Wallace Neff and the Grand Houses of the Golden State | Diane Kanner

Wallace Neff and the Grand Houses of the Golden State | Diane Kanner | Leaves you wanting more!

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Wallace Neff and t...

	Wallace Neff and the Grand Houses of the Golden State Diane Kanner Monacelli, 2005 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wallace Neff may have been the preeminent architect of Spanish colonial-revival houses in Southern California, but surprisingly little has been written about him, despite the publicity he received for designing great estates for Hollywood legends such as Mary Pickford. "I just build California houses for California people," this exceedingly private architect told friends and clients. In fact, Neff was an ambitious and inventive designer who was not only adept at manipulating traditional styles to please famous, wealthy clients like Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, and Darryl Zanuck; he was also a pioneer in low-cost housing and pneumatic building. The Bubble House, as his best-known Airform structure was fondly nicknamed, had a social vision as compelling as that of any modernist housing project.

Wallace Neff and the Grand Houses of the Golden State tells the life story of this significant architect, who was raised as Southern California aristocracy -- an heir to one of the founders of Rand McNally & Company -- and grew up to influence the course of architectural history in California. Illustrated throughout with lush black-and-white archival photographs that document Neff's family life and professional accomplishments, journalist Diane Kanner's compelling narrative offers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of residential architecture in Southern California. The first comprehensive analysis of the life and work of this undiscovered master, it is sure to become a classic.

Pilar Viladas is the design editor of the New York Times Magazine.

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Great Book

I really liked this book. I thought it was excellent. I enjoyed reading about the man Wallace Neff and reading about his architectural career and seeing photos of his works. Yes, there could have been more photos-but what was there was nice. And I must commend the publisher as these days I find so many typographical errors when reading books--and I did not find ONE typo!!! A very well done book.

Leaves you wanting more!

I thought the information in this book was wonderful! The biographical details on Neff and those he designed for are captivating.
If the book has a weakness, it would be that the photos are very few considering his body of work. Only one distant aerial shot of the Enchanted Hill estate of Frances Marion and Fred Thomson when so many commissions were generated from those who visited the home???
I'm dreaming of a Wallace Neff book with hundreds of interior & exterior shots of his works, floorplans, and current status of the house.
Having said all that, I'm still reading this every evening before bed, so it is fair to say I love it!

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Where are the pictures?!

The book is well researched and his life presented well but the monograph is so skimpy on photos that you're left feeling like you just ate your appetizer and now you are being denied your filet mignon. His work is so stunningly detailed in person that only giving the reader a few black and white photos devoid of detail is jsut mean spirited. Very disappointing.

I wish I had read all these reviews

The book is well researched, but there are very few photos. For that reason I find it unsatisfying. In a book about an artist, a lack of visuals is a serious flaw.

reviews: page 1, 2

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