On the last day of 2016, we lost one of the world’s foremost architectural historians when James Sloss Ackerman died at age 97. Ackerman was a consummate, and widely esteemed, academic, whose rigorous method set architecture in the broader contexts of cultural and intellectual history. He was a Fellow of
Max Page— In our “sour little age,” as playwright Tony Kushner once called the world we live in, lines from a law passed fifty years ago this weekend offer welcome uplift. “The spirit and direction of the Nation are founded upon and reflected in its historic heritage,” declared the National
Elain Harwood— It’s very easy to take England’s universities for granted, to think that just because Oxford and Cambridge are ancient the others must be too. In fact, most of the noble red-brick institutions in our provincial cities were developed after 1900, and their neo-Elizabethan towers owe more to those
In Why Architecture Matters, Paul Goldberger, who holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City, takes readers on a remarkable architectural journey to discover how architecture affects us emotionally as well as intellectually. Architecture is a part of daily life for
Among our exciting fall books is one about German-born American designer Kem Weber, whose fascinating life story rivals his outstanding design work in interest. The book’s author, Christopher Long, will be delighting California audiences next week with talks about Kem Weber – he has an event at the AD&A Museum
As the days grow warmer and the nights grow longer, some are on vacation and many more are wishing they were. The best trips provide opportunities to see new sights, learn about another culture, and return home enriched by the experience. All too often, though, travelers witness the attractions that
Broadening our scope from a usual combined celebration of poetry and architecture, timed to national commemorations in the month of April, we’re broadening our focus to include a broader range of the arts, including many new books on the philosophy and history of art, several accompanying traveling exhibitions with the
When read together, Venice from the Water and Venice & Vitruvius present a multi-sided picture of the complex history and fate of the famous floating city of Venice. In many ways, the books complement one another, engaging in the same subject through different perspectives and offering interrelated conclusions. This dynamic
Feel like a roadtripping across the U.S. this August? Visit these iconic spots–or just find a lawn chair in the sunshine and read about them!