Frank Lloyd Wright: In the Realm of Ideas (Paperback)

by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer (Editor), Gerald Nordland (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Wright's own voluminous writings are still the most direct guide to his thought processes. Quotes from his essays are juxtaposed here with 170 photographs and plans. Words and images form a sweeping if uncritical panorama of his belief that organic architecture should undergird individual freedom and democracy, wedding nature to technology. The catalogue of a traveling exhibit, this handsome volume includes several penetrating essays. Contributors examine the architect's early years in Chicago, his "second career" that began in his 60s and lasted until the age of 92, his fusion of function, building materials and landscape. Pfeiffer is director of archives of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; Nordland is author of Richard Diebenkorn.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This collection of essays complements a traveling exhibition of Wright's work organized by the Scottsdale Arts Center Association. Five scholarly essays cover different aspects of the master's work, from his early career in Chicago to his principles of organic architecture. The illustrationscolor and black-and-white photographs and drawingscapture the beauty and excitement of Wright's architecture and are accompanied by quotations from Wright himself. While this book does not treat Wright's career comprehensively, it serves as an eloquent reminder of his genius and should be part of any architectural library. H. Ward Jandl, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press; 1st edition (March 21, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809314223
• ISBN-13: 978-0809314225
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #573,901 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wright is an Architectual Genius., May 11, 2001

By	Lyre "lyrecqe" (Woodbridge, VA US) - See all my reviews

In this book, Wright expounds upon his innovative and groundbreaking ideas about architecture - specifically, that architecture should be organic in nature. Spanning his entire career, including blueprints and sketches for buildings never constructed, In the Realm of Ideas give anyone with even a passing interest in architecture the grounds to understand the architectural revolution that occurred in the early part of the 20th century. Wright was an integral part of that revolution; he stood at the center. In the Realm of Ideas provides his thoughts and reflections on the nature of architecture, something we all should consider in today's world of chrome and glass buildings that jab at the sky and crowd the center of our cities.

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine large FLW picture and drawing book, not spectacular, not bad., March 31, 2007

By	Chris bct "music everyday" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Mine has the same cover, same dimensions as listed and same BN number but only 191 pages. There's only one page I can find that takes up the full size of the page. There's several that go full to the top or across without filling the entire page and another batch that shrink the border of white paper edging with fairly large size photos. There's a dozen black and white photos, all in the back and all either of FLW or family member or some furnishings and glass as well as another 5 or so black and white photos of various buildings throughout the book. Compared to most large books of FLW's work, this one has more pages of text only than any I've seen, 65 pages. That text reads like an architectural textbook might though I did find it interesting but not as informative and as many nuggets of info about the buildings and projects as I have found in most other large FLW picture books.

There's 60 pages of architectural drawings. They are almost all not too light which is sometimes the case in some FLW books. I'm a big fan of his drawings and am happy to have them here. Most of the pages with drawings show 2 drawings per page. The author was involved in at least one FLW project and describes his participation in the project. The Johnson Research Tower is shown under construction. I do not often find many photos of his buildings under construction.

Overall, I'm certainly glad to own this book. Partly due to its size, partly due to all the well presented drawings and partly because a number of the photos are not standard photos found in several other large FLW books. A lot of unique angles of his various buildings. And, if one can obtain this at a discounted price, I would welcome into any FLW picture book collection.