Customer Reviews

Craig Ellwood: Architecture (California Architecture & Architects)

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I did not realize how influential my father Craig is today, until I searched on his name and it lead me to this site. Here I learned that Ester McCoy's book about my dad has sold over 500,000 copies. That leads me to believe that there is a great interest in his work today, and that he is definitely influencing tomorrow's architecture. His favorite thing to do was to teach architecture, and with reprints of these great books, I believe that he continues to do just that today.

Adam Ellwood

As a teenager I was awed when this book about my father was published. I have one of the original copies which I value very much. It is gratifying to know that there is a resurgence of interest in Craig Ellwood's work so many years later. If you are a fan of his work, or if you want to get a good feel for Southern California architecture of the '50s and '60s, you will want this book. (OK, so I am biased! It is still a cool book.)

It's probably been 35 years since I looked at the original edition of this book. Perhaps time blurs one's impressions. But not this much. That this is a reprint doesn't excuse the awful quality of the photo reproductions. It looks as if the original book was taken to Kinko's with instructions to produce a thousand or so bound copies on cheap paper. Bingo! There you have it.

Ellwood's architecture needs crisp, finely legible images to convey the simple forms in a true manner. This edition provides none of that. It's a shame. The subject and content are worthy. The presentation isn't.