House Book

Rating:
Summary: Really fun to look through
Review: A great collection of 500 houses, from huts in thirdworld countries, to historic castles and palaces and estates and chateaus, to modern architecture, done by 500 architects. This is a visuals-only book. It does not have much information about the buildings or the architects, but it makes up for the lack of text with the large, vibrant photos, which is what the book is all about. This book is a trade-off - it has more homes and architects than any other book out there, but it also has very little information, since with 500 architects, that only leaves one per page.

Fun to look through and mentally design the dream estate of my retirement years...and to learn about a lot of architects I'd never heard of.

Rating:
Summary: A Sumptuous Feast For The Eyes
Review: A roof over our head is a need just as the air that we breathe, the food that we consume, & the water that we drink. As human gradually evolves & that our mind is getting more complex, a house doesn't serve the need simply but it also has become a form of expression, a display of the occupants' personality &/or their wealth, bringing into fruition an ideal or an -ism, &/or a culmination of both. Irrespective of which countries we're going to, & what cultures we immerse ourselves into, we still need a house to go home to. And the "House Book" delves into the residential end of architecture scale by showing us all range of houses that transcend boundaries, dollar value, time. I view this book as a collage of 500 houses. I wish certain iconic houses could be discussed further with provision of additional pictures but what we are provided with are simply pictures taken from the most potent angles, which supposedly do the most justice to the houses. Having said that, I would opt the strengths & weaknesses are exposed & they are to be judged by their own merits but then, the size of the book would have been increased quite significantly & so does the cost of owning the book. Still, this is an exceptional book with high grade quality pictures, good summary, good end notes for us to delve into a particular style, particular countries. At the end of the book, there is also an index of further information regarding houses that are available for public viewing. Overall, a very well-done book & it is featured permanently & prominently on my coffee table. Highly recommended