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Rating: 
Summary: A Glorious Celebratation of Modern American Houses
Review: As a fan of modern archictecture, I have numerous books on the subject -- the magnificent photographs by Roger Straus and excellent text by Michael Webb move this volume right to the head of the class!
Rating:
Summary: Fifties elegance
Review: I bought this interesting book because I wanted something that would cover, visually, the best of mid-century American architecture. As another reviewer has said, don't expect a full technical account of the background to these beautiful houses but if you want excellent exterior and interior photos in a well designed and printed book, 'Modernism reborn' is the one to get. The fact that these thirty-five houses have all been restored in some way gives the book extra interest. Many of them were featured in the architectural press years ago when they were first built and these are the photos you usually see in books. Some of them were neglected but fortunately the current owners thought restoration worthwhile and this is how Roger Straus photographed them. An interesting companion book to 'Modernism reborn' is 'Classic modern: mid-century modern at home' (ISBN 0684867443) by Deborah K Dietsch, not directly concerned with the architecture but more to do with the furniture, fabrics, lighting and style that made these houses such wonderful homes. If only I could afford to live in one!
Rating:
Summary: Fifties elegance
Review: I bought this interesting book because I wanted something that would cover, visually, the best of mid-century American architecture. As another reviewer has said, don't expect a full technical account of the background to these beautiful houses but if you want excellent exterior and interior photos in a well designed and printed book, 'Modernism reborn' is the one to get. The fact that these thirty-five houses have all been restored in some way gives the book extra interest. Many of them were featured in the architectural press years ago when they were first built and these are the photos you usually see in books. Some of them were neglected but fortunately the current owners thought restoration worthwhile and this is how Roger Straus photographed them. An interesting companion book to 'Modernism reborn' is 'Classic modern: mid-century modern at home' (ISBN 0684867443) by Deborah K Dietsch, not directly concerned with the architecture but more to do with the furniture, fabrics, lighting and style that made these houses such wonderful homes. If only I could afford to live in one!
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Tour of Rarely-Seen Gems
Review: I loved the stories behind each of these houses. I own several books on midcentury mod and this is the first that truly captures the modern aesthetic, from the book's design to the photography to the writing. Excellent!
Rating: 
Summary: cotton candy
Review: I'm surprised at the raves for this book. It is well produced. The photos are terrific. But: The building descriptions do little more than cheer-lead. He raves about features which are not illustrated. Most of the buildings only get 4 photos. The plans provided are far too small, usually only one plan is provided, though most of the buildings have more than one level. In at least one case the plans are mislabled. I'd only recommend this book to somebody who only wants a catalog of names. Still waiting for a really good book about mid-century modern architecture. This isn't it.
Rating:
Summary: cotton candy
Review: I'm surprised at the raves for this book. It is well produced. The photos are terrific. But: The building descriptions do little more than cheer-lead. He raves about features which are not illustrated. Most of the buildings only get 4 photos. The plans provided are far too small, usually only one plan is provided, though most of the buildings have more than one level. In at least one case the plans are mislabled. I'd only recommend this book to somebody who only wants a catalog of names. Still waiting for a really good book about mid-century modern architecture. This isn't it.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book on Great Houses
Review: This is an elegantly presented book on elegant, finely crafted houses...an instant new favorite of mine. Author Michael Webb draws the reader in through his delightful stories of these homes, their original owners, subsequent owners (who, more often than not, misunderstood what they had purchased and, in the process, destroyed these three dimensional works of art), and eventual resurrections by more sympathetic owners. It is an interesting approach (before/after/now) and one quite enjoyable. As a result, the reader becomes emotionally drawn to the pristine creations chronicled by Webb, a type of house that usually comes across as aloof and chilly. The photographs by Roger Straus are splendid and show the homes to advantage (although it would have been nice to see people actually using the rooms). A significant disappointment was the lack of images showing the homes in their "remuddled" state; it is difficult to fully appreciate just how much work went into the rebirth of some of these classics. Nonetheless, Webb and Straus have produced an interesting, informative, and fascinating read about a style of house that has never been presented better. Congratulations to them and to the many intrepid, intelligent owners who bravely undertook such projects.
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