Guidebooks

A Field Guide to American Houses

5 stars (Great Photographs-Line Drawings Weak) - At 525 pages, Virginia and Lee McAlester's " A Field Guide to American Houses " is an exhaustive study of the different styles of American domestic architecture. They identify and categorize 39 different architectural styles. This is much more than most field guides. I have been collecting architectural field guides for a number of years. The only thing I do not like in this well prepared book is the over-reliance on black and white photos of homes. The quality of the photos vary significantly. The photos are not of the same high caliber as the photos taken for Historic American Building Survey.(HABS) I believe the best field guides are made up line drawings. Line drawings get to the point and the different archiectural features can be labled. The best line drawings really help in clarifying stylistic points. Photos can be distracting because trees, power lines and vehicles end up in many of the photos. There are line drawings in this book at the beginning of each section. Unfortunately, the line drawings are the weakest part of the book. This is a great book and you cannot go wrong with purchasing it. However, as a devotee of these types of books, I would recommend purchasing Lester Walker's "American Shelter". His illustrations are really beautiful and very informative. 5 stars (Great Book for Preservationists!) - This book has helped me through school! Its a great book to have in your collection if you study preservation or interested in architecture! 5 stars (Invaluable Reference) - You will truly value this book if you are interested in the styles of residential architecture in America. After an engaging survey in the introduction, the styles and movements are presented in chronological order. Also included at this point are outline drawings of the various types of houses, illustrating style, basic shapes, elevations, plans, types of materials and building techniques used as well as a pictori...
Knopf :: Architecture & Reference :: United States :: U S Architecture - General :: Reference :: Guides :: Guidebooks :: Domestic :: Description and travel :: Architecture :: D :: A Field Guide to American Houses

The Surfer-s Guide to Costa Rica

5 stars (Excellent book) - this is a great book if you are going to costa rica, it has great detail and maps, nothing to detailed but it tells you what maps to buy, would reccomend 5 stars (If you surf, don't even stop to think about it...just buy it) - It's nearly impossible to put a price on the value of the information in this book if you surf. So at $21, it's an absolute steal. The book is simply crammed with detailed, up to date information on where to surf, stay and eat in Costa Rica. And in a country that's tough to get around, Parise's information can save you tons of wasted travel time. I can't recommend this book enough if you're planning a trip to Costa Rica to surf. Trust me...you'll be thankful to have this incredibly informational resource in your possession. 4 stars (indispensable for the serious tico surf traveller!) - it is written in common parlance, and therefore it is easy to understand. I can tell when reading this that the author speaks from experience. he mentions many things to avoid, and important handy tips that will make your surfing stay much more enjoyable. he also realizes the importance of getting as much "surf time" as possible by delineating routes that will minimize the time driving, and maximize time in the tube. also it is written in a lighthearted fashion that reminds you that you are on a surf trip, and helps you forget the stresses of being in completely different country. on the downside, there are a few comments in this book that are not the most considerate. for example, this book somehow assumes that the reader is a man and tackles the subjects of jock itch, balls (testicles), and lugging your girlfriend/wife around. a female friend who surfs found this aspect a tad inconsiderate. however, these trespasses are a mere annoyance, which does not discredit this from being an overall very good book. ...
Surf Pr Pub :: Water Sports :: Travel :: Surfing :: Sports & Recreation :: Guidebooks :: Costa Rica :: Central America :: Travel & Central America :: Sports & Recreation & W :: The Surfer-s Guide to Costa Rica