How to Read Houses: A Crash Course in Domestic Architecture

Rizzoli Int'l Pubs. put together a very attractive book. The photos and drawings are very well done. By the time I read through the first 15 pp. something felt "wrong". The book begins by defining "types" of homes as single story, multiple story, attached, and detached; with a modern example of each "type" and one or more examples of poorly defined traditional hybrids (ie. Gothic-Georgian). By pp. 30 the author's bias against pre-Modernism became increasingly noticeable.Regardless of whether the topic is building materials or interior design, the one style that is always represented is Modern. And when a pre-Modern style is mentioned it is often accompanied with a remark of a negative connotation.If one wants a book that understands and conveys the various attributes of pre-Modern house styles, this is not it. If one is looking for a book that pays homage to Modernism and its detraction of all that came before it, this book will not disappoint. In case of the latter, one may want to also consider the author's other works: Modern Architecture in New York (2002); Unbuilt Masterworks of the 21st Century (2009); Architects Sketchbook (2011).

Many of the houses in this book seem to be extreme and rare examples of the designs they represent. It helps when learning the concepts and the themes of house style. However, I am interested in identifying the style of houses that I encounter in my community. It would be helpful to have actual real-world examples of more common houses that I don't have to drive to Europe or New England to see.

This is perfect for on the go, exactly what I needed.

I did not read this book in order, so it was hard to determine when I was done, but now when I open to any page I know I have read that page, that section, at least twice and thus after doing this random survey about twenty times I knew I completed the book. It is not a good book about architecture, it's level of abstraction too great to really glean any deep understanding. It is however, a good reference book, perfect for checking things mentioned in other books or articles.2022 has not been a good year for books and me. I didn't do anything particular out of the ordinary or spectacular, and there was no great event predicating it, but I think after four years of the breakneck pace of five-books-a-month a my mind needed a rest. Thus this little "bible" was a nice easy way to pop in and out of something without overloading the synapses. I had a dream last night wherein Mindy Kaling had a talk show, and while I was not on it, I was backstage with her producers doing research, and I vehemently defended "Vladimir" as the book of 2022. I still agree with my dream thought the next morning, in terms of the relevance to pop culture and zeitgeist. For me personally though, reading "How to Read Houses" sums up my year.

This compact book was a handy and informative field guide to American domestic housing. Its clear and understandable text and illustrative images provided the organization and structure to fully understand the buildings in which we live.

A useful check-book that you can bring with you as well as a somewhat different textbook to help you learn the features to look for. Well illustrated.

I teach architecture and this is a nice reference book for the students to thumb through. The seller mailed it immediately!

good

I'd assume this was UK bsed, but sadly not. Still interesting but alas not for me.

Daughter likes this range of books. Nice illustrations. Compact book size. Good for anyone with an interest in buildings/architecture, although not "deep" text books.

None

Fast shippinh

Very useful book well written easy to read pocket sized so you can take it with you. Great buy.