Bibliography
I have a fairly extensive collection of books on architecture. This is a partial list of books I've referenced for this site since I haven't updated this page in a couple of years.
General
Skyscrapers:
by Judith Dupre, published 1996
This book is a large format picture book with two pages devoted to each featured building.
I really like the way the book is arranged in chronological order.
The National Trust Guide to Art Deco in America:
by David Gebhard, published 1996
Books specifically about Art Deco architecture are difficult to find.
Whenever I find one, I usually buy it.
This one has no colour pictures, but has listings of buildings for cities all over the United States.
It is not a complete guide for any given city.
Even though it has these two drawbacks, I still find it a useful guide for Art Deco architecture.
Rediscovering Art Deco U.S.A. - A Nationwide Tour of Architectural Delights:
by Barbara Capitman, Michael D. Kinerk and Dennis W. Wilhelm, published 1994
This book is primarily limited to 18 places, it has wonderful pictures and a lot of information on each place.
The book is not organized by buildings, but focuses on the cities and their important architecture.
Art Deco Architecture - Design Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties:
by Patricia Bayer, published 1992
This is a wonderful coffee-table book.
It has lots of big colour pictures and is arranged by type of structure.
I love this book and hope to some day read the whole thing.
Chicago
AIA Guide to Chicago:
edited by Alice Sinkevitch, published 1993
This is the best book on Chicago architecture that I have seen.
It has complete maps with the buildings numbered.
The number then refers to a complete listing with architect, year of completion, and a description of the building.
The book contains small black-and-white pictures for many, but not all, buildings.
Chicago - In and Around the Loop, Walking Tours of Architecture and History:
by Gerard R. Wolfe, published 1996
This is a very good book.
As the name implies, it has walking tours of the loop.
This book is good from a historical perspective as well as an architectural one.
It also contains only black-and-white pictures for some of the buildings.
Chicago's Famous Buildings, Fourth Edition:
by Franz Schulze and Kevin Harrington, published 1993
I bought this book as a back-up to the AIA Guide.
It's good, but I like the AIA one better.
The Chicago School of Architecture:
by Carl W. Condit, published 1964
This book is very technical but contains a lot of information about the Chicago School and the architects that made Chicago's architecture famous.
It was originally published in 1952, and then updated to 1964.
Unfortunately, the book has not been updated since, so the information on many buildings is very out-of-date.
However, it's still one of the most important books on the Chicago School.
City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America:
by Donald L. Miller, published 1996
If you're interested in learning about Chicago's early history through the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, this book is a great source.
It's very readable, and explains the many important events that shaped Chicago's history.
New York
New York - A Guide to the Metropolis, Walking Tours of Architecture and History:
by Gerard R. Wolfe, published 1994
I bought this book before I bought the Chicago one.
It's my best book on New York City, but it does not cover the entire city.
Some of the buildings I wanted to get more information on were not included in this book.
However, it does provide many interesting walking tours and, like the Chicago one, contains historical information about the neighborhoods and architecture.
AIA Guide to New York City: The Classic Guide to New York's Architecture:
edited by Norval White & Elliot Willensky, fourth edition, 2000
The fourth edition of this book was long overdue, but was finally released last summer.
As far as I know, this is the best and most complete guide to NYC architecture.
I need to go back and update my New York pages now that I received this book.
Manhattan Architecture:
by Richard Berenholtz, publishsed 1988
I picked up this book recently at a used book sale.
This is a coffee-table book with lots of interesting photographs.
It had pictures of the inside of the Chrysler Building that I had never seen before.
New York Deco:
by Carla Breeze, published 1993
This book is a small paperback that has lots of nice colour photographs.
St. Louis
A Guide to the Architecture of St. Louis:
by George McCue and Frank Peters, published 1989
This book was put together by the St. Louis chapter of the American Institute of Architects to coincide with the 1989 AIA convention in St. Louis.
This book is a very good resource for St. Louis architecture.
However, it is unfortunately out-of-date since it was published fifteen years ago.
Although I have not heard of any plans to do so, I am hoping they will issue a new edition soon.
Where We Live: A Guide to St. Louis Communities
:edited by Tim Fox, published 1995 by the Missouri Historical Society Press
I love this book, but its focus is more about history than architecture.
The book gives the history of each of St. Louis' historically significant communities.
It contains maps of the communities as well as current and historical photographs.
Abandoned Skyscraper:
by Michael Merchant, 1996
This is actually a pamphlet that I received at an exhibit at the Forum for Contemporary Art for an exhibit about the Continental Building which ran from March 22 - May 18, 1996.
The pamphlet contains more information about the Continental Building than any books that I own.
The Days and Nights of the Central West End:
edited by Suzanne Goell, 1991
This book is a collection of stories which originally appeared in the "West End Word," a local paper.
Although it's somewhat dated, it contains some valuable information about several important buildings in St. Louis.
I'm sure this book is out of print.
I picked it up at a used book sale in St. Louis.
St. Louis: Landmarks & Historic Districts:
by Carolyn Hewes Toft, 1988
This is a nice guide to St. Louis buildings which are registered as historic buildings by the city of St. Louis or the national register.
This book was published by Landmarks Association of St. Louis, an organization committed to the preservation of historically significant buildings in the St. Louis area.
Tales from the Coral Court: Photos and Stories from a Lost Route 66 Landmark:
by Shellee Graham, 2000
As far as I know, this is by far the best source of pictures and history of the Coral Court Motel available anywhere.
Although the book contains some things that I would consider filler, it is still very much worth having.
The book contains lots of pictures of the motel, as well as pictures of postcards, sketches, and lots of other useful information. I ordered this book through the mail before it was published. I think my biggest disappointment was that it was paperback instead of hardcover.
Seeing Saint Louis:
by Barringer Fifield, 1987
I picked this book up used, so I don't know how easy it would be to find.
It is also somewhat out of date and really more of a tour guide.
However, it contains some useful architectural and historical information on St. Louis.
Missouri: Historical Tour Guide:
by D. Ray Wilson, third edition, 1995
This is another book that I picked up used and another tour guide.
It reads much like a text book, but has very in depth historical information about St. Louis, and Missouri in general.
Tulsa
Tulsa Art Deco, An Architectural Era 1925 - 1942:
The Junior League of Tulsa, published 1980
This book is difficult to find and rather expensive.
It was originally published as a paperback and a hard cover version followed.
I opted for the paperback because it was much more affordable.
This is an excellent source of information on Tulsa Art Deco architecture and the architects that designed the buildings.
This book is going to be republished in the fall of 2001.
I understand that it will be updated for both content and pictures.
It's supposed to be out in time for Christmas.
More Than A Building: The First Century of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church:
by Jo Beth Harris, published 1993
During my November 1999 trip to Tulsa, I visited Boston Avenue Methodist Church.
The people were very friendly and excited to share information about their church.
I bought this book from them.
It contains a lot of good interior and exterior pictures as well as a lot of history on the building.