Eyewitness: Building (Hardcover)

by Philip Wilkinson (Author) "THE VERY SIMPLEST BUILDING is a permanent structure with a roof and four walls..." (more)
Key Phrases: crown plate, Middle Ages, Augsburg Cathedral, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8?While stunning, full-color photographs and illustrations continue to be the hallmark of this series, one shouldn't overlook the accompanying texts. Platt looks at the subject of piracy from the time of ancient Greece to the 19th century in double-page topic treatments. Readers are introduced to privateers, buccaneers, and corsairs, and told how they differ. Illustrations of various types of pirate ships, and the merchant vessels that were most often their targets, are particularly effective. Unfortunately, maps are few and far between and those included are too small and poorly labeled to be of much use. Building contains all of the virtues of other "Eyewitness" books, but is hampered by trying to cover too much territory. The history of building techniques, materials, and philosophy from earth-and-thatch houses to cathedrals and skyscrapers is crammed into the 64-page format. Some of the technical terms introduced, e.g., "plinth," are not adequately explained, and there is no glossary. Despite their drawbacks, both books are suitable additions to libraries.?David N. Pauli, Missoula Public Library, MT
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
A handsome ``Eyewitness'' book with spreads covering the obvious historical periods and places (ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to ``The Early 20th Century'' and ``Modern Buildings'') plus ``Islamic Buildings,'' ``South and East Asia,'' and such additional topics as ``Walls,'' ``Domes,'' and ``Doors.'' A typical spread includes crisply detailed color photos of a major building, a ruin (serving as a cutaway), or a model (Wren's 1674 proposal for St. Paul's); photos and drawings of decorative and structural details; a brief paragraph overview; and dozens of terms for the architectural elements depicted. As a survey of styles and of the wealth of specialized vocabulary used to describe them, this is a rich source. For knowledgeable readers, it provides hundreds of fine visual examples, many traceable through the index: friezes appear in 11 settings. For those less sophisticated, the visual definition will often not be enough- -e.g., there's no way to tell whether ``fixed light'' refers to part of a window frame, the glass, or the fact that it doesn't open; nor do any of the three depictions of the ``mortise'' and ``tenon'' make it clear that one is a cavity into which the other fits. Some basic ideas are also missing: the Romans' use of the arch is described with no mention of its enormous structural significance. An attractive, often fascinating source, but one that demands a conventional dictionary as a supplement. Index. (Nonfiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789460262
• ISBN-13: 978-0789460264
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WEALTH OF INFORMATION IN A SMALL PACKAGE, September 30, 2007

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Building (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

Like another reviewer here, I was absolutely stunned at the amount of information if reference to buildings that the author was able to pack into this one. The book explores different building styles from around the world. The photos and drawings are of top rate quality and just to flip through the book, examining the pictures is worth the price of the book along. The illustrations and photos though, are just part of the total story of this book. The work examins, often in detail, how different parts of different structures are build, i.e. doors, windows, walls, fire places, chimneys, columns, arches (concept), thatching, roofs, painting/tile, supports, materials decorations and much, much more. The text is wonderful. Even though this is classified as a childrens book, it is actually much more, although, most kids seem to love it. This is a wonderful addition to a wonderful series and I certainly highly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ten minutes crash briefing..., April 24, 2002

By	M. C. Dereli "Tablet searcher" (Astana Kazakhistan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Buildings (Pocket Guides) (Paperback)

This book looks small but contains a lot. Whether you are a student or just an enthusiastic it is good idea to have a book that fits in to your pocket. Again do not underestimate that book just because of "pocket". It delightfully explains buildings and architecture from the ages point of view to the architectural styles, materials with a basic graphics and pictures. You don't have to spend any afford for technical terms since each of them point with the arrows at the pictures. You can often see famous buildings at the different countries. In short it's fun the browse yet it teaches either you are at the subway or in the class waiting for your teacher.