Discover America's Favorite Architects (Preservation Press Series) [Paperback]

Patricia Brown Glenn (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Preservation Press Series

In this wonderful collection of short biographies, you'll meet a fascinating group of women and men from many different backgrounds. The one trait they have in common is their passion for creating beautiful buildings. The architects you will discover in this book are important both for the buildings they created and for their leadership in developing new designs, construction techniques, and ideas about the role of architecture in our culture.

Award-winning author Patricia Brown Glenn takes you on a wondrous journey across time and space and introduces you to each gifted artist. You'll learn how they became interested in architecture, the inspiration for their ideas, and how they influenced their contemporaries as well as later generations of architects. You'll also take a closer look at each architect's most glorious projects. And there are plenty of surprises along the way. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence and one of our most memorable presidents, was also America's first great architect? You'll also discover the woman who designed William Randolph Hearst's fabled mansion, San Simeon; the architect who, in the 1940s, was banned from building his home in Los Angeles' fanciest suburb because he was black; and the Asian-American who has created some of our most impressive office towers, museums, and libraries.

Complete with more than 100 colorful drawings from illustrator Joe Stites, Discover America's Favorite Architects is fun as well as informative. It is a terrific source for writing school reports, a great companion for family vacations, and an inspiration for young readers who might want to grow up to be architects one day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

BUILDING america Young readers can learn about architects from Thomas Jefferson to Mies van der Rohe, from Julia Morgan to I.M. Pei, in Discover America's Favorite Architects by Patricia Brown Glenn. Joe Stite's cheerful cartoon illustrations add a bright note to the clear, straightforward text. The biographies discuss each architect's guiding principles and major works.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9. A fascinating look at the work and personalities of 10 master architects, arranged in chronological order from Thomas Jefferson to I. M. Pei. In between, readers meet Frederick Law Olmsted, Henry Hobson Richardson, Louis Henri Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Julia Morgan, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Paul R. Williams, and Philip Johnson. Beginning with a quotation indicative of the architect's philosophy, each chapter discusses the subject's background, training, outstanding accomplishments, and major contributions to the field. This is a well-written and straightforward introduction to the shapers of American gardens, parks, buildings, and homes. Cartoon-style watercolor drawings depict important buildings and architectural details. There is a black-and-white photograph of each architect as well as a helpful glossary and index. This fully researched, compelling book will be helpful for assignments and interesting for browsing.?Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471143545
• ISBN-13: 978-0471143543
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,596,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to American architecture for (nearly) all ages, October 3, 2009

By 

Yaakov Ben Shalom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover America's Favorite Architects (Preservation Press Series) (Paperback)

Through short biographies and cartoon illustrations, this book provides an introduction to some of America's greatest architects. It is informative and interesting without going into too much depth.

Despite its overall look, this is not a children's book. Much of the vocabulary and prose seems appropriate for an educated audience. Based on the book's appearance, I was expecting something for the under-10 set. Instead this book might be better for a teenager/tween interested in architecture, but would a teenager want to read a book illustrated with cartoons? (And yes, the illustrations are more like children's cartoons than comix/graphic novels.) So, I will say that this is a basic introduction for "children of all ages," particularly if they are not actually children. Amazon notes that this reading level is ages 9-12. School Library Journal claims grads 6 through 9. That seems correct.

One note about the selection of the architects: It is far from exhaustive, and it reflects a certain view of American architecture. Philip Johnson, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and I. M. Pei--three classic glass-and-steel modernists--are included. But modernist Louis Kahn, who was very American in a way, is absent. And since the book was published in 1996, no postmodernists are in the book. No Frank Gehry, Robert Venturi, Michael Graves, Peter Eisenman, or Daniel Libeskind.