Rating: 
Summary: A vital tribute to an architectural genius
Review: "Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses" is well-presented introduction to an important phase in the career of this legendary architect. Author John Sergeant has combined an insightful text with detailed floor plans and photographs of the Usonian homes themselves. The result is a book that serves equally well for light browsing and intense study.The book is not without flaws. Some of the floor plans are so tiny that they are difficult to analyze. And the floor plans have no captions labeling each individual room; the reader is left to decipher the plans on his/her own. But these drawbacks aside, this is an excellent work. Sergeant has truly captured the innovative power of Wright's genius. Look at the clustered circles of the Jester house project, the interlocking hexagons of the Bazett house, or the bold "solar-hemicycle" of the second Jacobs house, and you will get a sense of Wright's remarkable vison. Virtually every page brings a stunning image or insight. If you are fascinated by Wright's work in home architecture, you will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Precedent for great home design.
Review: All modern movements in home design found precedent in the Usonian design principals. This book is a must read for anyone, even the serious scholar of sustainable home design that brings people lives joy. The information contained covers the entire spectrum of integrated design from master planning to the efficient details of thermal design for a specific climate and the details in between. Offered are insights for those looking to design or build a well thought through home that expresses your individual belief in simplicity, repose, and a connection to nature, in a honest, sincere, and beautiful expression that elevates your life everyday. Anyone who has ever beheld a Usonian home will agree that color photographs would make this book even better. However, books with great color photographs often do not have detail photographs, text and floor plan drawings this good.
Rating:
Summary: Best current analysis of FLW's ideas on organic design
Review: Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest contribution to American home design is his to answer to questions about how do you build low-cost housing suitable for the modern middle-class American family. His answers were the several dozen Usonian homes he designed from the 1930's until his death. These were usually smaller homes suited for middle-class budgets and needs. The Usonian and Organic design ideas have influenced all modern homes. Our open informal designs with great rooms connected to patios and decks, carports, and the use of plywood and other standard manufactured materials to lower on site construction costs are just some of the ideas popularized by Wright's designs.
John Sergeant gives a very complete analysis of the five principle types of Usonion design: polliwog, diagonal, in-line, hexagonal, and raised. Floor plans and photos accompany the text. Very good cross referances and extensive notes for those interested in further study.
The analysis goes beyond Usonian homes. Sergeant also addresses FLW's ideas on city planning, environmental awareness, and cooperative communities. "Appendix A: A Spatial Analysis of Usonian Houses" shows that FLW's ideas regarding space and environment are much more advanced with the Usonian designs even though these homes were quite a bit smaller than his more famous residential designs.
If there is failing, it is the lack of information relating to the actual design details. No drawings from the FLW archives regarding the furniture design (not even the builtins), fireplace design, and outdoor landscape plans.
This book is well worth adding to your home library because it offers much of value after second and third readings.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a good book summarizing Wrights Usonian work
Review: Good background material on the development of the Usonian concept. Lacks what many of FLLW books lack, color photography. Seeing these homes, especially the interiors in color, makes your perception totally different. Good work here, belongs in all Wright collectors libraries.
Rating:
Summary: A good place to start
Review: It seems that this important phase in Wright's illustrious career has not been given the attention it deserves. As Frank Sergeant noted, Wright was most proud of his Usonian Homes and actively promoted his vision of a "Broadacre City." Unfortunately, Sergeant's book was the product of the 70's. He offers a good text, but poor photographs and mediocre illustrations that don't give the reader a compelling vision of these homes. Wright started with the Jacobs House, built in the late 30's, which got the ball rolling. With a lot of sweat and material contributions by the owners, they were able to keep the cost near the $5000 budget Wright had set. He wanted these homes to be affordable, clean, efficient dwellings that reflected his streamlined view of America. Wright abhorred the wasteful society America had become, and envisioned a "Broadacre City" that would satisfy Americans' insatiable appetite for detached homes, without destroying the landscape in the process. He incorporated many passive solar features into these homes, relied on natural materials, and as always created an open plan that characterized the democratic nature of society. More enticing books are now available on Usonian homes, but Sergeant's book is a good place to start in getting an impression of the quality of these homes, and how they came to shape America's suburban lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: A good place to start
Review: It seems that this important phase in Wright's illustrious career has not been given the attention it deserves. As Frank Sergeant noted, Wright was most proud of his Usonian Homes and actively promoted his vision of a "Broadacre City." Unfortunately, Sergeant's book was the product of the 70's. He offers a good text, but poor photographs and mediocre illustrations that don't give the reader a compelling vision of these homes. Wright started with the Jacobs House, built in the late 30's, which got the ball rolling. With a lot of sweat and material contributions by the owners, they were able to keep the cost near the $5000 budget Wright had set. He wanted these homes to be affordable, clean, efficient dwellings that reflected his streamlined view of America. Wright abhorred the wasteful society America had become, and envisioned a "Broadacre City" that would satisfy Americans' insatiable appetite for detached homes, without destroying the landscape in the process. He incorporated many passive solar features into these homes, relied on natural materials, and as always created an open plan that characterized the democratic nature of society. More enticing books are now available on Usonian homes, but Sergeant's book is a good place to start in getting an impression of the quality of these homes, and how they came to shape America's suburban lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Vision of the Man, Poor Visions of His Work
Review: Sergeant has made a wonderful and complete effort to balance both the technical information about the famous Usonian houses with the very concept of Usonia and how Wright envisioned the possibilities of what organic architecture could become. At the risk of becoming too reverent to the architect, the book attempts to cover Wright's somewhat anachronistic philosophical views as well as paints an idealised picture of the man. The book is lacking greatly in visual aids. The author takes pains to ensure that the ingenuity and the complexity of the design and construction of the homes is understood, but this is backed up with poor illustration. The homes are displayed in black and white photos that lack the neccessary detail needed to understand what their literary descriptions mean. The floor plans are small, undimensioned, and are not clearly captioned. This coupled with close in photography of specific features of the homes without showing the whole, is frustrating. The literature is complete and well ordered, but a reader just entering the realm of FLLW would be well advised to find a more picturesque book on this topic before diving into Sergeant's text.
Rating:
Summary: The Less Well Known FLLW
Review: The author spent six years researching the book, which is ostensibly about the houses but quickly turns into a book about the man. And how could it not? How many famous architects built mostly houses? Or started a commune during the Depression? Or had elaborate, futuristic, monorail-equipped cities all planned out in complete detail? Profiles the iconoclastic artist a bit too sympathetically at times, though. For instance crediting him with setting the example for the Postwar ranch house, which would have undoubtedly emerged on its own. He also defends FLLW's writings as well as anyone could, but they're really too old fashioned to mean much today. The drawings--just small floor plans--are nice but no details are included. Otherwise, plenty of substance.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb in Depth Study of FLW's Architectural Concepts
Review: This book is a must have for anyone who is interested in Frank Lloyd Wright's 'organic' philosophy. It is one of the few books that actually discusses his building philosophy in depth. His 'Usonian' concepts are well illustrated although more up to date color photographs are probably required. This book also contains a quick biography of FLW as well as articles from the 'House and Homes' magazines written in 1958. In one of these articles are 32 extremely valuable Frank Lloyd Wright pointers on how to get the most from a small space. This book is a real gem.
Rating:
Summary: Usonian Plans and photos
Review: This book was one of my earlier books on FLLW and used heavily in my undergraduate class at Iowa State University in my early 80's tenure there. The bbok had no other precedent at the time and is still to be considered the most complete text with the reader going away from the book with a good understanding of the usonians unique place in history. The construction method and inclusion of the Oskaloosa IA home is very helpful in understanding the mid 50's time period in America and the people's thoughts and images before them of available home plans at that time. I think the layout was fairly well done and photos were a little poor exposure, blurry, dark on some --however considering the originals were used as photos I don't think it's too badly done. It doesn't have ALL of his work and certainly doesn't show the 'projects' he designed that weren't built however more complete than any current titles which have the words 'USONIA' in them currently. Even though I own the newer 'USONIA' books also they aren't as fulfilling as this original book by Sargent. I'm sure you'll agree.
| 
