Louis I. Kahn

Library Journal

Kahn may be remembered as the greatest American architect after Wright; although he was not particularly prolific, his highly individual buildings have won him a well-justified reputation both in the United States and abroad. This compilation of previously published writings, lectures, and interviews is the first of three volumes to be published by Rizzoli to coincide with a major traveling exhibition on Kahn (the other two will focus on his architecture and his paintings and drawings). Organized chronologically, the eloquent, often poetical pieces provide revealing insights into the way Kahn approached form and function; they remind us of the architect's great gifts as a teacher and communicator. Essential to any architectural library. See also David B. Brownlee and David G. DeLong's Louis I. Kahn: In The Realm of Architecture , reviewed in this issue, p.121.--Ed.-- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.

Booknews

A collection of the eminent architect's writings from some of the most prestigious architectural publications of the last 50 years. Many of the essays are classics in architectural literature, among them "Order is," "Form and being," "Poetics," and "Silence and light," along with excerpts from CIAM in Otterlo, the World Design Conference, and The Sixties: A P/A Symposium on the State of Architecture. One of the three volumes published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibit scheduled to open Oct. 1991 and travel for three years. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)