Customer Reviews

Case Study Houses (Jumbo)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A sumptuous 440 page visual record of this southern Californian house design program. It is a big book (at a BIG price) weighing TWELVE POUNDS and the landscape format opens up spreads thirty-four inches wide, beatifully printed with English, German and French text.

Each of the thirty-six houses is covered in the same way with:1 A short introduction by editor Smith2 The relevant editorial copy from Arts & Architecture magazine about the house.3 Photos, plans, diagrams, illustrations. Lots of the photos are by the brilliant Jules Shulman and I doubt you will see them this big anywhere else.4 Color photos of the house today.

Some of houses only have a spread or two (the unbuilt ones) while others have several spreads, Pierre Koenig's famous Stahl House (#22) has twenty pages. I was intriqued by a photo on one of these, it shows the living room with a small table on which are the obligatory selection of magazines, two of these are 'America', the Russian language publication put out in the sixties by the US Information Agency, were these on display when the house was open to the pubic or did Shulman put them there just for the photo session?I have given this glorious book only four stars because it is not as complete as it should be, the focus is very narrow, essentially a visual history of the Study Houses and that's it! What is missing is any historical and contemporary background and surely the reason the whole project was important was the influence it had on other architects, house builders, planners, the public and manufactures.

To get a perspective you will have to get Elizabeth Smith's earlier book 'Blueprints for Modern Living' published in conjunction with an exhibition in Los Angeles in 1989-1990. As the sub-title to the book says...'History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses' I found this a marvellous book telling me every thing I wanted to know, though there are only forty-two pages of text and photos on the actual houses. It is a pity that a lot of the information in the remaining 214 pages was not included in this huge volume.

Now that I have the book, where will I put it, who makes bookcases over sixteen inches deep anyway? Maybe I'll just leave it on a table. I bet it will soon pop up in those house interior photos you see in glossy magazines where folk have piles of large art books neatly arranged on their coffee tables, the cover with its black and white diagonal design will make it very visible. Send me an email if you catch a glimse of it in a magazine.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

IMPORTANT UPDATE Amazon have also placed this review with the ninety-six page edition. Have a look at my Listmania 'Case study houses made simple' for an explanation.

This book is the definitive survey of the Case Study house. It is filled with excellent detailed drawings and plans. The text is very informative. There is no "fluff" in this book. Buy this book before it goes out of print!

A sumptuous 440 page visual record of this southern Californian house design program. It is a big book (at a BIG price) weighing TWELVE POUNDS and the landscape format opens up spreads thirty-four inches wide, beatifully printed with English, German and French text.

Each of the thirty-six houses is covered in the same way with:
1 A short introduction by editor Smith
2 The relevant editorial copy from Arts & Architecture magazine about the house.
3 Photos, plans, diagrams, illustrations. Lots of the photos are by the brilliant Jules Shulman and I doubt you will see them this big anywhere else.
4 Color photos of the house today.

Some of houses only have a spread or two (the unbuilt ones) while others have several spreads, Pierre Koenig's famous Stahl House (#22) has twenty pages. I was intriqued by a photo on one of these, it shows the living room with a small table on which are the obligatory selection of magazines, two of these are 'America', the Russian language publication put out in the sixties by the US Information Agency, were these on display when the house was open to the public or did Shulman put them there just for the photo session?

I have given this glorious book only four stars because it is not as complete as it should be, the focus is very narrow, essentially a visual history of the Study Houses and that's it! What is missing is any historical and contemporary background and surely the reason the whole project was important was the influence it had on other architects, house builders, planners, the public and manufactures.

To get a perspective you will have to get Elizabeth Smith's earlier book 'Blueprints for Modern Living' published in conjunction with an exhibition in Los Angeles in 1989-1990. As the sub-title to the book says...'History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses' I found this a marvellous book telling me every thing I wanted to know, though there are only forty-two pages of text and photos on the actual houses. It is a pity that a lot of the information in the remaining 214 pages was not included in this huge volume.

Now that I have the book, where will I put it, who makes bookcases over sixteen inches deep anyway? Maybe I'll just leave it on a table. I bet it will soon pop up in those house interior photos you see in glossy magazines where folk have piles of large art books neatly arranged on their coffee tables, the cover with its black and white diagonal design will make it very visible. Send me an email if you catch a glimse of it in a magazine

Surprisingly, this massive tome is not bound in plates of steel as a complement to the wood boards enclosing TaschenÕs equally massive tome on Neutra. Though oneÕs first reaction is to call for a forklift and a lectern, this bookÑlike its predecessorÑjustifies its bulk and price. ItÕs the tribute John EntenzaÕs initiative has earned: for his achievement in proposing 36 innovative houses and getting 24 built, and for the projectÕs enduring fame, from Tokyo to Auckland. In contrast to the MOCA catalogue for SmithÕs exhibition Blueprints for Modern Living, the classic photos and many unfamiliar sketches leap off these pages. The story is told chronologically, with covers and text from the issues of Arts + Architecture in which these plans were first unveiled. A treasureÑwell worth a splurge. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)

The Case Study Houses -- The Complete CSH Program 1945 - 1966 by Taschen is a wonderful, comprehensive study of some of the best of the archetectural projects created from this time period. The principal photography by Julius Shulman is breathtaking and some of the original, vintage photos are presented on two pages within the huge book. When open, this jumbo edition is almost a yard across and at 34" is nearly overwhelming...and by some, too large to handle.
The text is well written, informative and easy to comprehend. It describes, in detail, the development of these ultra modern homes located in the Los Angeles area of California which mostly use metal, concrete and glass. All of the materials were derived from various industrial usages and were considered new in the home building area, and innovative to say the least.
Combined with the text and the extraordinary photographs, this book is destined to become a collector's item in the future and well worth the investment.

I ordered this book and then had to wait eight months for it to arrive from Amazon as it was back-ordered. It was well worth the wait as it's one of the definitive books on modern architecture. I saw this book while visiting a design center in Palm Springs several years ago and just had to have it. All of the "masters" are in the book and a number of the original floor plans and details are shown. Also, a significant number of photos were taken by legendary photographer Julius Shulman. If you want to display this book on your coffee table, make sure it's strong enough to support it, as this book is huge.
For anyone remotely interested in mid-century architecture or everyone who wishes to experience what life was like over fifty years ago, this book is for you. You won't be disappointed in this fabulous book. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea), a comfy chair, and prepare to spend the better part of an afternoon reading a few of the Case Study Houses showcased in this worthy book.

This book is HUGE and no review or details prepared me for the box that was waiting on my doorstep. It is worth every penny and I am very happy with it, it is huge, big enough to put legs on and use as a coffee table. Just be sure and get this one and not the smaller one, get it before it's gone.

This book is the next best thing to standing inside any of the Case Study Houses. I must admit, I use this book not only for reference, but to show off to anyone who comes to my house. This book tells my visitors that I love modernism, and that the Case Study Houses of California are some of my favorite houses in the world. If you feel the same, then you should also buy this book. If you just want to learn a little about the Case Study Houses, then Case Study Houses: 1945-1966: The California Impetus (Taschen Basic Architecture) is a great concise book. I received that one as a gift. At first I thought I wouldn't need it because I already have the jumbo book, but if I need to find out a quick piece of information I can usually go to the smaller book and find it more quickly. In conclusion, this is one of the top three most important books on architecture that I own.

I purchased this book for a friend as a surprise graduation gift as he once mentioned to me he was looking forward to own this book once he had the chance. I wasn't sure what it was going to look or what kind of information will contained but when I received it, to my surprise I didn't expect for it to be gargantuan and to be published in all sorts of different languages. I received the book on Monday and received it on Wednesday. Overall for not being an architect major or not knowing any previous knowledge of the subject it looked pretty interesting, informative and priceless.