Five California Architects [Paperback]

Esther McCoy (Author), Randell L. Makinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275717208 | ISBN-13: 978-0275717209 | Publication Date: January 1, 1975 | Edition: 2nd

This classic study of Bernard Maybeck, Irving Gill, Charles and Henry Greene, and R.M. Schindler was first published by Reinhold, then by Praeger, and then by Henry Holt before being allowed to go out of print. The demand for this book has been so great that we have reprinted it. It has been acclaimed by many prominent architects and architectural historians who consider it to be an indispensable volume on 20th-century American Architecture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Hennessey & Ingalls; 2nd edition (January 1, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275717208
• ISBN-13: 978-0275717209
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, January 3, 2007

By 

Damon Cleckler (so cal) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five California Architects (Paperback)

If you are a true fan of architecture, specifically the radicalism of California at the turn of the 20th century, this book is one of the bibles. McCoy lived and breathed architecture, and she brought a very warm, humanistic perspective to her writing. From her years working with John Entenza at the ground-breaking California "Arts and Architecture" and the Los Angeles Times "Home" magazine, McCoy established herself as the spokesperson for several generations of architectural pioneers. Like Julius Shulman in her documentation of the past and (then) present architectural landscape, McCoy's work is inspiring. This volume (which was later followed by the excellent "Second Generation") covers Bernard Maybeck, Greene and Greene, Irving Gill, and R. M. Schindler. Each essay, complete with ample b/w photos, covers the careers and lives of these distinctly unique architects. In particular the work of Schindler, whom McCoy worked with as a drafting assistant for many years, McCoy shows the very human, personal side of this often confounding genius. I'm really probably just preaching to the choir here though... you should own this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential to Own, August 27, 2004

By 

S. Pactor "reader" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five California Architects (Paperback)

"Five California Architects" is a good introduction to the works and lives of the architects profiled (The Greene brothers, Irving Gill, Bernard Maybeck and R.M. Schindler). The book consists of biographical essays on each architect (the Greenes are handled together) and various photos and sketches of buildings they each designed.

This book is more like five little books; one for each individual architect. There is little attempt to provide any linkages between them (although some links are so obvious that the style of treatment reveals them none the less); and little attempt to provide context. The style of writing is heavy on anecdote. "Five California Architects" gives the reader a good sense of the kind of men these architects were, but less of a sense of the position they occupied in the development of modern architecture.

Despite its short comings, this book is a must have for those interested in the development of modernist architecture in California, and I would recommend it to all those interested in the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for California architecture and history buffs., February 9, 2001

By 

J. Wheeler (San Francisco Bay Area Arts & Crafts Movement) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five California Architects (Paperback)

In addition to On The Edge of The World and Towards A Simpler Way of Life, this is a great book to have if you are looking for biographies of California architects. The book also features some nice close-up photos of architectural details.