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Rating: 
Summary: A powerful tribute to the Twin Towers
Review: Browntrout Publishers, the writer Robert Hutchinson, and the photographer Jake Rajs have achieved something extrordinary. Six weeks after September 11, 2001, they have produced a gripping, breathtaking, timeless memorial to the World Trade Center. "Sometime Lofty Towers" (the Shakespearean sonnet to which the title alludes seems eerily prescient) tells the story of the creation and destruction of the Twin Towers with heartbreaking, riveting photographs by Rajs and an equally heartbreaking, riveting essay by Hutchinson. There is a grandeur, solemnity, and physicality to Hutchinson's style that perfectly suits the subject. He seems to build the Twin Towers for us from the ground up, making us marvel at the ingenuity of their design; his concluding account of precisely how the two terrorist-guided planes annihilated the towers thus seems all the more awful and tragic. This is a fitting tribute indeed for the World Trade Center--and for those to whom Hutchinson eloquently dedicates the book, "the heroic rescuers who died striving in the name of mercy."
Rating:
Summary: a marriage of true signs
Review: Robert Hutchinson captures the innermost workings of western civilization in his moving photographic tribute to the spirit of New York. Its power and beauty are symbolized by the World Trade Towers. And now in the aftermath of 911 so is its passion. I hazard that many of us who once lived in Manhattan and have since moved away have forgotten how much we loved New York. Hutchinson reminds us how much of a state of mind the city is. For you can never truly move away. Just as we can never truly move away from the verity infused in the Bard's sonnet that the author briliantly matches to the stretchings and tragedy of modernity in the tower's tragic end. In a single allusion, he redeems the tragedy. The coldly compelling text describing the impacts and collapse of the towers stands in bleak and deathly juxtaposition to the soaring inspiration of New York. For as real as the towers is the kind of society that built, used, and toiled in it. It is an international, indeed global society, a triumph of western ideas of tolerance, inclusion, vibrancy, freedom. In my Columbia University days we used to refer to the neighborhood as "Bagdad on Hudson," in celebration of the rich diversity and energy of the place. That in the end was the target of the attack. Hutchinson's memorial helps us weep for the victims, recognize the simple heroism of ordinary inhabitants ... and holds up a mirror to our glory.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY, VERY SHORT BOOK
Review: There are currently many books available on the World Trade Centers, both before and after the tragedy of September 11th. This one, with photographs by Rajs, has more than forty breath-taking shots, along with some very technical information in regard to the planes which crashed into the trade centers. It is a mixture of both past and present. The photography was the book's strong point. On the downside, I found the book to be extremely short, and the technical aspect as far as construction of the trade centers and physical dimensions of aircraft, personally, did not interest me to any great extent. There is a tribute in print published by Life Magazine that, in my opinion, far surpasses this one. While "Sometime Lofty Towers" contains beautiful photography and interesting facts, if I personally was purchasing a book as a memorial or keepsake, I would opt for the one by Life Magazine. It truly is magnificent, as are most publications by Life.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY, VERY SHORT BOOK
Review: There are currently many books available on the World Trade Centers, both before and after the tragedy of September 11th. This one, with photographs by Rajs, has more than forty breath-taking shots, along with some very technical information in regard to the planes which crashed into the trade centers. It is a mixture of both past and present. The photography was the book's strong point. On the downside, I found the book to be extremely short, and the technical aspect as far as construction of the trade centers and physical dimensions of aircraft, personally, did not interest me to any great extent. There is a tribute in print published by Life Magazine that, in my opinion, far surpasses this one. While "Sometime Lofty Towers" contains beautiful photography and interesting facts, if I personally was purchasing a book as a memorial or keepsake, I would opt for the one by Life Magazine. It truly is magnificent, as are most publications by Life.
Rating:
Summary: Best Thus Far
Review: This is the best book that I have read thus far on the destruction of the Twin Towers and thousands of lives on September 11th. It is true that this book contains very little text and it is very techinical. But in light of the inaccuracies and misunderstandings about the structures, this book is vital for anyone to understand what actually happened. As an intern in architecture I was dismayed hearing in the popular media about steel beams/columns melting, that the impact of the planes caused the towers' collapse, etc. This book puts the towers, their structures and ultimate destruction to light. Those who are seeking that truth will find this book invaluable. This book does contain some stunning photographs, especially those showing the many ways that these two lost towers played with light and space. Together the juxtaposition of these photographs and the text make for a fitting tribute.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning before-and-after photos...
Review: This tribute to the fallen World Trade Center towers contains stunning before-and-after photographs of the towers as they existed prior to and after their destruction. While the photos in the book are spectacular, and the text adds some depth to the book, compared to other WTC commemorative book, this one seems somewhat small and cheaply produced.
Rating:
Summary: amazing preservation of a landmark
Review: When I checked this book out at my local library I went home and read it. There are thankfully not many of the actual attacks, more of the towers as they stood and how they were seen by the public. The pictures were great and made me feel like I was standing in the lobby or looking out onto the skyline. The pictures are a great preservation of the WTC.
Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: Yes, the photographs are beautifully composed and quite striking, the text good if occaisionally flowery. The interspersion of 9/11 photos are what I could do without. My memories of the WTC are of gleaming towers of strength and pride, not smoking husks. Some readers will find their memories reflected in these pages, some will not. Consider how you wish to remember the WTC before you select a photo tribute book.
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