Booklist
Information varies from statistical facts to in-depth analyses of artistic styles and influences. Occasional personal anecdotes are also included. The international scope goes beyond North America and Europe; several Japanese architects (Arata Isozaki, Kenzo Tange, etc.) are included, as are Oscar Niemeyer from Brazil, Luis Barragan of Mexico, and Hassan Fathy of Egypt. Women are represented by Alison Smithson, Denise Neelakofski Scott Brown, and Marion Mahoney Griffin. There are also a few articles on influential styles and movements, such as Futurism and De Stijl.
Of particular use to students and scholars are the extensive bibliographies that follow all selections. Numerous books and articles are divided into "Writings" (the architect's own works), "Biographical," "Assessment" (criticism and commentary), "Bibliographical," and "Archival" references. Publication dates generally range from the 1940s through the mid-1990s. Much of the material is in English and comes from publications and periodicals that should be readily available in most academic and larger public libraries. There are 54 references provided for Alvar Aalto; more than 80 are given for Frank Lloyd Wright. References are limited to printed materials only. Additional features include black-and-white photographs, drawings, and architectural plans. There are two indexes, one by place and the other by name.
The editors (both university professors and authors) have produced a scholarly reference work that will be of particular interest to architecture students and practitioners. It updates some of the information in the second edition of Contemporary Architects [RBB Ja 15 88], which, though more comprehensive, is now quite old. Johnson and Langmead do not add many new architects to the canon--only a handful, including Tadao Ando and Mario Botta, do not appear in the earlier source. Still, large public and academic libraries where Contemporary Architects is used may want to add Makers of 20th Century Modern Architecture because it provides new information on lives and works as well as more current bibliographies.
