Strategically placed above a waterfall, Fallingwater's horizontal cantilevered floors and terraces soar free of any apparent support. The building dynamically illustrates Frank Lloyd Wright's fascinating attitudes towards integrating architecture and nature and the truly extraordinary ways in which these are expressed. Launched in 1991, the Architecture in Detail series attracted immediate acclaim and now comprises more than 60 titles. These books are highly collectable documents, each focusing in depth on a celebrated building. The series covers all sides of the vast spectrum of architecture from the past, present and future; the individual buildings are selected for their exceptional character, innovative design or technical virtuosity. Each volume contains a definitive text by a respected author; a sequence of color and black-and-white photographs; a series of technical drawings; and a set of essential working details. These titles are vital to every architectural library, appealing to the professional and student alike, or indeed anyone with an appreciation of buildings.
Peter Edward Cook was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishment comedic movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. Born in Torquay, he was educated at the University of Cambridge. There he became involved with the Footlights Club, of which he later became president. After graduating, he created the comedy stage revue Beyond the Fringe, beginning a long-running partnership with Dudley Moore. In 1961, Cook opened the comedy club The Establishment in Soho. In 1965, Cook and Moore began a television career, beginning with Not Only... But Also. Cook's deadpan monologues contrasted with Moore's buffoonery. They received the 1966 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. Following the success of the show, the duo appeared together in the films The Wrong Box (1966) and Bedazzled (1967). Cook and Moore returned to television projects continuing to the late 1970s, including co-presenting Saturday Night Live in the United States. From 1978 until his death in 1995, Cook no longer collaborated with Moore, apart from a few cameo appearances, but continued to be a regular performer in British television and film. Referred to as "the father of modern satire" by The Guardian in 2005, Cook was ranked number one in the Comedians' Comedian, a poll of more than 300 comics, comedy writers, producers and directors in the English-speaking world.
A look at Fallingwater from the structural and architectural perspective. This slim edition contains many images including some of the original architectural sketches. Eleven pages of plans, elevations, and sections are also included, though I would have preferred them to be annotated or include some additional detailed information. The font size is a bit small for casual reading but this only encompasses a dozen pages out of 60.