A first class study of the background to the Case Study Houses project created by the southern Californian Arts & Architecture magazine. This book was originally published in conjunction with an exhibition of the program at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 1989-1990. It has plenty of photos and plans (though some the photos are just a little too dark) to illustrate the eight main essays. Editor Elizabeth Smith and Amelia Jones devote forty-two pages to the actual houses with succinct descriptions, plans and photos. The rest of this marvellous book has a huge amount of information relating to housing and the post-war environment and how the thirty-six prototype houses had a wide influence on the domestic architecture that followed.

I particularly enjoyed the two essays by Thomas Hines and also Dolores Hayden's essay 'Model Houses for the Millions: architects' dreams, builders' boasts, residents' dilemmas'. The back of the book has six contemporary architects ideas and plans for housing in 'Extending the Case Study Concept', followed by biographies, chronology, bibliography and index.

Was the project worth it? Architectural writer Esther McCoy summed it up as... 'Perceived as a prototype that was to be enacted on a mass scale, the Case Study House program was a failure. Perceived as a prophetic statement, however, as a demonstration of trends and influences that would in one way or another achieve realization, the program must be judged a success. Perceived as art, finally, an approach suggested by their presence in The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Case Study Houses have won the right to be recognized and respected in the history of American design'.

You might think that everything about the CSH was included in this book but Elizabeth Smith has just edited another one called (you guessed it) 'Case Study Houses', a beautiful, very expensive ... very heavy (twelve pounds) very big (opens up to over thirty-two inches wide) 440 page visual history with hundreds of photos (especially from Julius Shulman) plans and drawings. What was missing from this sumptuous volume was all the information in 'Blueprints for Modern Living' so if you go for both books you really will have the COMPLETE CSH experience.

Nuetra, Soriano, Ellwood, Koenig - Blueprints for moder living is the catalogue for a major exhibit at the LA MoCA in the late 80's. It is an excellent sourcebook for those intersted in post war residential architecture. Modern Architecture (with a capital A) was going to change the world, as these bold case-study house designs show. This book contains a great deal more than just documenting the Case Study Building Program of the 50's. There are essays by noted historians Esther McCoy, Thomas Hines and Reyner Banham and others as well. These essays provide the background for the case study program and the mood of the public (especially in Califonia) after WW2. There is also an essay on publisher Joh Estnza and the Arts and Architecture Magazine that sponsored the program. The last chapter "Extending the Case Study Concept" documents the exhibit of six new designs (1987) commisioned by the Museum for a multi family housing project. Architects include: Eric Owen Moss, Toyo Ito and Hogetts & Fung. Lastly there are bio's on the architects, a timeline of events for the program and resourcefull bibliography. As always, the Julious Shulman photographs are stunning. This is a must have for the student of Modernism.

This is one of the best children's books I've come across! The subject of skeletons can be scary to a child; but here, it's presented with such delightful pictures and silly text, my 4 year-old niece "forgot" to be afraid. It's a perfect length to hold a child's interest through to the end. You can't help but cheer on Boogie Bones, as he "trips the light fantastic" at the dance. And when his true identity is revealed, it's a child who shows the townspeople there's nothing to fear. Your own children can relate to this, and maybe even conquer some of their own fears. All in all, a great book for kids of any age!

Boogie Bones LOVED to dance -- and WE loved his story! It is so well-executed that all along the way, accompanied by exquisite illustration, we could actually feel Boogie's hope, excitement, fear, and exhilaration. Our family (3,6,9,11, plus grown-ups) was thoroughly charmed by Boogie Bones and his happy, heartfelt joy in "living".

Overall, the book is easy to read and the numerous pictures leave no doubt about how to perform each exercise. The six-week plan and diet suggestions will help anyone looking to improve their body, regardless of their current condition. Additionally, I found the exercises for toning and strengthening your abs, and all the muscles in your core, to be particularly useful. I've always had a soft belly, but by using the ball and the recommended exercises, I've seen a noticeable difference. These muscles are notoriously difficult to strengthen with traditional weights and nautilus equipment, but need to be worked because they are so important in nearly every sport. The ball workout is one of the best I've found for working your core. Dr. Applegate provides excellent exercises for the whole body and doing them on the ball forces you to work your core to stay balanced.

Bounce Your Body Beautiful tells you everything you need to know about the hottest fitness trend in American--fitness balls. Even better, it offers numerous exercise programs that are convenient, fun, and extrememly effective. I've been doing these workouts for a month now and my belly is the flattest it has been in years and my butt has definition I've never seen before. I really like that I can do the routines in my home, whenever I find spare snippits of time. The author has also provided an eating plan that includes dessert! Though it may sound too good to be true, it's based on science and it definitely works. I've lost 5 pounds already.

I love books that're quest fantasy, but the usual serious dry way authors tell it is boring. I want humor, a kind of tongue-in-cheek thing, and Bronwyn's Bane is the perfect book for that. If you're sick and tired of blood, guts, and gore fantasy, try this!

I cannot wait to read more of Elizabeth Scarborough's work after finishing "Bronwyn's Bane" a few days ago. "Bronwyn's Bane" is a delightful story of a princess' curse, told with a mesmerizing tongue-in-cheek style, reminiscent of the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. What makes Scarborough's characters so fascinating is their dry, quirky wit, and their talent for stumbling into one troublesome situation after another. Scarborough's royalty, rather than being elegant, sage and lofty, is verbose, well-meaning but clumsy. All of her characters -- mermaids, gypsies, princess swans, ogre sorceresses -- are endearing, charming characters, and have great hearts -- despite the fact that they often get on each other's nerves. Scarborough also has one of the best and most foresightful imaginations I have encountered. Scarborough, for example, connects omnivorous sea-monsters that come ashore in the dark (terrorizing the islanders) with the islander's toxic contamination of the waters, which in fact created the giantic horrors. Ms. Scarborough has an excellent hand at very effective and thought-provoking irony, as well as an understanding of wit and human nature. "Bronwyn's Bane" is an ingenious,tongue-in-cheek tapestry of imagination, and I am delighted to have found Ms. Scarborough's work. I look forward to reading as many of her other works that I can find.

ý'm a student in civil engineering department of civil engineering department of Middle East Technical University-ANKARA.I can only say "excellent" for this book.

This National Geographic book does a great job of explaining in some detail how bridges, roads, tunnels, aquaducts and others were built. It focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and has many pictures and illustrations. I liked it as much as our 13-year-old son did.

I am the author's 48-year-old daughter. My mother's voice is unique. She speaks with compassion, love, and a rare level of insight. I have shared these poems with friends of all ages and backgrounds, and they all have taken keen pleasure in their discovery of this book. Many have told me that they read and re-read it. I highly recommend it.

This book has the finest poems that can really touch your heart. There are poems about family members that really distantly you can meet the authors family her writing is so descriptive! There are so many poems in here that you will just have to read over and over again they're so amazing! If you read this book you will find yourself going back for seconds! Elizabeth Elliot obviusly worked very hard on this book for the writing is so detailed!

Do you like fast fascinating reads?, then you will like By Heart. I read it so fast and normally i'm a slow reader. A great documentary well written!

I suppose this is mainly of interest to those who have read "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept" which is autobiographical but incoherent. This biography of Elizabeth Smart explains what really happened.
There is lot more to it than that. The insights into Canadian-British-American relationships are illuminating. The British literary scene comes across as the least inhibited and most tolerant of the three. The book has those snide cutting anti-Canadian jibes that Canadian writers do so well. The account of Soho in the fifties is fascinating and the account of Edmonton in the seventies is devastating.
Elizabeth Smart and George Barker and his wives went on to have close and warm relationships into their old age. In a way it's a happy ending to "By Grand Central Station" although there were further tragedies. The paracetemol that killed her daughter Rose (it produces hepatic necrosis when combined with alcohol) is known as acetominophen (Tylenol) in America.
Robert Fraser has written a biography of George Barker.

Jenny Nimmo's trilogy started by The Snow Spider, continued with Emlyn's Moon and finished with The Chestnut Soldier is all eminently readible children's fantasy literature for all ages. The series, however, has an interesting trait in that it appears to mature from one book to the next. The Snow Spider has the youngest feel of the series, with our hero just turned nine. The Chestnut Soldier deals with more mature themes as the hero turns thirteen. Coincidence?

The Chestnut Soldier is the best of the series, with a strong writing style, complex characters and a good storyline. This series is rare, but well worth getting your hands on. I highly recommend it.

My mom brought the whole series back from England for me when I was about 11 years old, I'm 19 now and I wish I hadn't given away my copies! It's a wonderful book, especially for kids (and adults!) who are fascinated by myths and magic. I loved it!

Goudge depicts Lucy Walter as a warm, loving but wronged wife of Charles ll. We are led to belive throughout the novel that Charles truly adored his first "wife" and she was cast aside because of politics. The contents of the book have been denounced as historically inaccurate, however, that is insignifigant to the wonderful story-telling talents of Elizabeth Goudge. As an avid reader of historical facts and historical fiction, "The Child from the Sea" is the most well written account of a time long gone by. Truly, 'The Child From the Sea" is a novel that moves your heart while giving the reader a full account of life in 17th century London. You cannot afford to miss this one if you can find it!

I first read this book over 30 years ago & no less than 5 times since. All I really remember about it was that every so-many years I feel compelled to read it again. Why I never bought a copy when it was more available I'll never know. This book could have been true, which made it all the more interesting. I have since read almost everything by Ms. Goudg