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Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive handbook will take some beating.
Review: A sombre photograph of the Brandenburger Tor is the cover illustration of this informative guide which assembles the definitive collection of Berlin's most significant buildings drawn from the widest possible historic background but with an emphasis on modern architecture.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensible for architecture buffs visiting Berlin
Review: I just returned from 10 days in Berlin, and this book was invaluable. It steered me to numerous very interesting sites ignored by Michelin, et. al. Read Alexandra Ritchie's "Faust's Metropolis," and you will know what you want to visit touristwise. Then page through Derek Fraser's book for visually interesting buildings that fell through the cracks. The maps in this book are sketchy, though, so make sure you have a good map with public transport including bus and tram routes.
Rating: 
Summary: An Aged Guide
Review: I'm preparing to go to Berlin this summer; and as a student of architecture, I'm very much willing to explore what's going on in Berlin and Germany architecturally. To this respect, I've purchased a couple of books to guide me. 'The Buildings of Europe: Berlin' is the most comprehensive one among them. It has references to 260 buildings with 270 photographs. Each entry mentions the name, building date, location and the architect of the particular building. It is quite satisfactory to this extent.However, after the first edition, the book has not been updated for long years, and does not give a contemporary account of what changed in Berlin. And, the photographs are all in black and white. I wished that at least some of them were in color, because as you might guess, architecture has a sense of color to it, more evident in some cases. The maps included at the end are helpful. But, they could still be designed in a better fashion, that would let you detach the whole map and put it into your pocket. Currently, the maps are organized in a book fashion, which does not seem to work quite well. The book's size is reasonable; it is designed for you to carry in your bag easily. This is perhaps the reason, why the editors chose to exclude a lot of information and drawings about the buildings. I think, the absence of plans and sections undermines the success of the book. This book could have been a little more concise and yet still be carried in a bag. I've made a thorough search over the internet to find a good guide. But, I think 'The Buildings of Europe: Berlin' is the most comprehensive guide among the architecture guides on Berlin in the market now. In other words, this is your only companion!
Rating:
Summary: for the architectural tourist
Review: in depth look at berlin buildings from different time periods...although the author does give considerable attention to 20th century architecture...bring along a good city map as the one in the back of the book is just a rough guide...all in all a wonderful (and a bit outdated) guide/history tour of berlin's built world. i just got back from 2 weeks in berlin and heavily used this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative but Outdated!
Review: The Buildings of Europe: Berlin is an informative book on the many magnficant buildings of the great city of Berlin. However, it is now outdated. When the wall came down the two halves of Berlin had vast areas of non-mans land between them. Since then, much of this area has filled in, or is in the process of filling in. Therefore, Berlin is changing everyday. So, this guide, published in 1996 is outdated. Potsdamer Platz, the center of post-WWII Berlin was a large wasteland during the life of the Wall and recently was the worlds largest construction sight. It is filled with incredible, modern, and magnficant buildings, including the amazing Sony Center. This book shows non of that. Furthermore, it shows no city planning. The face of Berlin is rapidly changing...books out this year will be "old" next year. If you are interested in only the historic buildings of Berlin- this is a great guide. If you are interested in the wave of incredible new architecture that is sweeping Berlin- this book is not for you. I would recommend the recently released Eyewitness Guide on Berlin. It is much more informative and shows Berlin in its most current state.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but Outdated!
Review: The Buildings of Europe: Berlin is an informative book on the many magnficant buildings of the great city of Berlin. However, it is now outdated. When the wall came down the two halves of Berlin had vast areas of non-mans land between them. Since then, much of this area has filled in, or is in the process of filling in. Therefore, Berlin is changing everyday. So, this guide, published in 1996 is outdated. Potsdamer Platz, the center of post-WWII Berlin was a large wasteland during the life of the Wall and recently was the worlds largest construction sight. It is filled with incredible, modern, and magnficant buildings, including the amazing Sony Center. This book shows non of that. Furthermore, it shows no city planning. The face of Berlin is rapidly changing...books out this year will be "old" next year. If you are interested in only the historic buildings of Berlin- this is a great guide. If you are interested in the wave of incredible new architecture that is sweeping Berlin- this book is not for you. I would recommend the recently released Eyewitness Guide on Berlin. It is much more informative and shows Berlin in its most current state.
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