Customer Reviews

Lost Wright

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This is probably meant to be a companion book for people who already have detailed knowledge about Wright's work, but it happened to be one of the first books I ever encountered on Wright and so I found myself at a bit of a loss when reading it. Everything it has is good and interesting (if a bit depressing - after all it is a compendium of structures no longer standing) but there are no captions on the photographs illuminating what part of the buildings they are (some are interior photos) or any other details. The photos are just placed next to the narrative and at least once there are two photos of different structures on facing pages and you can't tell which is which. What I also found telling about the book - and the reason I do like it - is that the photos, particulary the interiors, often show spaces that are clearly occupied - rumpled cushions, rugs askew, etc. Much as one might love the clean lines and some uses of light in FLW's work, these photos sometimes reveal the down side of too much dark wood and low ceilings and the reality that in everyday life it is difficult to keep all of those open spaces free of clutter. It's also easy to make out some of the reasons that many of these buildings did not survive - enormous open fireplaces and exposed wood, as well as cheap materials and shoddy construction. With all of their beauty and innovation, they simply weren't built to last.