Skyscrapers is a lavish and appropriately soaring celebration of the world's most spectacular buildings.
From the ancient Lighthouse at Alexandria to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, from the Empire State Building to the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the 50 buildings represented in this magnificent book leap off the page in words and more than 200 rich, duotone images. This unique volume includes facts-at-a-glance for each building, visual comparisons of heights, and quotes from a variety of architects and experts--all accompanying stunning full-page photos of each structure.
"An eye-popping shelf-scraper...an elevating experience." -Gene Shalit, "Today"
"Breathtaking. Magnificent. Unique. Very special. Exquisite. One-of-a-kind. Well researched. Beautifully designed." -Robert J. Bruss, Tribune Media Services
At first glance, Judith Dupré's
Skyscrapers might appear to be just another coffee-table prop. Yes, the fact that it measures a good foot and a half might keep it off the average shelf, but its unusual size is not just a gimmick. This book does full-scale justice to the beautiful black-and-white photographs of some of the world's most famous skyscrapers.
Organized chronologically, this is not a comprehensive guide but a selective survey: 50 of the most "significant" skyscrapers of the last century. From the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., to the Kuningan Persada Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, Skyscrapers is a fact lover's dream. Vital statistics on each building include location, height, materials, primary architect, date of completion, and place in architectural history. The careful interaction of text and image brings the unique story of each building--and builder--to life.
But in both Skyscrapers and her follow-up book, Bridges, Dupré moves past the structures themselves to examine the ideals and dreams of the society that created them. Why build up? Who initiated the race to be first? The economic, cultural, and political role of buildings in everyday life is easy to overlook. Skyscrapers is a book that sticks out way past the knees and says, "Hey, look again." --Sara Nickerson
