Reviews (1)

Great book for anyone seriously interested in interior desig
I have used this book as a reference for many years.It is a great book.Anyone who is remodeling their kitchen or building a new home should read this book.Ms. Nissen has explored many areas of the field and written a terrific book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Decorating    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design    7. Interior Design - General    8. Interior decoration    9. Art / General    10. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (9)

Should you buy French By Design?
I just did. The homes & rooms featured in this book indicate that money is no object and these homeowners want you to know it. Subtlety is non-existant. Rooms are very "we had a decorator & we spent a LOT". Most items looks too new, too ruffled, smocked, tucked and otherwise adorned. HOWEVER, if you can get past the pictures & READ THE TEXT- Phillips has a lot to say that is excellent. She lists sources & frequently shares fascinating comments on everyday details of French style (who knew about brass hardware vs brushed nickel?). If you read; buy it. If you look only at photos, don't! Charles Faudree is much better in the genre in my opinion.

Beautifully presented.
Another of Philips' beautiful French decorating books.Homes presented in this book, as with her other books are high end showing us the sumptuous fabrics, and lovely French furniture she specializes in.Homes shown are mostly mansions, not the average house. Good coffee table book.

Brilliant, Great Sense of Design, a Visual Delight
Not unlike all of Phillips' books, this book is a masterpiece of European syle and design.No detail is left unnoticed.The furniture, fabrics, antiques, architecture, artwork, and carved stone are each carefully considered and beautifully photographed.Every page is a visual delight.I cannot recommend it highly enough! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Decorating    4. Decorating - General    5. Decoration and ornament, Rusti    6. Decoration and ornament, Rustic    7. Design & Construction    8. France    9. History    10. House & Home    11. Influence    12. Interior Design - Style Books    13. Interior decoration    14. United States    15. Architecture / Interior Design    16. Home furnishing & decoration    17. Interior design    18. c 1600 to c 1700   

Reviews (6)

very original designs
I found this book very helpful in my artwork. I also was very pleasantly surprised to find it enjoyable to read. There are stories of folklore explaining the beginings of the differents dragons and thier formations from one type to the other. The designs themselves are beautiful to look at. I am constantly researching diffrent designs/drawings of dragons and find few that I like. I was very pleased with this book and its one of my favorites among the rest of my collection.

Great Book of Dragon Patterns:the Ultimate Design sourcebook for Artists and craftspeople
I love not only do you get help with drawing and patterns, you get a history lesson on types if dragons.

Dragons galore
Dragons galore, the renditions of the dragons in this book are great as far as they go, there are a lot of dragon heads, there could have been more on the body, having said that I would like to congratulate the writer on the dragon law and types of different dragons, even though short and concise it was very interesting giving the reader a reasonable amount of information on different breeds and sub species of dragon.
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Subjects:  1. Arts And Crafts    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Dragons    5. Dragons in art    6. General    7. Hobbies/Crafts    8. Reference    9. Subjects & Themes - General    10. Techniques - Drawing    11. Crafts & Hobbies / Woodwork    12. Decorative arts & crafts   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Commercial - General    3. Commercial Building Construction    4. Commercial buildings    5. Decorating    6. Decoration    7. Design & Drafting    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. Interior Design - General    10. Interior Design - Professional Reference    11. Residential Interior Design    12. United States    13. Architecture / Interior Design    14. Interior design    15. Public buildings: civic, commercial, industrial, etc   

Editorial Review

This may be the best comprehensive guide for home buyers. Read more

Reviews (68)

Invaluable for the novice
When searching for a good teaching tool/reference for first time home buying, the list of publications can be endless and confusing. This one book will lead you step by step through each of the processes involved.Having NO PRIOR HOME BUYING KNOWLEDGE, I eagerly opened this book with highlighter in hand, reading cover to cover on all topics from finding an honest agent to buying fixer-uppers, researching mortgages, neighborhoods, etc., even whether you should consider renting vs. buyng, and all the little details in between. You will learn things you never knew before, and I found myself constantly referring to many chapters throughout our experience in searching for a home. I recommend this book to anyone seeking stratightforward and easy to understand info, no fancy jargon to cut through, just plain language writing on a very in depth subject. The book's lay out is reader-friendly as well, making it very simple to locate exactly the subject you need. Don't pass this one up!

Good For First Time Home Buyer with No Resources
I am trying to buy my first condo and I bought this to try and help me since I didn't really have anyone to ask questions.The book is very generic since home buying varies quite a bit from state to state and sometimes within states.
Buy this book!
I bought this book and "A Complete Idiot's Guide..." If you want in depth details on buying a home, then this is the book for you. The other one was too fluffy and general and didn't really explain anything. I knew NOTHING about buying a home and this book takes you step by step and teaches what you need to know. Should buy or rent? Are your finances in order? What can you afford? They answer all your questions before you even leave chapter 1!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. House buying    5. Mortgage loans    6. Personal Finance - General    7. Purchasing    8. Real Estate - Buying/Selling Homes    9. Real Estate - General    10. Real Estate Investment    11. Residential real estate    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    14. Housing & property for the individual    15. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Editorial Review

In recent years, a revived and burgeoning interest in wholesome, locally baked bread has swept the country, with bakeries springing up in small towns and major urban areas alike, producing an astounding variety of interesting, crusty, tasty, handmade breads. Read more

Reviews (20)

Professional guidance
Great help and inspiration for anyone interested in baking good bread - especially in a traditional bake oven. (Includes chapters on how to build your own oven, which was not my main interest.) Easy language. Full of facts!

Excellent source for the dedicated baker, plus great oven-building instructions.
I bought this book looking for oven-building instructions.As an architect, I can attest that the plans and step-by-step buidling instructions are excellent.I have mixed feelings in reporting that an outstanding bakery opened right down the street about the time the book arrived, and so I haven't been able to justify building my own bread oven yet, but I look forward to that first hearth loaf.Meanwhile, I've been able to compare the excellent bread from the new bakery with my own, baked in a standard oven according to Wing and Scott's recommendations.It is evident that I'm no professional baker, but my loaves do have a complexity of flavor and longevity that are promising.
view from a retired baker
As a bkaer who was trined as an apprentice back in the 1960s before real bread was dismissed as being too time consuming, I remember much of what is discussed in this book. These methods are from ages past and still hold true today. To me it is amazing that young folk are re-discovering methods we took for granted in the production of bread of quality and substance.
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Subjects:  1. Bread    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - Bread    5. Do-It-Yourself - General    6. Methods - Baking    7. Stoves    8. Cakes, baking, icing & sugarcraft    9. DIY   

Reviews (1)

Inspiring photos
We are considering a move to pacific Costa Rica (As the native ex-patriots call it "Hawaii for half the price") and this book is loaded with design ideas. In every way this book is a gem and I look and buy architectural design books quite frequently... this one blew me away. I often look at books on contemporary Mexican design as well as books with an Asian theme; Thai, Bali and Ibiza, Greece, in general homes with a coastal or tropical feel and with lots of mystery and sun. This book fulfils my requirements and without any waste. Some books will have a few great photos and alot of duds thrown in. Either photos that don't radiate much excitement or drama or are of mundane ho hum same same you have seen elsewhere and probably better. Or shots of mediocre furnishings ... This book firstly doesn't have one wasteful photo and it displays some of the great contemporary (Mexican) architects who you may want to design your next home... furthermore, it was wonderfuly edited so that you feel a great flow thoughout. You will also be impressed with some of the textiles and ideas for built in furniture. These homes have drama, mystery, and reflect a wonderful coexistence with the majesty of this beautiful coastal rocky terrain. They are homes which truly integrate into the surrounding nature with greatrespect for their environment rather then being ostentiousmonstrocities. These homes have a Wow factor as they are commanding but have subtle grace at the same time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Interior Design - General   

Reviews (11)

Detailed Information
Very clear and detailed information.All steps are covered.This will be in my shop, close at hand!

Required for all wood workers out there...
Great book.Presents all the tricks of the trade for finishing wood projects.This book helps me to manage all my finishing tasks much easier.No longer do I "hope" for a match when it comes to staining.Through the techniques presented I have been able to take most of the guess work out of the process.I highly recommend this book for those serious about their project finishes.

Jewitt does it again!
There have already been excellent & thorough reviews of Jewitt's newest book on finishing - but I must 'object' to the quite negative 1* rater who was disappointed that the book did not contain enough information on re-finishing - Jewitt's book is entiled '....Finishing' implying on how to prepare & use finishing products on new wood.There are plenty of other books on re-finishing, and if one is looking for a specific need then a review of the contents of the book or a perusal of the book in a store and/or library would seem a first suggestion.Bottom line - if you need a book on how to finish your 'new' projects, then this is an excellent choice; having said this, I am currently reading the new edition of Bob Flexner's book on finishing - another outstanding contribution to this often confusing area (and let me warn those who are interested in 're-finishing' - only one chapter, so don't apply). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Furniture finishing    4. House & Home    5. Woodfinishing    6. Woodwork - Furniture/Cabinetry    7. Woodworking    8. Crafts & Hobbies / Woodwork   

Reviews (15)

best bungalow book
Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market. Whether you are thinking of remodelling your bathroom, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your bathroom, this is the book to buy.
Four stars
The book has lots of photos for ideas and is interesting for renovators of bungalows.

ok, not enough variety of styles of bathrooms shown
I needed a good book to review lots of craftsman/bungalow bathrooms as we now own a 1911 bungalow and are restoring the bathroom. My husband is a tilesetter and I worked in architecture for years.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Bathrooms    3. Decorating - General    4. History - Specific Styles    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior decoration    8. Remodeling    9. Remodeling & Renovation - Bathrooms    10. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    11. Interior design   

Reviews (2)

Very Similar to Houses
I thoroughly loved his first residential book "Houses." With the amount of work he has done I expected this book to focus on new work but many of the same projects and pictures from the first book were used in this one.

Stern Yet Elegant
This book on Robert Stern, the latest in a series, is very well executed.Mr. Stern really has a knack for anachronistic grand homes, they are a throw back to another time, but with all the modern luxuries money can buy.Stern has a real feel for the kind of gardens that complement each type of home, and the interaction between the two is often quite breathtaking.The images in this book are first rate and the homes are amazing.If you appreciate excellent photography, elegant architecture, and spectacular homes and gardens then you will love this book ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Design & Construction    3. Individual Architect    4. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century    5. Residential Buildings Architecture    6. Architecture / Individual Architect    7. Individual architects   

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - Furniture    5. Donghia Furniture/Textiles Ltd    6. Donghia, Sherri    7. House & Home    8. Interior decoration    9. Residential Interior Design    10. United States    11. Home furnishing & decoration    12. House & Home / Decorating    13. Interior design   

Reviews (8)

Good book but the author is a bit wrapped on herself

Beautiful to look at !!
WOW!What can I say?This is a beautfully decorated home that is beautifully photographed and compiled into a beautiful book.Just received my copy and quickly went through it once because I just couldn't wait to see each page.Now I plan to sit back and leisurely study each page.Can't wait to let my eldest daughter look at it.She will love it as much as I do.I know she will have to have her own copy 'cause she can't have mine !!Don't wait another day - get your own copy now.

What makes a winter house a home?
Interior designer Charlotte Moss focuses on how to change a home to a warm retreat using her own winter house as an example: WINTER HOUSE is thus both a review of her designs and a survey of what makes a winter house more accommodating. There are spaces for all purposes, from family gatherings to private rooms for reflection: a room-by-room survey is accompanied by organization and design tips, reflections on innovations and 'little luxuries' adaptable to any environment, and plenty of entertainment ideas. Color photos pack nearly every page and accompany the author's examples of what makes a 'winter home' style. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Interior Design    8. Interior decoration    9. Psychological aspects    10. Winter    11. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (21)

A Very Disappointing Book
This book is a huge disappointment.The cover is modern and promises a high-quality treatment of an interesting subject but the inside is ridiculously simplistic and leaves an awful lot to the reader to figure out on his own.The extremely abbreviated text is arcane and the "pictures" are no more than primitive line drawings.In many cases, this is woefully inadequate to understand what's going on.This 1868 book belongs in the "Antiques" section.It was a huge disappointment and simply annoying.

Mind Blowing!
I work as a Mechanical Designer/Draftsman and a Home machinist. Both of which I have a degree in, This book is worth every penny. It is interesting, detailed, handy! Although small it is packed with interesting sketches. I must warn anyone interested that this book is intended for the heavily mechanically inclined.

Great Reference Book
This book is fascinating! Originally written in 1868 it briefly presents 507 different mechanisms with a graphic for each. When I first received the book my first impression was that it was too small to be much good. Indeed, I think it would benefit from a total reformat devoting more space and detail to each mechanism. However, as I looked further I saw that there is JUST adequate size to see everything. (The formatting has obviously changed since the original which leaves wide spaces above and below each page. It occurs to me that they should be good places for making notes.) The illustrations are numbered and correspond to the text on the facing page. The drawings are simple and beautifully done in the style of the time (nineteenth century). The text is very short and to the point but again just adequate to the job of describing the mechanism.
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Subjects:  1. Engineering - Mechanical    2. Machinery    3. Mechanical movements    4. Reference    5. Technology    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. Antique clocks & watches    8. Clocks & chronometers    9. DIY   

Reviews (1)

A must read for construction people.
This is an excellent book that covers all aspects of building construction.The layout and content of the book are designed for easy reference and reading.A must for those who plan to take the Virginia Contractor's license exams. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Carpentry    2. Construction - Carpentry    3. House construction    4. Manufacturing    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Schools    8. Technology / Manufacturing   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - General    5. Domestic    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Interior decoration    8. Art / Design / General    9. Decorative arts & crafts    10. Fashion design   

Reviews (2)

Very Poorly Written
This book is very poorly written. It also does not adequately discuss estimating materials.

Broad Outlook on Interior Products
This book is a good reference for anyone who is currently designing or building a luxury home, but for a general education on construction interiors, this is not the book.There are many references to the latestproducts, which include both color and feature description that will bequickly outdated.Most of the discussion centers around materials thatwould be used in an affluent home rather than your typical familyresidence, and product descriptions focus on the unique product, not thetypical.Dimensions for comfortable clearance and layout hints are usefulfor residential layout, but the commercial references are very limited. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Building materials    2. Construction - General    3. Decorating - General    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Equipment and supplies    6. General    7. House & Home    8. Household appliances    9. Interior decoration    10. Plumbing    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Art / Design / General    13. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (4)

The new, new testament
This book is a must have for anyone in the crane industry, I train crane operators and the information is an invaluable resource which covers all aspects of cranage. It is well set out and concise, it covers everthing from basic safety principles through to complex engineering solutions. Save yourself some money in the long run by owning this book & teaching your operators and planners from the lessons learned by these guys. Your equipment will be preserved & costly mishaps will be avoided.

Excellent-
Good overall technical writting, Excellent, authoritative text on the subject
Well written, using language easily understood by the average technical reader with an interest in the field ( unlike many engineering tomes in my experience ).Also unlike many texts, proofreading and editing are skilled and thorough.Shapiro ackowledges in the preface to the first edition the roles of his co-author sons as "militant proponents of the clearly expressed thought".The success of that effort is obvious.Read more

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Cranes, derricks, etc    3. Engineering - Civil    4. Machinery    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Tractors And Heavy Equipment    9. Building construction & materials    10. Mechanical engineering    11. Technology / Construction & Construction Trades   

Reviews (9)

Great book
Very informational and has a lot of pictures.I wish I would have bought this one before purchasing two seperate titles, because this one includes them.

Pottery Barn Home
I ordered a book Pottery Barn Home.It arrived here much earlier than indicated in the e-mail.However, I noticed that the book had a price sticker from Costco on it (and the price on the sticker was actually lower than the Amazon's price!), so it was obvious that it was a return from Costco.Amazon.com should at least remove the price sticker from another store before reselling them to customers.The book was in o.k. condition, with the dent on one of the corners from transportation.

Very creative...
I disagree with the previous reviewer who felt this book best suited to PB furniture owners.I own not one stick of their line - but I found the book to be full of creative, interesting and usable ideas for the new home I am in the process of building.I have not purchased any other PB books so the duplication issue doesn't apply for me.My taste is a little more traditional, a little less casual...but the clean lines, simple but dramatic accessories, the overall aesthetic ...these all work for me.The lessons here can be adapted easily to a range of styles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design   

Subjects:  1. Construction - General    2. Corporate Finance    3. Engineering    4. Engineering - General    5. Engineering Economics    6. Estimates    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Budgeting & financial management    11. Quantity surveying    12. Technology / Construction & Construction Trades   

Reviews (20)

Many Products Discontinued
I love this book and have walked into many stores carrying it.The only downfall is that many of the products have been discontinued.For example, Almay no longer makes the solid anti-perspirant unscented deodorant (you can get it in gel form, but I was looking for a solid), also several of the hair and makeup products have been discontinued by the companies that produce them.Since the book was originally published in 1995, it needs to be updated since products are constantly changing on the market.But the book has still been a useful tool for me.

Safety Guidelines for Consumers
There is no question that every consumer should have this book for their own safety and health. Astounding facts on chemicals used in products that cause cancer, allergies, asthma and dermatitis to name a few. Buyers beware, many health problems are related to the products we use. Incredible diary of each and every chemical. Products are rated on a scale, for safety and use, following consumer protection guidelines.

safe Shopper's Bible: A Consumer's guide to nontoxic household products
Very interesting information and useful. I feel it could have included more natural products and not just a couple that the author chose to push. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Consumer Behavior - Consumer Guides    3. Consumer Buying Guides    4. Consumer goods    5. General    6. Grocery shopping    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health/Fitness    9. Household supplies    10. Shopping    11. Toxicology    12. Consumer guides & advice    13. Health & Fitness / General    14. Public health & preventive medicine