals, the book is informative but dry. Still, I would recommend it. Having read John Tauranac's much better book about the construction of the Empire State Building, I came away with a far better understanding in both books about what goes into building a skyscraper. The answer is plenty.
Rating: 
Summary: 2-star coffee table book becomes 4-star window into history
Review: Let's be honest. If September 11, 2001 doesn't happen, this is a two-dollar steal at a Kiwanis Club book sale. But now, Mr. Gillespie has given us a nicely written obituary of a monument to urban America. Pre-9/11, I wouldn't have given this book a second look. Now, I'd recommend it as a necessary part of any person's library.
Rating:
Summary: Clean, orderly and minimalist
Review: The book is a little like the architecture -- "The structure draws upon the platonic concept of purity and reduction of information. It is a pair of simple geometric shapes. It allows no multiplicity of readings. What you see is what you get. It is an identifiable object because there are two towers." (p.179) What else can I say.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This book describes what went into the desigin, planning and construction of the World Trade Centers. If you like to find out what goes on behind the sceens to make things happen, get this book and remenber a great land mark.
Rating:
Summary: A good biography of the World Trade Center...
Review: This book does a good job of telling the story of the World Trader Center. Written in 1999, the book details the planning efforts prior to construction, as well as the technological difficulties that had to be overcome in order to complete the towers. Additionally, the Twin Towers are discussed from an architechtural point of view, and the final chapters of the book are devoted to "a day in the life" of the towers and the people who worked there. Also, the 1993 bombing of the towers is discussed in some detail. If you are looking for a true biography of the World Trade Center, pick up a copy of this book. This entertaining book will leave you intrigued by the happenings that took place at the tower, as well as unsettled because of the events that we know took place after the book was written.
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Summary: The Complete History of a Tragedy that was bound to happen
Review: This book gives a inside view of the birth and the death of the World Trade Center. It shows how the rush to construct this late edifice led to many defects that were exposed on 9-11-01.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful insight behind the scenes
Review: This book is a wonderful insight into the planning behind the building of the WTC. It explains in words what can only now be imagined. GOD BLESS THOSE WE LOST! I dedicate this review to : LEO ROBERTS and to all the employees of Cantor Fitzgerald.
We will miss you........
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