Customer Reviews

The Grand Tour: Travelling the World with an Architect's Eye

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm an architect and I usually have my camera with me wherever I go, especially to take photos of landscapes and/or buildings that catch my fancy wherever I am.

That's the concept behind this lovely coffee table styled book from Taschen publishers. It's a collection of vivid photos of structures that caught the eye of architect Henry Seider. Taken all over the world (every continent is represented), they include the rock structures of Petra in Jordan, the gothic cathedral at Ulm, and the museum für Moderne Kurnst both in Germany, Isfahan mosque in Iran, works by Le Corbusier, Mies Van De Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, to mention a few, with minimal notes (and in a few cases, sketches) describing each project.

Structures range from historical (Petra, the pyramids and temples of Egypt), to classic, to modern, so there should be something for everyone.

As with every other book on architecture from Taschen which I own, this is a delight.

Harry Seidler is Australia's greatest living architect. His award winning domestic and international works are represented in a number good books. This book however, is a personal photographic journey through more than 50 years of travel. The photos are taken by Harry himself and the wily observer will even notice family members in some. It is a book that prompts the desire to travel to see unknown (to me at least) buildings that represent great architectural achievements of their time. Of course it also includes the famous and well known architectural wonders. When I am feeling nostalgic for travel and good architecture it is one of the first books I pick up.

An amazing and wonderful image collection of the greatest architectural master pieces from around the world.

I can only hope to be able to visit a fraction of these places in my own time. Great to be able to see them here!

A must for anyone interested in great architecture and photographs.

i am very happy with this book, exactly what was explained and very fast postage.

Some travellers notice people, others notice the differences in landscapes and natural formations, still others notice weather and climate and how it differs from their home, and yet others are hungry for the living culture of food and music they find in foreign places. And then there are those travellers who notice the architecture in each place they visit. Harry Seidler was the latter type. He travelled the world, and with his architect's eye, he noticed and photographed the famous and not-so-famous structures and buildings that appealed to him. These photos were then compiled into this pretty book.

Both Taschen and Phaedon, as publishers, are noted for their beautiful niche art and coffee-table books. This book is no exception; providing a series of beautifully photographed famous and/or architecturally significant buildings from around the world. This is not a theoretical nor an analytical book - and thank god, as there are plenty of those in the market already. This is an art book (i.e. a colour glossy photo book).

This is a book produced for the joy of looking at beautiful or significant buildings from across the world, across cultures and across the centuries. Apart from a brief written introduction accompanying each section, the reader is left free to enjoy the pictures, to travel in the imagination, to marvel at the architectural richness of the world, and most importantly, to make up our own minds as to the historical and aethetic worth of the different constructions on offer.

One need not be knowledgeable in architecture to enjoy this book. You only need an eye for beauty and an appreciation for human ingenuity and engineering. Enjoy!

I've previewed some pages of this book on the official site of Taschen. Then I bought this book with the thought that there would be good analysis about those great architectures,since this book entitled with "...an architect's eye". When I got this book I feel a little bit of dissapointment because this book is merely a collection of mostlt "western" architecture photos. With few analysis on these masterpieces,I suggest those who interest in real architectural books go browse Google for pics rather than buying this book.

I ordered this book without seeing it first, and I was quite disappointed with it. I am not too familiar with the publisher, but I have just purchased "What Great Painting Say Vols. 1 & 2" by the publisher, and was expecting something along the lines of those books (great books, by the way).

This book is basically photographs only, with bare minimum captioning (building name/location only). No other information at all. I was hoping to see commentary telling me things about the buildings, some sort of architectural evaluation or commentary.

The only reason I give this even two stars is that the photographs are mostly pretty nice.