Reviews (12)

Best Bungalow Book
Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market.Whether you are thinking of remodelling your kitchen, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your kitchen, this is the book to buy.

Oh man, more than just a pretty picture book
This wonderful book also has great vintage photos and a HISTORY of why the small kitchen was such a big deal and how it evolved! Lots of good detail and information for the old house aficionado.
Cool Kitchens
This book contains an excellent collection of photos of Arts & Crafts period kitchens.It discusses the philosophy of design Gustav Stickley and others advocated and shows you the results, which are still beautiful, even after all these years.It is a little short on detail, if you wanted to reproduce the look of the Arts & Crafts kitchen, but it does spark the imagination.The examples of various kitchens is broken down by designer, so it is easy to pick out their specific design influence.I found this book an inspiration for some of the designs I would like incorporate in my own home, and combined with some other books of design details, it is excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. History    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Kitchens    7. Reference    8. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    9. United States    10. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    11. DIY    12. Home furnishing & decoration    13. Interior design   

Reviews (1)

A Must Read
With 27 years of restaurant experience I know the importance of design to the success of a restaurant. What is often overlooked, however, is that the kitchen and dining spaces have to work together. The authors of Successful Restaurant Design are the first to point out the importance of a holistic approach to restaurant design. Their insights into the design process are a must read for anyone planning a new restaurant or renovating an existing facility. The chapter of interviews offers readers design tips from leading designers and restaurateurs. And the case studies offer a straighforward way of understanding simple solutions to complex issues. This book belongs in the library of every restaurateur and designer interested in keeping up with front and back of the house design. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Commercial Interior Design    4. Design and construction    5. Interior Design - General    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    7. Restaurants    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Hotel & catering trades    10. Interior design    11. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc   

Reviews (6)

Utterly fascinating. The best book on FLW in 20 years
This book absolutely blows the lid off the Taliesin idyll. Hails Wright (and rightly so) for the genius that he was but exposes his faults, many of which are so utterly shocking to anyone with even a minimal knowlege of Wright's life. Be prepared: it will definitely change your opinion of Wright. Book goes into a huge amount of detail on the relationship between Wright, his wife Olgivanna, and their involvement with her former mentor Gurdjieff, who had coveted Taliesin as the base of his American operations. In short, everything in Wright's life was far from calm. The apprentices are the real story here. The authors portray them as talented, but inexperienced amateurs, and it is fascinating to read how they had to work in such difficult situations on such monumental works as Fallingwater and the Johnson Wax building, all the while dealing with Wright's idiosyncracies. The apprentices were really the physical manifestation of Wright's genius. Most (sadly) faded from view or were hesitant to write books of their own lest they were perceived as riding their Master's coat tails. I'm glad their stories are now being told. The authors present a great story and a very eye-opening book on what had been a relatively little-known aspect of FLW's life and legacy.

Error on Page 355
Paragraph #2 on page 355 is in error.The two Linclon Continentals were not a gift to Wright from the Ford Motor Company as stated. Wright purchased the 1940 Lincoln Continental Convertible from Monart Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 11, 1940 for $3195.50. He was given a $1495.50 trade in price for his 1939 Lincoln Zephyr convertable. The Lincoln Continental 2 door sedan was purchased by Wright from Monart Motors in 1941 the first year that it was available. The cars were therefore not purchased together as the authors stated.The documentation for the sale of the cars to Wright can be found in the Frank Lloyd Wright archives at The Getty. Unfortunately this example of the use of inaccurate secondary sources causes me to ask the question: How much of the authors' other research is equally questionable? Otherwise, the book is a great read.

Not to be Missed
For any student of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and of the arts in general, this interpretive history is not to be missed. While Wright is credited with creating some of the most astonishing buildings of the last century, the setting surrounding their creation is another story in itself.
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Subjects:  1. 1867-1959    2. Architects    3. Artists, Architects, Photographers    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Individual Architect    9. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    10. United States    11. Wright, Frank Lloyd,    12. Wright, Olgivanna Lloyd    13. Biography & Autobiography / Artists, Architects, Photographers    14. Biography: general   

Reviews (3)

Excellent text book for environmental system course and design studio
A very clear and concise presentation of the basic material (as stated in the title) for all architecture, construction science, and interior design undergraduate students.The three tier conceptual approach, presented at the beginning, really helps the students understand the structure of the presentation.The "key ideas" section at the end of each chapter helps the students study for my quizzes too. I have found that the appendices and bibliography are very helpful for graduate students - further study. At the beginning of the semester, an undergraqduate ID student ask me what the relevance of the story about Easter Island had for her.By the time we arrived at the chpaters on "Lighting", she told me she got it.The biggest problem with using this book in a undergraduate lecture course for design students is that the studio instructors can no longer say that the students "said they didn't get" both the sustainability issues and technical information needed to have a strong basic understanding to apply to design thinking. Now they will be forced to invent other reasons for why students are not required to fully integrate by 4th year studio and beyond - and still develop strong conceptual ideas.Among other reference text, I also found that Allen/Iano's "Studio Companion" as a supplement is helpful for further visualizing the HVAC systems and their direct application to building design thinking. The major technical weakness/omission is that it is missing one good chapter dedicated to water - hence the 4 star instead of 5 star rating in my opinion.

Oh Norbert!
Any owner of a pith helmet with attached solar-powered fan will love this book. I have only met one such person, the author. However, this book represents the most rigorous process for sustainable design that I have encountered. This is the place to start if you need LEEDs certification.

Heating, Cooling, Lighting : Design Methods for Architects
1614/784 Moo 6, Sukhumvit Road T. Taiban A. Muang Samutprakran 10280 Tel. (661) 699-4334 ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air conditioning    2. Architecture    3. Construction - Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning    4. General    5. Heating    6. Lighting    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Architectural structure & design    9. Heating, lighting, ventilation    10. Interior design    11. Technology / Construction / Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning   

Reviews (5)

Interesting...
This book arrived in good condition from the sender and before time.The book inself is very interesting and will serve its purpose.

HUMAN FACTORS
I AM A BIG FAN OF THE AUTHOR, AND HAVE USED HIS WORKS IN THE PRACTICE OF MY WORK MANY TIMES, THE BOOK, IS GOOD WITH MANY PRACTICAL EXAMPLES, BUT SADLY DOES NOT SEEM TO TELL ME ANYMORE THAN I ALREADY KNEW. ....I WAS HOPING FOR MORE.
great reference - cd is pretty worthless
this book is a great reference for those who deal in any way with the human form. i, for example, am a 3d character animator andthis book is perfect for nailing correct human proportions and visualizing range of motion. however, the accompanying cd is basically an advertisement for ErgoForms, the autocad version of the drawings in the book. only the 1% man drawing (the smallest average male figure)is included on the cd, which is pretty useless for what i need. if the book weren't so expensive i'd give it a four star rating. i thought i was getting more on the cd to warrant the price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Drafting    3. Design, Industrial    4. General    5. Human engineering    6. Industrial Design - General    7. Interior Design - General    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Ergonomics    10. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design    11. Mechanical Engineering & Materials   

Reviews (8)

For the Serious...
It's been difficult to give a balanced critique. On one hand, "Elements of Color" has a wealth of information, but on the other, it takes serious committment to fully understand and comprehensively apply the information Itten presents. There is much valuable data, but it's interspersed with almost stereotypic, outmoded "Teutonic" concepts; e.g. assigning "Blond Types" springtime, bright, vivid colored topics, while "Dark Types" should be assigned "Night, Burial and dark room" topics. There is much valuable, technical information, but it is like digging through hard stone to find the gold; overwrought and culturally centered, judgemental statements are very common ("red expresses intermediate degrees between the infernal and sublime"... what's this?!?!). Other statements seem value-laden, i.e., "sentimental blue", "angelic pink", "blue reigns supreme"... Some excuse may be found in realizing the concepts in this treatise may have been developed before the Post Modernist Age, which accepts cultural and ethnic diversity, that accepts art and the use of color as being open to various interpretations, that color is certainly relative and greatly subjective, that many statements about color are only opinions...and that there is no absolute truth as to what color is "right" or "wrong". Unless the reader is studious and very serious about trying to unearth the information contained in this book, he or she is much better served by studing Albers or others. Too bad there is no editing, no index, and no glossary. What would Itten think of the book, "Chromophobia"? ... Pablo Tellez

so you decided to learn the truth about colors...
Itten, himself is one of the greatest color theorist of our century, and the masterful mind behind the Bauhaus School.
Color from a master
Although witten for artists who mix colors for an effect, this small book has a wealth of information for fiber artists and quilters.How do translucent colors interact with other colors?Illusions in color? Which colors can be used in conjunction with other shades and tints? It is all here in this book.Many illustration,color plates,and well written text.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Color Theory    4. Art / Color    5. Painting & paintings   

Reviews (5)

An Old Favorite Brought Up to Date
This book has two real aspects.
Very Good Economics Book.
I just finished a Managerial Economics MBA course that used this text.I found it to be very well written compared to textbooks I've read for other classes.I think it does a good job explaining supply and demand, intro to pricing, and intro to strategy and game theory.Examples are used to improve the reader's "economic" intuition.I talked to a friend who just finished a differnt MBA program who used this book.He recommended the book and especially liked the strategy segments and the prisoner's dilema.

overview only
It seems like a glorified table of contents.It tries to cover too much and absolutely no detailed in-depth explanations, and absolutely no rigorouse mathematical explinations.It's good only as an table of contents with some details.If you are interested in a specific topic, you are better off finding information on the web or go elsewhere.The cases are fun to read, and provide some insight into the real life problems.Recommend it for night time leisure reading, but not for seriouse students who wants to learn a solid fundation to the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Management - General    5. Managerial economics    6. Organizational effectiveness    7. Reference    8. Budgeting & financial management    9. Business & Economics / Economics / General    10. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Subjects:  1. Architectural design    2. Architecture    3. City planning    4. Planning    5. Public Policy - City Planning & Urban Dev.    6. Architecture / Planning    7. City & town planning - architectural aspects    8. Urban & municipal planning   

Reviews (15)

good pictures but short on how-to
The pictures were great and the book needs more of them.The technical side of how to create the looks needs much more material and better presented.

CONCRETE as a work of art...
BEAUTIFUL...to find out what can and is being done with concrete. I knew that it had potential to be a beautiful art form, but did not understand how wonderful concrete could be until looking at the many photos in this delightful book.
An excellent guide to incorporating concrete's positive qualities into a home
Fu-Tung Cheng and Eric Olsen's Concrete At Home may sound like an unlikely mix for a home environment, but when used property, concrete can look and feel soft and warm while retaining extra durability. Cheng demonstrates how to mix colors and textures for this effect, from achieving a translucent effect to using thermal foam insulation to provide insulation to concrete, which typically has no insulating qualities to speak of. An excellent guide to incorporating concrete's positive qualities into a home. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Building fittings    2. Concrete Construction    3. Concrete products    4. Construction - General    5. Design & Construction    6. Do-It-Yourself    7. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    8. Dwellings    9. Home Improvement / Construction    10. Home Maintenance And Repair    11. House & Home    12. Materials    13. Methods & Materials    14. Architectural structure & design    15. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Reviews (12)

Courtyards: Aesthetic & Function
"Courtyards: Aesthetic, Social, and Thermal Delight" begins with a brief history of courtyards including itemized accounts of such topics as placement within a building, orientation, exposure, and the promotion of temperature conditions within a courtyard.
Couryards: Interacting with nature
I got this book several years ago on an inter-library loan from NDSU.It's a great book.The only problem is that it's relatively expensive -- $60 or so.
Honest Reviews?
Were all the reviews written by the author? Give me a break! The fact that every review sounds the same will keep me from ever purchasing this book. In that case, I guess all the reviews helped! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture And Energy Conservation    3. Architecture And The Environment    4. Architecture and climate    5. Courtyard gardens    6. Courtyard houses    7. Design & Drafting    8. Garden Design    9. General    10. Landscape    11. Architectural structure & design    12. Architecture / Design & Drafting    13. Garden design & planning    14. History of specific subjects   

Reviews (7)

MASTER ARCHITECT
This is the benchmark when it comes to books on homes of Frank Lloyd Wright.The text is scholarly and highly informative, while being easily accessable to even the most nyophite Wright follower.The images are crisp and well executed, they just bleed off the page.I have not always been a huge fan of Wright, frankly he was a racist homophobe, interesting considering most of his devotees at Taliesin where gay, and the man had a voratious ego that would make The Donald blush.He was by all accounts just a nasty piece of work, and I at first found his architecture to be austere and cold, but now i am a huge admiror of his work, if not the man.This book shows in vivid focus, what makes his homes so unique and what made him an American Icon.I may not think much of Wright the man, but his work is for the ages and this book is simply fantastic.Highly recommended.

Must have for Wright fans
If you have already read the other reviews you know how good this book is. I wish they had this available when I first started getting interested in Frank Lloyd Wright back in college. All they had then were the dingy, dark, older pictures that really didn't convey just how great some of Mr. Wright's houses were. These new pictures really show how much genius he had in design. What is even more apparant when you see some of these new pictures is just how much mastery he had for setting up a home with natural light. Simply put, if you have the money and are even a casual fan, you should just treat yourself and get the book.

Frank Lloyd Wright - The Houses
I think this is not only a beautiful book but an excellent reference source for anyone who is interested in F. L. Wright's dynamic works.I have just one complaint:why did they NOT identify the front and back inside cover photographs of the Lykes House in Phoenix--everything else was carefully listed in the credits.If one didn't know, he/she would have to dig through the entire book to find which house was important enough to show so prominently but not enough for credits where other houses with just one picture were listed.This is indeed an omission that should be corrected on later editions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Individual Architect    3. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    4. Residential Buildings Architecture    5. Architecture / Individual Architect   

Reviews (4)

Disappointing
I eagerly anticipated this book, since there is so little published information on the subject, but I was disappointed when it finally arrived.It appears that it was never proofread.I read a lot, and this is the worst job of editing/proofreading I have ever seen in a book.This may sound like nitpicking, but there were places where I could not figure out what information the author was trying to convey it was so garbled.It is FULL of typos, grammatical errors, and garbled sentences.
A wealth of insights and tips on how to construct - and maintain - a natural garden pool
NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS: INSPIRATION FOR HARMONY WITH NATURE offers a wealth of insights and tips on how to construct - and maintain - a natural garden pool. Surprisingly they are less costly to maintain than traditional chemical pools, save on water, and beautify a garden area more than less ecological offerings. Full-page color photos throughout illustrate such pools, surveying a range of designs and options and discussing biological conditioning, ecology, regeneration zones, and construction choice alike. It's the multitude of options and in-depth coverage on these options, paired with the color photo coverage, which makes NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS an extraordinary survey.
Long overdue book on an overdue topic
I have been keenly interested in the topic of natural swimming pools for about 5 years, but have been frustrated by the lack of information in English on the topic (there are several books in German - the homeland of the concept - but only a single manual in English).
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. House & Home    4. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    5. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    6. Swimming pools    7. Water gardens, pools   

Reviews (14)

It's not the technique, it's the logic behind it
Most evolutionary computation or math books deal with the techniques of solving problems. This book teachs you how to think of a solution for the problem you face, and not what problems are appropriate for the technique in hand.
improve your problem solving ability
The authors have updated their successful first edition, though the latter, printed in 99, was scarcely obsolete. A heuristic can be basically a rule of thumb, dressed up in fancier language. What the authors intend is for you to develop an intuition about when to use modern algorithms. Where is almost every case, these are actually implemented on a computer; a reflection of the cheap availability of computing power to most readers.
get this book!, read it!, understand it! :)
i have not finished reading this book, but it's 'worth it' if only for the first two chapters! :) anyone interested in dynamical systems (control aspects), general problem solving, AI, and human thinking should read and understand this book! :) work the problems! :) think! enjoy! :) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Science    3. Computers    4. Heuristic    5. Linear Programming    6. Mathematical recreations    7. Mathematics    8. Problem solving    9. Algorithms & procedures    10. Computers / Computer Science   

Reviews (5)

Great book for my overseas guests
I have purchased this book for my departing aupair's for the past several years.While they certainly take pictures themselves they would never have a collection of photographs this large and they also get to see a bit of the history of Chicago. There are a lot of good pictures that will certainly spark many happy memories.For this purpose I would recommend it.

Nice Review of Past and Present
I enjoyed this book.Some of the pictures do not compare well because they were taken at different angles or from a different side of the street.Nevertheless, this is a great book.I found lots of stuff to compare.Native Chicagoans, who take an interest in the city, will like it.I purchased it for my brother for Christmas...liked it so much I purchased one for myself.

flawed but fun Chicago historical pictorial
I have several of these "then and now" books, and I would say this is the weakest of the bunch.I dearly love Chicago, and some of the old photographs were very interesting, but the book has a few problems.First, the photographic perspectives are rarely in synch, so it is difficult to compare the two pictures directly; either the angle is off to the side, or it's at a different distance.This seems rather to defeat the purpose of a "then and now" theme, which is to facilitate comparison.Secondly, a great many of the buildings and scenes are virtually identical to what they were, so one wonders why they were included.Finally, a map should have been included.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Chicago (Ill.)    3. History    4. History - General    5. History: American    6. Pictorial works    7. U.S. Architecture - General    8. United States - General    9. United States - State & Local - General    10. Sale Books   

Reviews (2)

clear thinker and builder
Reading this book was like reading a long-lost secret manual of
Highly recommended
A thoroughly engaging book about meaningful architecture - it now holds a very special place in my architecture library, right next to Michael Benedikt's For An Architecture of Reality.Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architecture    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. Architecture / History    6. Individual architects    7. Zumthor, Peter   

Reviews (20)

alexander's courage gave birth to this noble book
this is simply (as all the other books by c. alexander) the best book I have ever read on architecture, and the humanity of architecture
My wife loves it - and that's good enough for me.
I bought this (and Patterns...) because my wife always liked discussing the structure of our city, our house and life in general, as we headed home after work.
Very Intersting and Original Viewpoint
Alexander's book is fascinating. It teaches the reader to draw the distinction between pattern design and modular design. Previously, I was not even aware that these two design methods were on a type of continuum. Aside from its lessons, it is in fact a very interesting book. It does have a kind of utopian feel to it, and it feels good! I highly recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Drafting    3. Pattern perception    4. Planning    5. Study & Teaching    6. Architecture / Criticism    7. Art & Architecture | Theory & Criticism; Aesthetics   

Reviews (4)

A very useful,easy to read book on sv and verification
if you want to learn systemverilog and its application on verification, this is book for you. The book includes lots of good /short examples, help you better understand the concepts and discussions. If you have doubts, it is very easy to type in the coes to verify.A must have book to get yourself familiar with sv and verification.

Great Examples !
This book is a must if you are going to code in SystemVerilog. Chris is very knowledgeable about the language features and great at presenting these features in a very compact way. The examples alone make the book worthwhile.
This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn SV
I got this book to learn SystemVerilog being one of the new IEEE HDL and Testbench development languages. It is a great book and covers everything you need to know about SystemVerilog as a testbench development language. If one is coming from a HW development background, this is the book to read to learn the basic concepts of Object Oriented Programming and the additional bells and whistle which System Verilog added to Verilog.
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Subjects:  1. CAD-CAM - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Electronics - Circuits - General    5. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Applications of Computing    9. Computing and Information Technology    10. Electrical engineering    11. Electronics engineering    12. Personal computers    13. Spear    14. SystemVerilog    15. Technology / Electronics / Circuits / General    16. methodology concepts    17. testbenches    18. verification   

Reviews (10)

Targeted Primarily for Persons Doing Commercial Interior Design Projects
I already own AIA's Architectural Graphics Standards for Residential Construction, which is an excellent reference book for use in designing, planning, and building a new house or remodeling an existing one. Wanting more information for interior design of a house, I reviewed a copy of this book at the library. The book is primarily targeted to those persons doing interior design work on commercial projects. If you're looking for interior design help for a house, I would recommend buying AIA's Architectural Graphics Standards for Residential Construction to use as a reference and look for other books targeted specifically at residential interior design.

A good handbook for interior details!
The day I received the Interior Graphic Standards, I used some of the details in the book for a project I was working on. This book provides information, including construction details, which are very useful to the practicing architect and interior designer.

Bible of Interior Design~!
I'm an Interior Design student at Ryerson University in Toronto, and I have never seen a book that is as comprehensive as the IGS.It covers almost everything. I've used this book as a reference for almost every school project I've done. My professor strongly recommended this book to us, but at first I was hesitated to buy it because of the price.However I found it cheaper to buy online than in retail bookstores.I told my classmates about it and showed them the book, after they've seen it they said they are all gonna buy it. Overall this book is worth its price and I strongly recommend it~! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Interior Design    2. Reference    3. Interior Design - General    4. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    5. Architecture / Reference    6. Architecture    7. Architectural Detail    8. Building    9. Details    10. Drawings    11. Standards   

Reviews (6)

Inspirational architecture
What a wonderful book.You must check this out if you care about architecture and the environment.

Soon to be dog-eared
I'm three quarters of the way reading this book from cover to cover - only the second architecture book I've finished all the way through. The first 'Good deeds, good design' (ed. Bryan Bell) is very similar in its exploration of sustainable innovative design. I've been waiting awhile for something as inspirational as that book, and 'Design Like You Give A Damn' doesn't disappoint.
An encyclopedia of inspiration
To echo what some of the other reviewers have written, this book is really marvelous inspiration. It describes a series of projects, most built, that are mostly low tech, low cost, people-centered. It is mainly architecture (buildings), buthighlights a few projects that fall more into the 'appropriate tech' catagory: pumps, water carriers, solar stills, bush toilets...
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    3. Criticism    4. Design & Drafting    5. History - General    6. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings   

Reviews (7)

biggest, most comprehensive book on Venetian Art and architecture.
It ranks side by side with the other book The art of Florence. Ihave these books and I have lot's of books about Venice. But on the subject of art and architecture. This is the most comprehensive to date.
Magnificent!
I concur with others who reviewed this book and give it top billing!The photos are exquisitely clear and are a good representation of what the city offers.The text is quite complete, although I, too, would have liked to have seen more on Venetian glass.Another fabulous collection for those who love the jewel of a city or for any lover of fine art and architecture.

Venice Art & Architecture
I borrowed these books from a friend. I could not believe my eyes.They are most fantastic! I have ordered a set for myself. I recommend them highly! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. European    4. General    5. History - European    6. History - Medieval    7. International Architecture - European    8. Art