arts & humanities houses of 111 repute nobo… · quality of architectural criti-cism. verdict...

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ARTS & HUMANITIES Houses of 111 Repute Brittain-Catlin, Timothy. Bleak Houses: Disappointment and Failure in Architecture. MIT. 2014.192p. illus. notes, hibliog. index. ISBN 9780262026697. $24.95; ehk. ISBN 9780262321259. ARCH Brittain-Catlin (senior lecturer, Kent Sch. of Ar- chitecture) looks at lost, neglected, and modified de- signs of England's forgotten architects, referring to them as "losers" throughout. He postulates that most writing on architectural history is ineffective since it returns repeatedly to the best exam- ples of successful architec- ture but fails to give critical attention to lesser-known buildings. Looking mainly at structures of the last century to the present the author de- scribes how the lack of con- versation about architecture has resulted in pervasive bad design. "Loser" archi- tects cannot relate to the loñy ideals of conventional criticism so they go in their own directions, producing ugly constructs with undis- ciplined designs. Readers of this book may want to consider Douglas Murphy's Architecture of Failure, which references Victorian glass and iron design as an archetype for the recur- ring faults of architects to produce lasting innovation. This title is difficult to fol- low because of the author's wordiness and use of run-on sentences; nevertheless, Brittain-Catlin makes a good case for reevaluating the quality of architectural criti- cism. VERDICT Architecture faculty and practicing archi- tects will find this book to be a valuable source of pro- fessional discussion.—Eric G. Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH Huhka, Thomas C. Houses Without Names: Architectural Nomenclature and the Classification of America's Common Houses. Univ. of Tennessee. (Vernacular Architecture Studies). 2013. 112p. illus. notes, index. ISBN 9781572339477. pap. $29.95. ARCH This is one title in a se- ries of books produced by the Vernacular Architecture Forum. It is a reasoned explanation for develop- ing definitions for common domestic homes in the United States, with a call for the public, students, and architectural historians to use the theories set forth to conduct a census of regional homes. In order to develop a common descriptive lan- guage for homes, Hubka [Resplendent Synagogue: Architecture and Worship in an Eighteenth-Century Poiish Community) argues that a residence should be identi- fied by its outside features as well as its interior layout. The work includes small black-and-white photographs of exteriors and diagrams of floor plans. A set of representative blueprints is supplied with the author's universal term describing groups of floor plans. For example, homes built be- tween 1800 and 2000 can be primarily classified into these groupings: suburban; minimal-traditional; manu- factured home; split-level; and ranch. VERDICT This book is for readers interested in domestic architecture in the United States and for those who want to create a classification scheme and conduct a census of com- mon homes.—Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe, NM ginnings of the closing of the canon for both Jews and Christians (third century CE). He provides a treasury of historical highlights, biblical backstories, and details of textual production as well as a sweeping overview of the struggles within Judaism and Christianity to establish the bases of their own spiritual authority. This far- too-seldom-studied area of biblical history deserves this attention and Satlow's effort does not disappoint. For those wanting more the extensive bibliography points the way. VERDICT Satlow serves as the best sort of tour guide to the history of this book called the Bible.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh Watson, Peter. The Age of Atheists: How We Have Sought To Live Since the Death of God. S. & S. 2014.512p. notes, index. ISBN 9781476754314. $35; ehk. ISBN 9781476754338. REL The breathtakingly vast scope of intellec- tual historian Watson's ridiculously ambi- tious narrative is reminiscent of his pre- vious works Ideas and The Modern Mind. Despite the misleading American title (the British edition was more appropriately ti- tled The Age of Nothing), this is not so much an attack on religion or a defense of athe- ism as it is a chronicle of the myriad ways in which people have attempted to answer the question of how to find meaning since Friedrich Nietzsche famously declared that "God is dead" in 1882. Although chal- lenging, this very readable survey covers artists, novelists, dramatists, poets, sci- entists, psychologists, philosophers, and more.. Watson takes readers on a whirl- wind tour that includes major figures from the past 130 years—Virginia Woolf, Pablo Picasso, Sigmund Freud, and Wallace Stevens, up through Richard Dawkins and Ronald Dworkin, among many oth- ers. VERDICT Although there were times when, ironically, this reviewer wished for Watson to neatly tie some of the innu- merable threads of thought together, his intended purpose is more to point, map, and chronicle them. In this, the author has provided an accessible entryway into an immense body of knowledge that curi- ous readers will be inspired to pursue fur- ther.—Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY SPORTS & RECREATION Feinstein, John. Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Basehall. Doubleday. 2014.384p. index. ISBN 9780385535939. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780385535946. SPORTS With firsthand interviews and an omni- scient presence, Feinstein {Washington Post columnist; Season on the Brink) chronicles a diverse range of personalities experienc- ing the grind of a minor league season and sharing an ambition to reach the majors. The author believes poignant sporting narratives are not made by recounting the lives of immortal players or legendary events, but rather by portraying "the guys who love their games, even though they often fail while playing them." And it is these unheralded individuals Feinstein de- picts. For highly touted prospects, the mi- nors are a temporary initiation to the rig- ors of professional baseball before reaching the majors. Yet, for most, these leagues are an inescapable reality of brief call-ups and a constant revolving door between orga- nizations. VERDICT Feinstein accomplishes more than revealing an aspect of baseball that many fans overlook or relegate to a subsidiary of the major leagues. He pres- ents relatable characters whose dedication and sacrifice create empathy. While pri- marily recommended to baseball fans for its survey of a misunderstood aspect of the sport, all readers may gain inspiration from the perseverance of underdogs pursuing a lifelong passion.—Stephen Arougheti, Arizona State Univ., Phoenix 92 I LIBRARY JOURNAL APRIL 15,2014 [ WWW.LIBRARYJOURNALCOM REVIEWS, NEWS, AND MORE

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Page 1: ARTS & HUMANITIES Houses of 111 Repute Nobo… · quality of architectural criti-cism. VERDICT Architecture faculty and practicing archi-tects will find this book to be a valuable

ARTS & HUMANITIES

Houses of 111 ReputeBrittain-Catlin, Timothy.Bleak Houses:Disappointment andFailure in Architecture.MIT. 2014.192p. illus.notes, hibliog. index. ISBN9780262026697. $24.95;ehk. ISBN 9780262321259.

ARCH

Brittain-Catlin (seniorlecturer, Kent Sch. of Ar-chitecture) looks at lost,neglected, and modified de-signs of England's forgottenarchitects, referring to themas "losers" throughout. Hepostulates that most writingon architectural history isineffective since it returnsrepeatedly to the best exam-ples of successful architec-ture but fails to give criticalattention to lesser-knownbuildings. Looking mainly atstructures of the last centuryto the present the author de-scribes how the lack of con-versation about architecturehas resulted in pervasivebad design. "Loser" archi-tects cannot relate to theloñy ideals of conventionalcriticism so they go in theirown directions, producingugly constructs with undis-ciplined designs. Readersof this book may want toconsider Douglas Murphy'sArchitecture of Failure,which references Victorianglass and iron design asan archetype for the recur-ring faults of architects to

produce lasting innovation.This title is difficult to fol-low because of the author'swordiness and use of run-onsentences; nevertheless,Brittain-Catlin makes a goodcase for reevaluating thequality of architectural criti-cism. VERDICT Architecturefaculty and practicing archi-tects will find this book tobe a valuable source of pro-fessional discussion.—Eric G.Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH

Huhka, Thomas C.Houses WithoutNames: ArchitecturalNomenclature and theClassification of America'sCommon Houses. Univ.of Tennessee. (VernacularArchitecture Studies). 2013.112p. illus. notes, index.ISBN 9781572339477. pap.$29.95. ARCH

This is one title in a se-ries of books produced by

the Vernacular ArchitectureForum. It is a reasonedexplanation for develop-ing definitions for commondomestic homes in theUnited States, with a callfor the public, students, andarchitectural historians touse the theories set forth toconduct a census of regionalhomes. In order to developa common descriptive lan-guage for homes, Hubka[Resplendent Synagogue:Architecture and Worship inan Eighteenth-Century PoiishCommunity) argues that aresidence should be identi-fied by its outside featuresas well as its interior layout.The work includes smallblack-and-white photographsof exteriors and diagramsof floor plans. A set ofrepresentative blueprints issupplied with the author'suniversal term describinggroups of floor plans. Forexample, homes built be-tween 1800 and 2000 canbe primarily classified intothese groupings: suburban;minimal-traditional; manu-factured home; split-level;and ranch. VERDICT Thisbook is for readers interestedin domestic architecture inthe United States and forthose who want to create aclassification scheme andconduct a census of com-mon homes.—Valerie Nye,Coll. of Santa Fe, NM

ginnings of the closing of the canon forboth Jews and Christians (third centuryCE). He provides a treasury of historicalhighlights, biblical backstories, and detailsof textual production as well as a sweepingoverview of the struggles within Judaismand Christianity to establish the bases oftheir own spiritual authority. This far-too-seldom-studied area of biblical historydeserves this attention and Satlow's effortdoes not disappoint. For those wantingmore the extensive bibliography points theway. VERDICT Satlow serves as the best sortof tour guide to the history of this book

called the Bible.—Sandra Collins, ByzantineCatholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Watson, Peter. The Age of Atheists: HowWe Have Sought To Live Since the Deathof God. S. & S. 2014.512p. notes, index.ISBN 9781476754314. $35; ehk. ISBN9781476754338. RELThe breathtakingly vast scope of intellec-tual historian Watson's ridiculously ambi-tious narrative is reminiscent of his pre-vious works Ideas and The Modern Mind.Despite the misleading American title (theBritish edition was more appropriately ti-

tled The Age of Nothing), this is not so muchan attack on religion or a defense of athe-ism as it is a chronicle of the myriad waysin which people have attempted to answerthe question of how to find meaning sinceFriedrich Nietzsche famously declared that"God is dead" in 1882. Although chal-lenging, this very readable survey coversartists, novelists, dramatists, poets, sci-entists, psychologists, philosophers, andmore.. Watson takes readers on a whirl-wind tour that includes major figures fromthe past 130 years—Virginia Woolf, PabloPicasso, Sigmund Freud, and WallaceStevens, up through Richard Dawkinsand Ronald Dworkin, among many oth-ers. VERDICT Although there were timeswhen, ironically, this reviewer wished forWatson to neatly tie some of the innu-merable threads of thought together, hisintended purpose is more to point, map,and chronicle them. In this, the authorhas provided an accessible entryway intoan immense body of knowledge that curi-ous readers will be inspired to pursue fur-ther.—Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

SPORTS & RECREATIONFeinstein, John. Where Nobody KnowsYour Name: Life in the Minor Leagues ofBasehall. Doubleday. 2014.384p. index.ISBN 9780385535939. $26.95; ebk. ISBN9780385535946. SPORTSWith firsthand interviews and an omni-scient presence, Feinstein {Washington Postcolumnist; Season on the Brink) chroniclesa diverse range of personalities experienc-ing the grind of a minor league season andsharing an ambition to reach the majors.The author believes poignant sportingnarratives are not made by recountingthe lives of immortal players or legendaryevents, but rather by portraying "the guyswho love their games, even though theyoften fail while playing them." And it isthese unheralded individuals Feinstein de-picts. For highly touted prospects, the mi-nors are a temporary initiation to the rig-ors of professional baseball before reachingthe majors. Yet, for most, these leagues arean inescapable reality of brief call-ups anda constant revolving door between orga-nizations. VERDICT Feinstein accomplishesmore than revealing an aspect of baseballthat many fans overlook or relegate to asubsidiary of the major leagues. He pres-ents relatable characters whose dedicationand sacrifice create empathy. While pri-marily recommended to baseball fans forits survey of a misunderstood aspect of thesport, all readers may gain inspiration fromthe perseverance of underdogs pursuing alifelong passion.—Stephen Arougheti, ArizonaState Univ., Phoenix

92 I LIBRARY JOURNAL APRIL 15,2014 [ WWW.LIBRARYJOURNALCOM REVIEWS, NEWS, AND MORE

Page 2: ARTS & HUMANITIES Houses of 111 Repute Nobo… · quality of architectural criti-cism. VERDICT Architecture faculty and practicing archi-tects will find this book to be a valuable

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