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THE SECRET LIVES OF BUILDINGS

Name: THE SECRET LIVES OF BUILDINGS
Author: Edward Hollis
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8785-7

FROM THE RUINS OF THE PARTHENON TO THE VEGAS STRIP IN THIRTEEN STORIES

by Edward Hollis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 2009

A strong, satisfying exploration of the history, beauty and wonder of Western architecture.

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An architect debuts with a look at 13 iconic structures, each of which has altered greatly as newer generations have honored different deities, despots and dreams.

Hollis (Interior Design/Edinburgh College of Art) begins with a rumination on Thomas Cole’s 1840 painting The Architect’s Dream and continually returns to it throughout this erudite series of connected essays. His other recurring reference is to the Parthenon, which has its own chapter but also serves as a polestar at which Hollis gazes before beginning each subsequent essay. Although the pieces appear somewhat similar—each begins with a brief meditation, and the lengths are approximately the same—they are mostly quite different in texture and tone. But the thesis remains constant: Buildings change, and they should change. Among the structures he discusses are the expected (the Parthenon, the Alhambra), the pleasant surprises (the Basilica of San Marco, Gloucester Cathedral, Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the Berlin Wall) and the unexpected (the Sans Souci in Potsdam, the Hulme Crescents, a massive public-housing project, now razed, in Manchester, England). Hollis moves gracefully through both buildings and historical periods with an impressive command of detail and a sometimes surprising sensitivity to the people involved. Occasionally he wanders into the minds of the principals—e.g., his re-creation of the American-Chinese negotiations over the possible construction in China of a casino with a Venetian theme. As Qian Qichen talks with Sheldon G. Adelson, Hollis imagines the Chinese leader thinking, “It feels good being able to manipulate the third-richest man in the United States with a twitch.” Among the most appealing essays are the ones dealing with Gloucester Cathedral—how a massive structure arose around the tomb of Edward II—and with alterations of Notre Dame that occurred because of demands by readers of Victor Hugo.

A strong, satisfying exploration of the history, beauty and wonder of Western architecture.

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8785-7

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Metropolitan/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.