Architecture Book Reviews

Author/illustrator Steven Guarnaccia has recreated the three little pigs from the classic fairy tale as architects who design modernist houses and outwit a greedy wolf.

Review of the book Conversations With Frank Gehry by Barbara Isenberg, with information about architect Frank Gehry and links to photos of his buildings.

American Country Building Design provides a nostalgic look at America's rural architecture in a format that is entertaining, enlightening and practical.

About.com's guide to Architecture reviews Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture by Beth Dunlop

Witold Rybczynski's book is not merely a biography of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. It is also a portrait of American life in the nineteenth century. Review by Jackie Craven.

A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester provides everything you need to recognize housing styles in the USA.

From our roundup of popular fiction featuring architecture and architects, a review of Ayn Rand's potboiler, The Fountainhead.

House As A Mirror of Self isn't just to read: This is a book to play with, mull over, and dream about. Clare Cooper Marcus, an architecture professor, delves into the realm of psychology, exploring the profound relationship between humans and their dwellings.

Tracy Kidder, a master of literary journalism, describes the strained relationships and emotional scenes that ensue when a married couple commissions an architect and a general contractor to build their dream house.

Published by Columbia University Press, Inventing the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert is a hefty, picture-packed hardback about the works of skyscraper pioneer Cass Gilbert.

In a compelling narrative, architect and scholar Witold Rybczynski describes how he started out to build a boat shed and ended up with a new home. Book review by Jackie Craven.

The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. Armed with dozens of photos and caustic wit, the authors bombard us with darkly comical facts about the decline of our cities and the spread of sprawl. Review and excerpt from the book.

Viva Las Vegas by Alan Hess is a slim, lavishly illustrated chronicle of the city's progression from a Western pit stop to a neon Mecca of outrageous signs and buildings.

Architecture: A Crash Course by Hilary French is a handy reference book with photos, illustrations, and a timeline of architecture history.