What do you think?
Rate this book
In Search of a Living Architecture
The death of Albert Frey late in 1998 took from us a master of Modernist architecture; the value of his work is finally coming to be recognized. The serene European formalism of his projects melded with the California landscape he came to love to create a new architecture that was wholly Frey's. This is an exact reprint of Frey's scarce 1939 statement of his ideals in architecture and design. Well-illustrated with black and white photographs of Frey's early projects and other structures and landscapes, this book advances our understanding of his esthetic criteria. The book is crisply designed, a beautiful object in itself, as well as being a fascinating study of the thinking of this important architect.
96 pages, Spiral-bound
First published January 1, 1939
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 3, 2014
Originally posted May 17, 2013
It helps to become acquainted with Frey's work before reading this book. Although this is illustrated, many of the illustrations are not of Frey's work, or are very selective views of it, and are all printed in b/w.
Added August 2, 2014
Following up on my suggestion that a potential reader of this book might want to become familiar with Frey’s work, Taschen’s book about him makes a good companion because it has color photos (an important component) of Frey’s work and is currently a fair bit less expensive than the book by Joseph Rosa, which is generally more comprehensive, but only has duotone images.
I've had the opportunity to handle both editions of this book and must say that there is a striking difference in quality between the two. The reprint is a shadow of the first edition: the covers are heavier with embossed text and in no way resemble the yellow color of the reprint, the paper is much heavier (the original book is roughly two times the thickness of the reprint), and the quality of the printing is better. This last trait is most obvious in the photographs, which show more detail and better contrast. The only advantage the reprint offers is that the pages are easier to turn because the book is thinner. The original is a handsome object, the reprint looks and feels like an economy edition.
It helps to become acquainted with Frey's work before reading this book. Although this is illustrated, many of the illustrations are not of Frey's work, or are very selective views of it, and are all printed in b/w.
Added August 2, 2014
Following up on my suggestion that a potential reader of this book might want to become familiar with Frey’s work, Taschen’s book about him makes a good companion because it has color photos (an important component) of Frey’s work and is currently a fair bit less expensive than the book by Joseph Rosa, which is generally more comprehensive, but only has duotone images.
I've had the opportunity to handle both editions of this book and must say that there is a striking difference in quality between the two. The reprint is a shadow of the first edition: the covers are heavier with embossed text and in no way resemble the yellow color of the reprint, the paper is much heavier (the original book is roughly two times the thickness of the reprint), and the quality of the printing is better. This last trait is most obvious in the photographs, which show more detail and better contrast. The only advantage the reprint offers is that the pages are easier to turn because the book is thinner. The original is a handsome object, the reprint looks and feels like an economy edition.
Displaying 1 of 1 review