Favorite Books of 2018
The end of the calendar year means best-of lists, and for this blog that means architecture books. Unlike traditional publications that limit their lists to books, buildings, or some other output released or completed between January 1 and December 31, I lean toward the way film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum would include only movies he saw and reviewed during the year (so if a film opened in NYC around Xmas to be eligible for an Oscar but didn't play in Chicago that year he didn't consider it) and therefore have limited my list to books I reviewed on this blog at some point in 2018. In turn, half of these dozen books were published this year but the other half came out last year. Accordingly, the alphabetical list is split into two based on the years the books were released, with links to my reviews or "briefs."
2018
Dimensions of Citizenship edited by Nick Axel, Nikolaus Hirsch, Ann Lui, Mimi Zeiger
The Divided City: Poverty and Prosperity in America by Alan Mallach
Letters to the Leaders of China: Kongjian Yu and the Future of the Chinese City edited by Terreform
The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century by Mark Lamster
Manufacturing Architecture: An Architect's Guide to Custom Processes, Materials, and Applications by Dana K. Gulling
Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy by Brian D. Conway with photographs by James Haefner
2017
The Arsenal of Exclusion & Inclusion by Interboro Partners (Tobias Armborst, Daniel D’Oca, Georgeen Theodore)
Cook's Camden: The Making of Modern Housing by Mark Swenarton
2018
Dimensions of Citizenship edited by Nick Axel, Nikolaus Hirsch, Ann Lui, Mimi Zeiger
The Divided City: Poverty and Prosperity in America by Alan Mallach
Letters to the Leaders of China: Kongjian Yu and the Future of the Chinese City edited by Terreform
The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century by Mark Lamster
Manufacturing Architecture: An Architect's Guide to Custom Processes, Materials, and Applications by Dana K. Gulling
Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy by Brian D. Conway with photographs by James Haefner
2017
The Arsenal of Exclusion & Inclusion by Interboro Partners (Tobias Armborst, Daniel D’Oca, Georgeen Theodore)
Cook's Camden: The Making of Modern Housing by Mark Swenarton
Exhibiting the Postmodern: The 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale by Léa-Catherine Szacka
John Vinci: Life and Landmarks by Robert Sharoff, William Zbaren
Michael Graves: Design for Life by Ian Volner
WORKac: We'll Get There When We Cross That Bridge by Amale Andraos, Dan Wood