Carlo Scarpa: Classic format

Even if he wasn’t a superstar by the standards of today, Scarpa was most definitely a force in Italian post war architecture, as well as an innovator and lasting influence. Born in the city of light and water - Venice - these two elements subtly underpinned much of his design philosophy. His fascination with glassmaking and craftsmanship in general forged a rigorous approach to detail and construction methods which produced clever and interesting design solutions, particularly but not exclusively in historical buildings. It is no coincidence that upon arrival for the first time in Venice, being formally greeted by the city’s architectural committee, Frank Lloyd Wright should immediately ask: ‘Which one of of you is Scarpa?’ - a little ironic given that Scarpa had recently been refused admission to that prestigious body!This is a wonderfully illustrated and well researched book; all encompassing and, best of all, readable….. Mr McCarter has done his subject proud.

Fantastic and very quick delivery. This is a Christmas gift so cannot comment on content but it looks a beautiful book and good value.

Fantastic book about an amazing architect

Poco interesante

Un libro ben realizzato, curato sia nei contenuti che nel pregevole materiale fotografico che li accompagna: si presta senz'altro per essere un interessante regalo.

My first reaction to the format of this book, while not as severe as B.Olson's critique below, was to be taken aback by Olson's same observations. Yet on spending time with the book, I quickly not only got accustomed to its quirks, but came to appreciate them in the context of the subject. In other words, what at first seemed overly mannered (not just the odd but in practice relatively workable spine/hinge, nor the also odd but, in readings, content-enhancing bold print, but oddities such as indenting the first two lines of paragraphs) I came to see in compelling ways making deference to an architect whose work is so profound that, as author Robert McCarter makes poignantly clear, it defies academic, formal explication.Since discovering him forty years ago I have bought and have read every word I could find in English on Carlo Scarpa, and partly due to the aforementioned opacity of the work stated by McCarter was skeptical of yet another treatise on him, by an architect/historian who I had not heard of. But from the first few pages I was absorbed in McCarter's knowledge, research, and crystal insights into this mystical opacity. (Opacity in Scarpa's instance being far from pejorative, but a gift for anyone who will approach the architecture with a sense of history, mind and heart.)McCarter serves Scarpa well, and has given at least this longtime student of The Master a wonderful gift.(P.S. to B. Olson: though I am as stated above not unsympathetic to your criticisms of the physical book itself, I would urge you to reconsider giving McCarter's work a one star rating, which at first glance - one of the misfortunes of the Amazon rating system - gives the casual reader of the reviews a negative view of a work of scholarship that you seem to in fact admire.)

This book achieves where many architecture books fail: The text and photographs work together symbiotically. The author is particularly good at describing design in clear, precise sentences. The photographs illuminate his descriptions (or vice versa) and the book itself is finely printed and bound. The experience of the book becomes a sensuous echo of the buildings themselves.

Gran bel libro, sia da un punto di vista di grafica, carta e contenuti. Obbligatorio in ogni biblioteca che si possa definire tale.