The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 250 Key Twentieth-Century American Buildings, Third Edition [Paperback]

Sydney Leblanc (Author)

Book Description

Series: Norton Books for Architects & Designers | Publication Date: August 2000

There is no better way to appreciate architecture than to see it. This book takes the reader on a journey through 250 important buildings, from the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Miles van der Rohe, to new landmarks like Richard Meier's Getty Center. It provides maps, architectural and historical information, addresses, telephone numbers and opening hours, as well as indeces by architect and location.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A meaty and tantalizing guide for travellers and a distilled survey for architecture students. Entries are arranged chronologically by date of completion and are cross-referenced by architect and location. Each building is illustrated with a photo or drawing, and the text tells about its construction and enduring influences. Visiting information is included. -- Book News, Inc., 1 November 1993

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; Subsequent edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393730506
• ISBN-13: 978-0393730500
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,883,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very smart. Compact and helpful., August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 250 Key Twentieth-Century American Buildings, Third Edition (Paperback)

This classic guide keeps getting longer and stronger. This latest edition has been updated to include the remarkable new buildings constructed through the 90s; a period when unprecedented prosperity, a fresh generation of architects, and a new materials technology began to realize a new American style. Compact, helpful, witty and accurate: all the buildings are visible, and many are open to visitors. Hours, addresses, phone numbers and maps are provided. The maps are especially interesting because they show you where the architecture is in America. In visiting some of these buildings over the years I have occasionally spotted other devoted Architecture Travelers carrying their copies of The Guide, which has by now been published in English, Chinese and German. It is just the right size to travel with yet it has a nice heft - useful photos and solid, substantial research. Plus lots of interesting, little known tales of the architects, clients, builders and designs behind America's classic buildings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lively and indispensible, January 6, 2001

By 

"dominique_delaurier" (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 250 Key Twentieth-Century American Buildings, Third Edition (Paperback)

A friendly, witty guide to great classic buildings, plus the hot new ones. The book is thick and useful with good maps. Most of all, I like it because it gives such a solid architectural history while it is actually telling "stories" of the people who designed and built these fascinating buildings. I've often used this book in its earlier editions, and now this one -- it's never failed me. Even when I thought I knew everything about a particular city's architecture, I've found new discoveries. It's nice to have a book of this kind that is authoritative and also a lot of fun.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Splendid and handy book, January 15, 2001

By 

Ping Lim (Christchurch) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 250 Key Twentieth-Century American Buildings, Third Edition (Paperback)

If you are an avid architecture fan, and you are planning to see some iconoclastic buildings in the States, then, this handy small but substantial book is a must. The book is arranged in a chronological order, black and white in colour though, providing the readers with an insightful explanation of why every and each projects are highly regarded. Moreover, it also tells us where to find them, when to visit or if the buildings could be accessed at all, who to contact to arrange for a viewing, how to get there (subways &/or even bus numbers), who designed the buildings. To make the readers' life even easier, there are various formats of index at the end of the book, should we want to search the buildings via the architects' names, or thru the cities, or thru the highway maps. I am pleasantly surprised by this book and would recommend this to anyone else who want to have a road trip in USA just looking at buildings. Mind you, this book only goes as far as 1999 and to date, there are new buildings that are to be updated in there such as Frank Gehry's latest work for Mr. Allen of Microsoft underneath Seattle's pin. One note of interest is that none of the architecture buildings in Las Vegas is mentioned at all or taken seriously.