Mysteries of the Mall
And Other Essays
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ISBN10: 0374538093
ISBN13: 9780374538095
Trade Paperback
336 Pages
$20.00
CA$24.50
In Mysteries of the Mall, Witold Rybczynski, the author of How Architecture Works, casts a seasoned critical eye on the modern scene. His subject is nothing less than the broad setting of our metropolitan world.
In thirty-four discerning essays, Rybczynski ranges over topics as varied as shopping malls, Central Park, the Opéra Bastille, and America's shrinking cities. Along the way, he examines our post-9/11 obsession with security, the revival of the big-city library, the rise of college towns, our fascination with vacation homes, and Disney's planned community of Celebration. By looking at contemporary architects as diverse as Frank Gehry, Moshe Safdie, and Bing Thom, revisiting old masters such as Palladio, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright, and considering such unsung innovators as Stanley H. Durwood, the inventor of the cineplex, Rybczynski ponders the role of global metropolises in an age of tourism and reflects on what kinds of places attract us in the modern city.
Mysteries of the Mall is required reading for anyone curious about the contemporary world and how it came to be the way it is.
Reviews
Praise for Mysteries of the Mall
"Throughout the collection, Rybczynski’s writing is clear-headed and thoughtful, knowledgeable but unpretentious. Many of the essays exhibit an even-handed curiosity and delight, such as 'Tomorrowland' (1996), a look at Disney’s then-nascent planned community of Celebration, Florida (a cheerful and vaguely utopian experiment in New Urbanism, which lives on as a fairly normal suburb), and 'Call Arup' (2007), which emphasizes the uncelebrated but critical role of engineers . . . This critique is compelling . . . As a retrospective of sorts, Mysteries of the Mall is a fine compilation of Rybczynski’s work from the last two decades. Some of the strongest pieces in the book draw on architectural history, theory and ideas; the awe, appreciation and wonder that Rybczynski has for architecture can be infectious."—Anna Wiener, New Republic
“It is the attention [Rybczynski] pays space—an enthusiastic and highly infectious kind of attention, something close to an architectural evangelism—that both freshens our eyes and grants new perspectives on the intentionality of our environment . . . A deft and sensible guide, Rybczynski charms, challenges, and finally, welcomes us into a world we may never have realized could be so enthralling . . . This one is required reading for anyone interested in the story of architecture—or the shape of the modern world.”—Dustin Illingworth, The Brooklyn Rail
“[H]is writing is, like his architectural leanings, clear and civil, and full of cocktail-worthy trivia.”—Mike Doherty, Maclean's
“Throughout the collection, Rybczynski’s writing is clear-headed and thoughtful, knowledgeable but unpretentious . . . the awe, appreciation and wonder that Rybczynski has for architecture can be infectious.”—Anna Weiner, The New Republic
“A superb book for those interested in architectural history, written in an easygoing style by a man with encyclopedic knowledge and an obvious great love for building.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[Rybczynski is] an eloquent critic with a range of interests as broad as his voluminous published work . . . the prose sparkles . . . Over the course of his career, Rybczynski has proven a deft guide to the work of countless architects; here, he is just as sage a curator of his own criticism.”—Anthony Paletta, Publishers Weekly (boxed signature review)
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
Mysteries of the Mall
Most of us don't attach much importance to the mundane architectural settings of our everyday lives. We go in and out of supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, and gas stations without a second thought, perhaps...
About the author
Witold Rybczynski
