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<book id="106723">
  <title><![CDATA[The Phenomenon of Life: Nature of Order,  Book 1: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order)]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0972652914]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780972652919]]></isbn13>
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  <best-book-id type="integer">106723</best-book-id>
  <books-count type="integer">1</books-count>
  <default-description>Christopher Alexander, the humble messiah of good architectural design, invites readers to get comfortable with their inner judgments in &lt;I&gt;The Nature of Order: The Phenomenon of Life&lt;/I&gt;. Best known as principal author of &lt;I&gt;A Pattern Language&lt;/I&gt;, Alexander has designed and built countless projects worldwide, all the while thinking deeply about the nature of his work. Frustrated with the 20th century's reluctance to acknowledge human commonality and reliance on Cartesian mechanism, he urges us to rethink our understanding of space itself. With an architect's precision and clarity, he explains his theory of life as the order inhabiting space--an order both variable in degree and apprehensible to human minds. Though the scientifically minded will resist his seeming subjectivity, it will be hard for any to argue that his many examples of good and bad design are equivalent. Alexander's combination of powerful analysis and compelling synthesis makes &lt;I&gt;The Nature of Order&lt;/I&gt; essential 21st-century reading. &lt;I&gt;--Rob Lightner&lt;/I&gt; </default-description>
  <id type="integer">102865</id>
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  <original-publication-day type="integer">1</original-publication-day>
  <original-publication-month type="integer">9</original-publication-month>
  <original-publication-year type="integer">2004</original-publication-year>
  <original-title>The Phenomenon of Life: Nature of Order,  Book 1: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe (The Nature of Order)</original-title>
  <rating-dist>total:49|5:31|4:11|3:6|2:1|1:0|</rating-dist>
  <ratings-count type="integer">49</ratings-count>
  <ratings-sum type="integer">219</ratings-sum>
  <reviews-count type="integer">110</reviews-count>
  <text-reviews-count type="integer">7</text-reviews-count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[4.47]]></average_rating>
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  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106723.The_Phenomenon_of_Life_Nature_of_Order_Book_1_An_Essay_on_the_Art_of_Building_and_the_Nature_of_the_Universe]]></url>
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      <name><![CDATA[Christopher Alexander]]></name>
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    <review id="42833075">
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 27 10:14:38 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 12 16:05:56 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jan 27 10:14:38 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I am learning so much...Some one else remarked that Christopher Alexander may well be the name that is remembered from our time in 500 years time. I have to agree.]]></body>
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  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 13 06:11:39 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 13 06:12:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[No words ...]]></body>
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  <date_added>Mon Oct 01 11:25:05 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 01 22:01:02 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The ideas in this four-volume treatise could create a real paradigm shift in Western Cartesian thought. They suggest a much more humble, and much more graceful vision of the human species. They suggest wholly new directions for scientific inquiry. They suggest a much more inclusive concept of &quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7092657">more...</a>]]></body>
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    <review id="14362942">
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    <name><![CDATA[Irene]]></name>
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  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Feb 02 09:33:39 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Feb 02 09:40:34 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Truth-be-told, I never actually finished this book.  The book was probably most interesting because, even though I disagreed with (or possibly didn't understand) half of his points, the half I did get were enlightening.  Also a good thing to note is that much of what he writes on is basic/common kno...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14362942">more...</a>]]></body>
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</review>
    <review id="37527313">
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      <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 12 10:46:34 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 12 10:49:39 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Christopher Alexander takes a good stab at why a lot of modern architecture sucks, but also what makes things good.  I thought I wasn't into architectural theory, but I really got into this one.  ]]></body>
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    <review id="4794512">
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  <date_added>Sun Aug 19 22:51:34 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 19 22:52:12 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[You can't see the buildings around you the same after this eye opening book.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4794512?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="30743217">
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    <body><![CDATA[There's no need to rush through these volumes.  ]]></body>
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  <date_added>Tue Aug 25 06:53:02 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 25 06:53:02 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68810271?utm_medium=api]]></url>
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