Customer Reviews

John Lautner, Architect

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Any Lautner enthusiast will be captivated by this book. It covers more buildings than any of the others, and includes Lautner's own comment on each, making it an invaluable record of Real Architecture.

Most of the photos in this book appear to have been taken shortly after the buildings were completed (and some during construction), so it makes a great companion to "The Architecture of John Lautner," which has mostly rescent photographs. Together, the books give a facinating "the and now" contrast, and demonstrate the timeless quality of Lautner's work.

This book is really a treasure, with virtually all of the text and commentary provided by Lautner himself. A wonderful resource for anyone interested in understanding Lautner and his work.

The photographs, plentiful, are not quite as striking and colorful as in later books (especially the Hess/Weintraub book), but are interesting as most seem to be roughly contemporary with each building's completion, probably the original documentation photography, usually showing the original furniture and decor. (This is also the reason that a few buildings, like the Harvey House, have no interior photos--Lautner was not happy with certain decorative decisions and would not permit their publication.) This book and the Hess/Weintraub book together allow a fascinating "then/now" look at many buildings, showing how well they have adapted and survived changing styles and tastes.

Furthermore, this is the most comprehensive of the books on Lautner, including a great deal more buildings than the others and also a complete list of works, both built and unbuilt, sometimes with drawings. Buildings are also covered in more detail, with plans and sections provided for each.

A note on the older/hardcover editions: some may have binding errors, such as groups of pages out of place or upside down (the title is also upside down on the spine), but these errors may be unique to just a few copies, I'm not sure. Also, I know there is at least one photo that is slightly different in my hardcover copy than in the paperback--same view, different lighting and furniture.

I initially purchased this book to educate myself when I hired Arthur Dyson, a colleague of Lautner's, to design our home. I bought this book in the 1990s for around $30, and am quite surprised to see it now going for about $800! If you love Lautner, then you will of course like this book. It includes a comprehensive chronology of his residences, interlaced with textual narrative. It also includes a number of plan and elevation views. However, most of the photos are black and white. The resolution of all the photos is mediocre, having relatively poor contrast and some graininess. There are two other books that pretty much tell the same story but with much better visuals: The Architecture of John Lautner by Weintraub, and Lautner by Barbara-Ann Campbell-Lange. For details, see my reviews of those books on Amazon. For photos of my house, designed by Arthur Dyson and built completely by my weary old hands, see [...].

John Lautner, who passed away in 1994, designed some of the most innovative and daring buildings of post-war America. For many, his work is among the greatest statements to the the California lifestyle of the 1950's and 60's--bold, shaking off the past and looking to the wide-open future. Lautner made use of cast concrete, steel and glass to create dynamic stuctures that few architects or clients dare conceive today. Think Lautner, think Jetsons. This book shows us his work with outstanding photographs from the 1940's through the 70's and is peppered with Lautner's comments on the various projects. Whether you're an architect or a fan of the space age, this is one book that you're sure to leave on the coffee table!

Lautner's designs defined post-war architecture; bold, shaking off the conventions of the past and looking towards the future. Think of George Jetson--Lautner would have designed his house. If you drove a car with fins and it looked like a rocket, you would certainly park it in the driveway of a Lautner designed home. His designs made use of the new materials that came out of World War II stainless steel, cast concrete and aluminum. He designed houses perched on the hilltops around Los Angeles, with wide expanses of glass and wild rooflines. His commercial designs included restaurants, schools and municipal buildings. Lautner's style is distinct--his structures stand out from the rest. Buy this book! It's a great retrospect of his work, loaded with fine photography and commentary. Put this one on your coffee table!

I have no idea why "Therese Thau Heyman" review of world war two posters is on John Lautner's book page. Also, one of your two reviews is listed as refering to an out-of-print edition, rather unusual since this single book just came out rather recently