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kr1szto's review against another edition
3.0
Not that it is bad. And for the part I read there are some interesting anecdotes and facts... Around page 100 I started skipping pages, maybe the intention of the author for the reader was to skip whole sections, since it is/not a dictionary...
The author openly admits why the book actually exists and how it came to be, he voluntarily fulfilled a contractual obligation he did not need to. Consequently it is a mess and a missed opportunity. I will keep it on my "random page" shelf though.
The author openly admits why the book actually exists and how it came to be, he voluntarily fulfilled a contractual obligation he did not need to. Consequently it is a mess and a missed opportunity. I will keep it on my "random page" shelf though.
irenealgi's review against another edition
4.0
This is a collection of essays, some stronger than others, where the author interweaves personal anecdotes, history, design, politics and social commentary. I found it interesting overall, even if a bit overwhelming (it contains tons of information on a multitude of things, people and historical events) - I do admit that I read through the last 20 chapters in a bit of a rush, as I'd been reading it along other books for far too long.
My main criticism (and it has to be a big one, given the overarching theme of the book) is that there are no pictures, no drawings, sketches or photographs. No visual support whatsoever. So oftentimes he makes reference to this and that, and you may look it up on your phone (if you have access to internet), but that takes down a rabbit hole over and over and distances you from the book. This makes reading the book either cumbersome and frustration (if one chooses to go down this route) or alienating (if one chooses not to search for every design he mentions).
My main criticism (and it has to be a big one, given the overarching theme of the book) is that there are no pictures, no drawings, sketches or photographs. No visual support whatsoever. So oftentimes he makes reference to this and that, and you may look it up on your phone (if you have access to internet), but that takes down a rabbit hole over and over and distances you from the book. This makes reading the book either cumbersome and frustration (if one chooses to go down this route) or alienating (if one chooses not to search for every design he mentions).
lnatal's review
4.0
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
By Deyan Sudjic. An essential tool kit for understanding the modern world.
By Deyan Sudjic. An essential tool kit for understanding the modern world.
roba's review
3.0
I forgot design ≠ graphic design and so was a bit disappointed this book is mostly about buildings and things. As such it was kind of diverting, though without illustrations or knowing what travertine is I'm not entirely confident I was imagining the buildings and things properly.
Frustratingly for a book where someone has gone to the trouble to make 30+ quite neat different section header pages and page furniture styles, it's appallingly proof-read – a few times, they clearly just missed out a bunch of words, and one paragraph ends on a comma. AND I BOTHERED TO FIND THE EN-DASH FOR THIS REVIEW.
Frustratingly for a book where someone has gone to the trouble to make 30+ quite neat different section header pages and page furniture styles, it's appallingly proof-read – a few times, they clearly just missed out a bunch of words, and one paragraph ends on a comma. AND I BOTHERED TO FIND THE EN-DASH FOR THIS REVIEW.