Customer Reviews

Louis Kahn

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

 

 

I purchased this book through a book club at a dramatically reduced price, even at that I am disappointed. It is a big, beautiful book, but it is superficial and skin deep. Rykwert's essay, while competent, is brief. The photographs are beautiful, however the graphics (plans and sections) that are so essential to understanding Kahn's work are almost non-existent. Most projects contain only one floor plan that is usually "floating", i.e. devoid of any context. There are no sections or elevations. Seldom is there a site plan. If you have all or most of the books on Kahn and feel you need another, then perhaps this book is for you. If you are looking for a nice Kahn coffee table book, this book is for you. If you are looking for an in-depth understanding of this master architect, than I suggest other sources, such as the MoCA "In the
rhealm of architecture" catalogue published back in 1991.

I completely agree with the other reviewers, saying it is a rather 'coffeetable' kind of book due to its lack of plans, sections and elevation, its minimal projecttexts and its emphasis on (beautiful) photos.

Having said that I would like to add the following; being and architect I always want two things of my architecture books:
1) getting all the background on both the architect and the projects, including projectdevelopment in both text and drawings
2) getting the best pictures of the build work

A lot of the time these things don't come in one good book so I have to buy two. For Louis Kahn this meant buying "Louis I Kahn" by Robert McCarter for a perfect overview of the life and ideas of Kahn and buying this book by Joseph Rykwert for its beautiful images. So for me this is one beautiful half of the whole story of Kahn, so buy it togehter with...

I agree with the review above. If you are an architect or anyone capable of understanding buildings through plans this book will leave you wanting something more. If you are just a casual observer of architecture and are satisfied with just the images then great. I have to say the images are great and it is really nice to hold the book in your hand and flip through the pages.

I believe the reviews complaining about the summary architectural documentation in this book are missing the point. This is not really an architecture book. It is clear to me, from the fine printing and lavish space given to images all the way to the handy trim size which makes this book delightful to hold, that the reason for revisiting Kahn one more time in this book was to take a new perspective on his work through photography. The flitting light that is captured on Kahn's monumental structures makes a striking combination of the ephemeral and graceful falling on solidity and stability. I really love it. I've never seen a book dedicated to one architect quite like it.