All About Julia Morgan

by Phyllis Perry, Kirsten Halvorsen (Illustrator)

Julia Morgan was born into a world that doubted the ability of women, but her mother and grandmother taught her not to listen. Not only did she graduate college as the only woman in her class getting a degree in civil engineering, she went on to attend Beaux-Arts in Paris. As the best architecture school in the world, many were surprised when she passed the entrance exams, and even more so when she finished the five-year program in three years!
After becoming the first woman to receive and architecture license in California, she opened her own business and was quickly singled out by William Hearst, who admired her imaginative style and unique projects. With his funding, she built Hearst Castle, one of the most famous buildings in California. It was her largest and most complex project, but by no means her last. She went on to build and advocate for the YWCA and Mills College, which both worked to advance women's opportunities.

88 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pioneer for women in the field of architecture, Julia Morgan (1872-1957) received her degree from the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts and was the first woman to become licensed in California. Over her career she built many buildings for the YWCA, UC Berkley, and for the Hearst Family. The Castle of San Simeon is one of the most famous of her works and many of her beautiful buildings can be seen in California and the Pacific Coast.

From the popular All About series, this title will appeal to middle grade readers for its easy reading level, yet still packed with information style. Readers will not only learn about Julia and her amazing body of work, but also the history of the field of architecture (especially early women in the field) and the times in which she lived. There are black and white pen and ink illustrations to help the reader see images of the people, places and things in the text. Book extras include a table of contents, Quotes from Julia, two parallel timelines from both Julia’s life and world history during her life, a glossary, bibliography/further reading recommendations, and an index.

I would recommend this book for purchase for any school or public library.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography gives a great account of the life of California's first licensed female Architect (1904), but also mentions many other American Architects and Engineers of her time that you might be interested in researching.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Lots of information and illustrations.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting bio but could have used a bit of editing as there were a few misspelled words.

[Mills College Library]

Biog M8492p 2018