Book Review: Lee Lawrie's Praire Deco [4th ed.] by Gregory Paul Harm

Lee Lawrie’s Prairie Deco [4th ed.]
by Gregory Paul Harm [725.11 Har]

This is an absolutely marvelous updated edition of Harm’s look at the art and architectural details located throughout the Nebraska State Capitol Building in downtown Lincoln. This volume includes a plethora of both B&W and color photos, examining the history of the work of Lee Oskar Lawrie (1877-1963), whom the author describes as “America’s Machine-Age Michelangelo”. Lawrie applied his passion for Art Deco design, combined with Native American and pioneer settler cultural influences, to create the majority of the architectural details that fill the state’s Capitol building. Lawrie’s work also appears in many other places, from the Rockefeller Center in New York City, to the main downtown Los Angeles Public Library, but his best-known work, especially for those of us who’ve grown up in Nebraska, is associated with the building which at times has been identified as one of the “architectural wonders of the world”. The building itself was designed by Bertram Goodhue, but Lee Lawrie’s decorative flourishes are what give it the memorable personality it has expressed for the many decades it has been with us.

The layout of Lee Lawrie’s Prairie Deco, with its many, many color photographs, offset with colorful blocks of highlighted text, is very easy on the eyes. The main B&W blocks of text flow easily, and provide for an simple, uncomplicated read.

If you have every toured the Nebraska State Capitol Building and marveled at the sculpture work, or inscriptions, I strongly encourage you to read this book. The quirky stories shared about the background of each and every piece of architectural artwork will surprise you!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Architectural Wonder of the World: Nebraska’s State Capitol Building (1965), by Elinor Brown, Building a Landmark: The Capitol of Nebraska (1981), by Charles F. Fowler, The Nebraska State Capitol: Restoring a Landmark (2013), by Robert C. Ripley, A Harmony of the Arts: The Nebraska State Capitol (1990), by Robert C. Luebke or The Architectural Sculpture of the State Capitol at Lincoln, NE (1926), by Charles Harris Whitaker.] [ official Nebraska State Capitol Building web site ] 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Christmas at Historic Houses by Patricia Hart McMillan

Christmas at Historic Houses
by Patricia Hart McMillan and Katherine Kaye McMillan [745.594 McM]

This is a gorgeous table book for browsing through to enjoy, and perhaps copy, the Christmas decorating schemes of over 60 American and English historic estates and simple homes – from the palatial Biltmore to the simplistic Nelson-Galt Office in Colonial Williamsburg. Homes include Mount Vernon (Virginia), Molly Brown House (Colorado), Waddesdon Manor (England), Maymont Mansion (Virginia), Hearthside Homestead (Rhode Island), and Monticello (Virginia). We learn the importance of preservation and restoration, and about the Christmas celebration customs of other countries and previous time periods. Entire (short) chapters on decorating with Christmas stockings, trees, and wreaths. Then you'll encounter the beautiful color photos of the estates, mansions, and homes, and their decorated gardens and interiors. No need to read or thumb through this book in order. Just jump around and enjoy the various styles and colors. And for those wishing to order from the gift shops, a listing at the back of the book includes website, address, and phone numbers of the historic buildings. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Charlotte's Reviewer Profile and more of her reviews ]
 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Nebraska State Capitol: Restoring a Landmark

The Nebraska State Capitol: Restoring a Landmark
by Robert C. Ripley, Robert Fell, et. al. [725.11 Neb]

This is a nice volume for anyone who loves the Nebraska State Capitol building, or is interested in architecture and restoration. It explains concisely but in interesting detail why the "Tower on the Plains" needed some t.l.c. and how that was accomplished. Many photographs of the work in progress are included, as well as some architectural drawings. The captions and narrative are informative without being too technical and dry. I appreciate the coffee-table-sized format but the layout leaves many pages with much blank space. I really enjoyed learning about the collaborative and careful work that was done on our skyscraper statehouse. -- recommended by Becky W.C. - Walt Branch Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try A Harmony of the Arts: The Nebraska State Capitol; Lee Lawrie's Prairie Deco: History in Stone at the Nebraska State Capitol; Architectural Wonder of the World: Nebraska's State Capitol Building; City Shapers: Five Events that Defined Lincoln; Building a Landmark: The Capitol of Nebraska; Art Deco Architecture: Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties; Twentieth-Century American Architecture: The Buildings and their Makers.]

[ official Nebraska State Capitol restoration web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Engineering the Impossible

Engineering the Impossible
by the National Geographic Society [DVD 620 Nat]

Absolutely fascinating look at the incredible human and engineering feats that went into the construction of three of history's most iconic structures -- The Colosseum, Chartres Cathedral and the Great Pyramid of Giza. NatGeo does a great job of showing recreations of what the work would have looked like, and the exploration of how these miracles of architecture were accomplished without modern technology will blow your mind. What I found most interesting, however, was the look at engineering techniques that were first made use of for these types of massive projects, which are still in use today! [If you like this, you may also enjoy the book To Engineer is Human by Edward Petroski.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in audiotape, book-on-cd [abridged or unabridged], and Large Print formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Customer Review - Civilisation [on DVD]

Civilisation
by Kenneth Clark [DVD 909 Cla]

I really appreciate that the libraries still have this documentary production -- I remember seeing it in school classes when I was growing up, and then viewing it back when there was an AV department at the downtown library (I think it might have been on 3/4" videotapes!!). This is an incredible, and beautiful, examination of the history and development of Western European culture in the areas of the arts and architecture (and, to a certain degree, philosophy). The production is lavish, and provides an excellent introduction to cultural history for those not familiar with it (or those wanting a refresher course). One of the BBC's first color documentaries, this has help up well over time! [Note: In 2011 the BBC remastered this entire series and aired it for the first time in the UK in High Def. -- reviewed by Jeff M. - a regular customer at the Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Staff Recommendation - From the Ashes [DVD]

From the Ashes the Life and Times of Tick Hall

by Scott Morris [DVD 728.37 Mor]

This unique documentary traces the history, devastating fire, and the painstaking rebirth of a house nick named Tick Hall. Native Nebraskan Dick Cavett and his wife Carrie Nye have been the owners of this historic house, built in 1883, for 30 years. When the house burns to the ground, leaving only the chimney standing, Carrie Nye decides that they must rebuild it exactly as it was before. Tick Hall simply must exist. Viewers watch as Dick Cavett and Carrie Nye share their memories of Tick Hall and why they want it back in their lives. The historical architects arrive, and from the sagging porch to the squeaking stairs, they work to accurately build a new 120 year old house. Throughout the documentary viewers learn about the history of the house and the remote area in which it stood. One of the many interesting facts presented in this documentary was that Fredrick Law Olmstead, who created Central Park in New York City, designed the landscaping for the entire subdivision where this house stood. This is an out of the ordinary story that is worth watching. -- recommended by Patty L. -- Walt Branch Library

[ official From the Ashes web site ]

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Ten new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.