Customer Reviews

Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses (Wright at a Glance Series)

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

 

 

This is a beautiful short introduction to the late and often smaller houses built by Wright after 1935, appropriately published in a purse-size book (part of a series). While less well known than his Prairie houses, these Usonians are the houses that YOU and I could afford! (Well...the smallest gem, Goetsch--built for $7,137.23--just sold for c.$225,000.) You will see here the beginning of many cliches of "modern houses:" single storys, open plans, lots of glass, dinettes, carports, etc. Only, these look beautiful! Why? Some idea of the awesome power of integrated design, inside and out, even at a tiny scale, is given in the small pictures of rich color. No "interior decoration" for Wright! Carla Lind is an extraordinarily evocative writer on Wright, and distills deep aesthetic insights into a brief focused text. If you like the magic you see here, then be sure to get Sargeant's book (Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses) to understand how these are designed and built (or seek Susan J. Bandes, Affordable Dreams. Kresge Art Museum Bulletin 6. Michigan State University. 1991). Enjoy.

This is a tiny hard cover book. "At a glance" is an over statement. More like a drive-by book. The pictures can be found elsewhere (larger and more complete) and the historical info is nil (and also found elsewhere.) Had I know this I would have not wasted my $10.00 on this.

Guess I should have read the product description a little more detailed, as is just a small pocket book. Actually some nice photos and would make a nice gift for someone interested in architecture. But, not much info, and no floor plans. So just rate it 3 stars. Average. Not really good, or really bad. A nice stocking stuffer though!

This is a nice 'little' gift to give to a Wright fan, but it is not comprehensive enough to tell you what the whole Usonian thing was all about.
It would have gotten more stars if the price was a couple of dollars less.