Product Description

Fortunately for the many admirers of his architecture, theories, and designs, Frank Lloyd Wright was not only a lover of space and a man of vision--he was also a man who liked to save things. Since he opened his first office in Chicago in 1893, Wright held on to drawings, sketches, notes, photographs, manuscripts, and correspondence. Many of those artifacts survive today in his official archive at Taliesin West in Arizona. Produced in conjunction with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, this extraordinary book offers a fresh presentation of the documents of one of the world's most famous architects. It is, in effect, a museum in a book. The unique book experience contains 25 interactive, three-dimensional features, removable facsimiles of original documents, never-before-published architectural sketches, and an audio CD containing excerpts from Wright's weekly addresses at his architectural compound, as well as television interviews. Following the proven success of other Wright titles, this is an engaging journey into the life and work of the iconic American architect through words, pictures, and artifacts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #292446 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-12
• Released on: 2004-10-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Packed with removable facsimiles of exceptional quality and interest, this collection documenting great American architect Wright (1867–1959) was put together by the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives registrar and art collections administrator, whose work makes her deeply familiar with Wright's legacy. Taking readers from Wright's modest Wisconsin beginnings to a terrific 1940s colored-pencil sketch of the Guggenheim Museum (and Baroness Hilla von Rebay's handwritten letter commissioning it) and beyond, Stipe tells the story of the work and the life with an organic clarity, economy and specificity that is completely in keeping with Wright's spirit, down to the simple but thoughtful layout, sans serif main font and deco-like block caption font. The never-finished, WWI-era Midway Gardens (destroyed in 1929), the famed 1930s Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania and even a 1957 "Plan for Greater Baghdad" are all here, along with numerous other projects familiar and unfamiliar. While it surpasses most Wright books in its plain forthrightness about Wright's turbulent personal life, this 11"×11" collection's 100 illustrations and 25 interactive elements form the book's intimate core. A 17-track CD presents short question-and-answer exchanges with Wright from various interviews recorded in the 1950s.
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About the Author
Margo Stipe is the registrar of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

A Book You Have Been Waiting For
Readers are likely to discover that this is a book they have been waiting for. Margo Stipe leads readers through various stages of Frank Lloyd Wright's life with remarkably lucid and concise writing. While countless books on Wright include stunning pictures like the ones appearing here, this book's distinctive design sets it apart. Throughout one finds illustrative documents bound into the pages, or in envelope-like enclosures, or in page-size translucent sleeves, or on foldout pages. Handling them gives one a sense of having been present at their creation. Listening to the 60-minute compact disk of excerpts from Wright's speeches and interviews, pocketed inside the cover, has the same effect. This "interactive portfolio" is certain to claim a place in the library of persons wishing to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright. Offered at a bargain price, it will bring its readers immeasurable pleasures.

A Look Inside his Life
This book is almost a scrapbook that you might have collected if you had gone through life at Frank Lloyd Wright's side. It's got a book in it, but it's not very big. There an Audio CD of him speaking at various interviews, lectures and other talks. There are removable facsimilies of original documents, both photographs and never before published architectural sketches. There are some hand written notes written by him, including a hand drawn wedding invitation. In short, this is a collection of things that Frank Lloyd Wright saved. It appears that he liked to save things, and remarkably much of it remains in the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's fascinating to look into the life of a genius.

A super book
This is a unique book, nothing else like it around. A great coffee table book or a gift for anyone interested in architecture or the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Highly recommended.