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At first glance, Judith Dupré's
Skyscrapers might appear to be just another coffee-table prop. Yes, the fact that it measures a good foot and a half might keep it off the average shelf, but its unusual size is not just a gimmick. This book does full-scale justice to the beautiful black-and-white photographs of some of the world's most famous skyscrapers.
Organized chronologically, this is not a comprehensive guide but a selective survey: 50 of the most "significant" skyscrapers of the last century. From the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., to the Kuningan Persada Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, Skyscrapers is a fact lover's dream. Vital statistics on each building include location, height, materials, primary architect, date of completion, and place in architectural history. The careful interaction of text and image brings the unique story of each building--and builder--to life.
But in both Skyscrapers and her follow-up book, Bridges, Dupré moves past the structures themselves to examine the ideals and dreams of the society that created them. Why build up? Who initiated the race to be first? The economic, cultural, and political role of buildings in everyday life is easy to overlook. Skyscrapers is a book that sticks out way past the knees and says, "Hey, look again." --Sara Nickerson
From the Author
2001 celebrates the 5th anniversary of
Skyscrapers. To commemorate the book's extraordinary longevity and success, a new paperback edition has been published. Thank you to my readers around the world.People often ask me how the skyscrapers in the book were chosen. In order to select representative structures from a plethora of worthy choices, I had to set ground rules for inclusion. The vagaries of financing and construction, magnified when dealing with buildings of supertall dimensions, led to the decision that only completed structures, or those under construction, were to be included in the book. Some extraordinary skyscrapers will be breaking through the clouds now through 2004, however, most were still a gleam in the architect's eye in 1995 when this book was written. I look forward to updating Skyscrapers in the next few years.
Skyscrapers' magnificent, 18" high photographs are the work of a veritable who's who of architectural photography. I decided early on that classic black and white images, because they distill what is most essential, should be used to illustrate this iconic subject. The book is not about all skyscrapers--it is an adamant, quirky, joyful paean to a selected few. Black and white photographs best capture that exalted place between myth, memory, and reality occupied by only a handful of buildings.
