KAYE TROUT'S BOOK REVIEWS 1

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books for my website and Midwest Book Review. Please query for a review by email to hgunther234@hotmail.com.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

ARCHITECTURE LAID BARE! by Robert Brown Butler

CreateSpace, North Charleston, SC
Genre: Nonfiction
Rating: Excellent
ISBN: 9781466345935, $24.99, 458pp.

Quoting from the back cover:


“If you are ever confused about what is happening in architecture today, or are ever vexed by an architectural problem in your home or place of work, or you would simply delight in knowing an everyday subject well, this is the reference to reach for. Written by an architect of fifty years’ experience who has authored six previously acclaimed books on architecture, this book gets under the skin of transient styles and trendy motifs and burrows to the very bones of what architecture is all about: those unchangeable anatomical elements that make a building function–to give you a fundamental, practical, everyday knowledge of these big boxes that enclose you nearly every waking and sleeping hour. Then you will be master of your architectural fate, not its slave....”


Architecture Laid Bare! is an excellent book: informative, well organized, clearly expressed and detailed, well-edited and creatively written in a conversational style. You don’t need to have a background in home construction to understand the subject, and Robert Butler shares his personal experiences in dealing with contractors and subcontractors. Interested in building green, want to understanding lighting in your home, want to conserve energy? These and all the multiple facets of a home are discussed. For a reference book, it’s a most enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.


Kaye Trout, August 11, 2012