No other place on earth is as full both of promise and of dread as the city; it is at once alienating and exciting. These concentrations of people have not; however; come about as the result of vast immutable; impersonal forces; but because of human choices. The worsening or betterment of urban life will also be the result of choices. Our choices. That cities display and represent the personal desires of their inhabitants is central to Joseph Rykwertrsquo;s argument in The Seduction of Place. Insisting that they are the physical constructs of communities; he travels through history to trace their roots in ancient times and outlines current attempts and future possibilities to improve the metropolis. Rykwert includes a broad range of urban landscapes: 18th-and 19th-century Paris and London; the current sprawl of Mexico City and Cairo; planned cities like Brasilia; and; finally; New York; the world capital.Always opinionated and often controversial; Rykwert assesses how and why urban projects from the past succeeded or failed and what lessons can be drawn from them for the future. Ultimately; The Seduction of Place is a deeply felt and powerfully reasoned call for a commitment by every citizen to the creation of a more humane place to live.
#1954782 in eBooks 2012-08-01 2012-08-01File Name: B00FRFR1AU
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Fun book; like the first one wasBy R K NixFun book; like the first one was . . . however; this one does not have the glossy paper photos that the first one did. Most of the pictures of the guitars are black and white on regular paper. The pictures arent as clear. - Content is great and the stories are interesting; but not the quality images I came to expect from the first book. There is a small section of glossy color photos but; a bit of a disappointment when compared to its predecessor. It was a cost-saving decision; Im sure. Sad!3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great music starts with a great story....By M. KufflerThis was a wonderful book; especially as a follow up for Strat In The Attic. Deke Dickerson is a great writer and this covers some additional territory that wasnt covered in the original book. Look; even if you dont like or care one iota about guitars; the stories are fun and really cool. This book also has the unintended consequence of exposing people to early music industry icons and the business in its earliest stages. And youll get exposed to some musicians and music that youd probably never heard of any other way.Deke thinks of himself as quirky and unusual. I hope he puts this quirkiness to good use by writing more books and making more music. If I had one criticism; itd be that this book doesnt include a teaser trailer for Strat In The Attic 3 and 4!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Deke Dickerson is the MAN!!!By TrollbeardIve been meaning to write a 5-star review for the first "Strat in the Attic" and havent gotten around to it yet; thought Ive bought additional copies for friends and relatives who appreciate beautiful guitars and classic tales. I held off buying Vol. 2 for some unfathomable reason; maybe because of reviews talking about lesser-quality photos. But after reading Vol. 1 over and over; like a fine wine; I realized that Dickersons writing is the draw; and the photos are the icing on the cake; so I took the plunge! And Vol. 2; in my opinion; may be even better than Vol. 1!! If for no other reason than; Hendrix-fan that I am; the essay on "The Magic Strat" absolutely stole my heart! No spoilers here; but Deke Dickerson is not only one of the worlds foremost guitararchaeologists; but hes a heck of a... well... anyway hes a great writer. Who wouldve thought that the same 58 Strat passed through the hands of Buddy Holly; Hendrix; Billy Gibbons; Ritchie Blackmore; Stevie Ray Vaughn; Eric Clapton???Dickersons love for the music; the players; the genre; the instruments; and for CLEAN amps (??? who wouldve thought???) is a delight. This is an excellent book and Dickerson is my favorite guitar writer. Keep up the great work; Deke!~! Thanks for these first 2 treasures; and we look forward to many more!!