Reddit mentions: The best building architecture books

We found 626 Reddit comments discussing the best building architecture books. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 325 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

1. At Home: A Short History of Private Life

    Features:
  • Anchor Books
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Specs:
ColorRed
Height7.97 Inches
Length5.22 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 2011
Weight1.21 Pounds
Width1.16 Inches
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2. Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making More Magic Real (A Walt Disney Imagineering Book)

Disney Editions
Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making More Magic Real (A Walt Disney Imagineering Book)
Specs:
Height13.25 Inches
Length10 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateMay 2010
Weight4.21744307206 pounds
Width1 Inches
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3. Building Construction Illustrated

Building Construction Illustrated
Specs:
Height11 Inches
Length8.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateMarch 2008
Weight2.90569261316 Pounds
Width1.09 Inches
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4. The Image of the City (Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies Series)

Mit Press
The Image of the City (Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies Series)
Specs:
ColorMulticolor
Height0.41 Inches
Length7.94 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJune 1964
Weight0.48 Pounds
Width5.24 Inches
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5. A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture

    Features:
  • Alfred a Knopf Inc
A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture
Specs:
ColorWhite
Height9 Inches
Length6.8 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateNovember 2015
Weight3.4 Pounds
Width1.6 Inches
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6. Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show (A Walt Disney Imagineering Book)

Used Book in Good Condition
Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show (A Walt Disney Imagineering Book)
Specs:
Height10.5 Inches
Length9 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJanuary 2009
Weight1.38009376012 Pounds
Width0.5 Inches
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7. At Home: A Short History of Private Life

At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Specs:
Release dateOctober 2010
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8. Great Streets (The MIT Press)

Great Streets (The MIT Press)
Specs:
ColorBlack
Height0.88 Inches
Length12.04 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateAugust 1995
Weight2.7006627095 Pounds
Width9.97 Inches
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9. Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

    Features:
  • St Martins Pr
Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
Specs:
Height8.1999836 Inches
Length5.4499891 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateAugust 2013
Weight0.44 pounds
Width1.25 Inches
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10. Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid

Sterling
Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid
Specs:
Height11 Inches
Length8.5 Inches
Number of items1
Weight2.2 Pounds
Width0.75 Inches
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13. A Carpenter's Life as Told by Houses

A Carpenter's Life as Told by Houses
Specs:
Height8.5 Inches
Length5.5 Inches
Number of items1
Weight1.1 Pounds
Width1.02 Inches
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14. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction

gothic cathedral Chutreaux
Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction
Specs:
Height12 Inches
Length9 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 1981
Weight0.8 Pounds
Width0.25 Inches
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15. Housebuilding: A Do-It-Yourself Guide, Revised & Expanded

    Features:
  • Used Book in Good Condition
Housebuilding: A Do-It-Yourself Guide, Revised & Expanded
Specs:
Height9.5 Inches
Length7.5 Inches
Number of items1
Weight3.78 Pounds
Width1.75 Inches
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17. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

    Features:
  • Great product!
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
Specs:
Height8.02 Inches
Length8.08 Inches
Number of items1
Weight1.4 Pounds
Width0.83 Inches
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18. Timber Frame Construction: All About Post-and-Beam Building

    Features:
  • Storey Publishing
Timber Frame Construction: All About Post-and-Beam Building
Specs:
Height10.88 Inches
Length8.5 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJanuary 1984
Weight1.33 Pounds
Width0.56 Inches
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🎓 Reddit experts on building architecture books

The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where building architecture books are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Total score: 3,188
Number of comments: 4
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 277
Number of comments: 22
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 78
Number of comments: 6
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 51
Number of comments: 15
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 31
Number of comments: 14
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 22
Number of comments: 5
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 15
Number of comments: 5
Relevant subreddits: 3
Total score: 8
Number of comments: 4
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 7
Number of comments: 5
Relevant subreddits: 1
Total score: 6
Number of comments: 4
Relevant subreddits: 1

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Top Reddit comments about Architectural Buildings:

u/dvaunr · 3 pointsr/architecture

For a first project, this looks really good. Others have said some of the stuff that I'm going to say, but there's a couple other comments I haven't seen others make.

First, learn how to export images. Every arch program I've used has the ability to do this and it makes things look much nicer than taking a picture of a screen, which leads me to...

Learn how to Google efficiently. If you don't know how to do something, think of what you're trying to do, take the keywords out of it ("I want to build a wall that is sloped outward in Google Sketchup" turns into "slope wall sketchup"). In high school, I ended up knowing the programs we used better than my teacher because of this. Now in college, I am one of 3 out of about 125 that everyone goes to for help with programs. About 50% of the stuff they ask I don't know, but I can Google it and find an answer in under a minute.

Now, for the design itself. It's important that every design decision you make, you ask "why?" If you cannot fully justify it, think of a couple alternatives, and choose the best option. Then at the very least your reason would be "I explored a few options and determined this was the best solution." Sure, some will be able to argue it, but you have a reason. Always try and push it though. For instance, why did you choose wood planks for part of your facade? Is it because it looks good or because you had a location in mind and it matches the style of that location?

Next, materiality on facades. My general rule of thumb I use is one main material, one accent material (larger amounts of glazing would count, simple windows like you have would not). When you start having more than that, it starts to look rather busy and can be distracting. But like in the last paragraph, try to have a reason for the material. Pick a location for the building, learn the style and material of the location, and design with that in mind.

Finally, it's never too early to start learning about how buildings are actually constructed. If you can, get access to books by Francis Ching. If they are available at your library, check them out. If not, they're relatively cheap ($20-$30 each iirc). Building Construction Illustrated, Architecture: Form, Space, and Order, and A Visual Dictionary of Architecture are three books I highly recommend to get started on. It will help you understand how buildings are actually put together (and provide tips like nominal construction so you aren't doing things like cutting a CMU in half so that it fits). I notice a few things (such as being able to see the outlines of your stairs from the outside) that you want to watch for so they don't show up. This can be solved by understanding where different elements stop, how they're connected to each other, etc.

So, like I said, this looks really good. Starting at 15 is awesome, I started when I was 16 and now I'm applying to some of the top grad schools in the US, so definitely keep at it! One last tip, if you haven't already, start sketching/drawing by hand. It's an invaluable skill to have and will help you immensely if you decide to study architecture. Even if it's drawing one object a day, just spend 10-15 minutes every day sketching things out. You'll be surprised how much you improve just from practice in even a month.

u/kimmature · 3 pointsr/books

Non-fiction. A lot of people seem to discount anything that's not fiction, on the grounds that it will be boring, 'hard', or extraneous to their lives. What's I've found is that I'll often pick up a book because I'm interested in a particular topic, and 'new' non-fiction often takes you into many other related topics, how they've influenced/been a symbol of that society, etc.

A few of the books that really stick in my mind are

The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America. I'd originally picked it up because I've got an interest in serial killers (yeah, I know), but all of the information about engineering, the history of the World's Fair, Chicago etc. was just fascinating.

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. It's supposedly about Prohibition, but it says a lot more about the political/religious climate of the U.S. from the mid-1800s on, ties prohibition in with women's rights, churches, gangsters etc. And it's a great read.

Pretty much anything by Jon Krakauer. A lot of his books are about 'individualism vs. society', but they cover a lot of ground. Into Thin Air is one of the best extreme sports books I've ever read, Into the Wild is incredibly sad, Under the Banner of Heaven was a very interesting look at Mormon-related culture, etc.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life is just interesting, accessible reading, that touches on everything from why we have closets to when the desire for privacy influenced house design.

Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement is ostensibly about a splinter fundamentalist group that started in the U.S., but eventually ends up touching on everything from PACs, to racism, education styles, women's rights, how Catholic/Protestant/Jewish/Islamic fundamentalists are coming to an accord on some fairly major issues, and how that's likely to play out.

And because I'm a Tudor history nut, Henry VIII: the King and his Court, and The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen were both very interesting, and go well beyond the standard royal biography. I think that it's pretty awesome that so much new information and scholarship is turning up around facts that we've 'known' for centuries.

Pretty much anything by Nathaniel Philbrick or David McCullough.

Non-fiction is just great, especially right now. I think that we're in a bit of in a Golden Age of non-fiction right now, as there's a demand for it, and authors are making it more accessible and interesting than ever.

u/TooSubtle · 8 pointsr/Games

One of the best references for understanding where and why game level design differs from or aligns with traditional architecture and landscape is Designing Disney, as the intent behind most game landscape is essentially the same as a theme park’s. Look up Disney ‘weenies’ and how they constantly employ sightlines, colour, light, etc to keep attendees engaged and moving through the park in the exact same way that games do to players. The biggest difference between most games and real life is that they actually have to teach players how to navigate through their environments. So, games are both adults teaching a toddler to walk and fantastic theme parks keeping them interested in moving.

This is one of the reasons a lot of designers are fans of Nintendo games, as they tend to pay a lot of attention to this aspect. There’s countless analysis of Super Mario’s 1-1 level design that you should be able to find online. It’s a standout example as it does so much to teach players how to exist in that space, from your starting position in the camera’s frame (the camera should also always be thought of as part of a game’s environment, for further discussion on that look up Kane and Lynch 2, or think about the effects UIs can have on our interaction with and perception of a game space), to the placement, intent and movement patterns of power ups and enemies, to the physical controller itself. (Metroid: Prime is a fantastic example of a game completely built around its controller, as it’s an FPS with lots of vertical design and the Game Cube controller didn’t have a second analogue stick they frequently use ramps or targetable enemies to get the players naturally looking up and down) My favourite little article on Super Mario is this one by Anna Anthropy, it goes into a lot of detail with how the level design intersects with and is built around the player experience and game mechanics.

>on the subject of challenge, three of the ceiling bricks above the treasure room fall when mario gets near, potentially hurting him. because they fall the entire height of the screen, they’re a hazard to mario regardless of whether he’s in the treasure chamber or above it. but since they fall from the top of the screen, a mario above the chamber is naturally in greater danger of being hit than one inside the chamber. a mario above, however, is also more likely to be a big mario, while a mario below is definitely a little mario.

The way Mario’s current power up state is taken into account is something I’m sure someone (more familiar with traditional design than me) could argue is similar to how different accesses often have to be designed for differently abled bodies, routes with extra coins or power ups create navigable spaces that serve alternative purposes to players almost like service tunnels and elevators do in public spaces.

Everyone’s already mentioned Dark Souls and that’s a perfect example of developers using sight lines and contrast to push players toward their goals. A really good example of this is the lit torch next to the escape route during the Asylum Demon fight, a lot of players won’t consciously notice it but it’s something that pushes a lot of people towards that direction. (The demon also holds its weapon in a way that makes players want to go left when they first see it). For the first four or five hours of the game there’s a lit torch next to basically every door along the ‘intended path’.

Another important aspect of game architecture and landscape is that games are often told in fictional universes, so the architecture and game spaces have to tell stories that let us better place ourselves in that universe. Morrowind is totally the undisputed champion in this category as there’s over half a dozen different architectural styles in that game that all come from varying cultures. They all have their own styles of city planning and use different materials and they’re all built to serve different historical purposes. Hlaalu are a merchant institution who build their cities by natural points of trade, there’s always a distinct class divide in their towns where the rich are walled off and geographically higher than the poor. Redoran towns are built to act as fortifications, their poor live close to the upper class, and there’s always a barracks and defendable locations for people to retreat to. Telvanni are breathtakingly self-superior, aloof wizards constantly weaving their own political machinations who build mushroom towers. They often forget to build stairs and ladders because only non-wizards would need them, their class system is directly parallel to where someone lives in the hierarchy of the mushroom plant, the wizards live at the very top with the plant literally weaving down from there to define and shape the lives of all their underlings, with the poorest in self-made shacks at the base. You could easily write an essay just on what modes of public transport each culture and city favour.

Geography and distance in Morrowind is also directly influenced by the game engine and technology of the time. The game had a really restrictive render distance which means a lot of the landscape is designed to look good silhouetted by the fog effect and the distances between points of interest are staggered in a way to keep the navigation compelling and interesting. It’s also why so many of the ruins and more interesting geographical features (mushrooms, mountains) are so vertical, because you can get the full impact of those models in a way that’s not lessened by the fog distance. You’ll frequently have people playing it now with enhanced render distances who are surprised how close together different locations are, or how small certain landmarks are.

u/TheWolfKin · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I got mine thanks to the kindness of someone at Disney. It was 3 years ago now, but I had wanted to do a project for my grade 12 art project. Wanted to make the Disney World landmarks out of fastpasses. So, we decided to email Disney about it, see if there was any way to get some )even void ones) so that I could do it.

They said unfortunately not, due to multiple legal reasons, but they wished me the best of luck and asked my mom (who was doing the contacting) for our postal address.

A few weeks later, a parcel from Disney arrived in the mail. Inside was this book, in hardcover. It is such a GORGEOUS book. Also inside was a picture of postcard/picture of Walt/Mickey, with a wish for the best of luck signed by 'Mickey'.

Honestly, it's things like that which continue to fuel my love for Disney. They are damn good at their jobs of making people believe in the magic, even if for a little while.

Still haven't completed that project, though. Haven't had enough trips to get enough extra/void fastpasses. And with the fastpass system being slowly rolled out in favour of the new wristband things, I fear I never will be able to.

u/smokeshack · 1 pointr/ChapoTrapHouse

Honestly I'm super suspicious of anything written about Japan that's not in Japanese. Everything tends to get this hyper mystical filter laid over it, because it's easy to sell people books and articles that portray Japanese people as Super Deep and Wise but Incomprehensibly Weird.

Shinto: The Kami Way was written by a Japanese scholar and translated, though, so it looks good. It doesn't seem to delve too deeply into the belief structure, it's more of a sociological look at Shinto. That's probably better, honestly, because there isn't really much in the way of a belief structure there. When I said upthread that Shinto is all about hand washing, I was only like 5% kidding.

If you can read it, then an introductory book written for a Japanese audience like Why Can't Japanese People Explain Shinto to Foreigners? is probably your best bet.

The short blurb is already a deeper education on Shinto than I ever got in my undergrad history classes:

シントウって何だろう…?
What is Shinto?
●「神道」=「アニミズム」ではない
Shinto is not animism
●戦前に「国家神道」は成立しなかった!?
「State Shinto」 didn't exist before the war!?
●「禊ぎ祓へ」は現代でも通用する
「Purification rituals」are still in common use today
●「日本語」が「英語」ともっとも違う点
The biggest difference between the Japanese and English languages
●神社や神様には「地域らしさ」がある
Shrines and Kami have the characteristics of their locations
●神道の「間」と日本建築の「間」
The gate in Shinto and the gate in Japanese architecture
●日本料理の起源
The origins of Japanese food
●日本のアニメや漫画はなぜ世界を席巻するのか
Why Japan's animation and films are sweeping the globe
●神道の「見える化」と「量子論」etc.
Shinto's 「visualization」 and 「quantum physics」etc.

Thanks for making me think a little more on this! I haven't actually read much on Shinto, I just know what I've absorbed in the eight years I've lived in Japan, so I went and ordered both of those books. I'd also encourage you to look into how Buddhism is really practiced in Japan—it's absolutely nothing like the Steve Jobsian California caricature that's fashionable in the west. A lot more fire and brimstone.

u/workpuppy · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Fiction or non-fiction?

My favourite "happy" non-fiction is Bill Bryson. I just finished At home and it was the sort of book that made me laugh out loud, and also want grab random people and read out cool little passages about random things.

Nice little piece of popular science, The Red Queen is a well written and interesting book about the evolutionary basis for sex.

I love David McCullough...He's like Bryson, except where Bryson would spend 5 pages on something, McCullough will spend a thousand, and leave you feeling like you know the person he's writing about better than you know your family. My favourites of his aren't the biographies (he wins a Pulizter for damn near every one), but the stories of buildings and events. The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path Between the Seas...All great, though the Pulitzers were for his Truman biography, and his John Adams biography.

For fiction? Hmmm. Intellectual and not depressing is tricky. I like Michael Chabon, but he flirts with depressing on a regular basis. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is amazing, and so is The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

u/possiblegoat · 2 pointsr/tolkienfans

I helped build an earthen house in Texas, and they are actually quite cheap compared to traditional homes (and super fun to build). The most expensive part is usually getting the land. Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley, two pioneers in the US natural building movement, famously built their cob (it's kind of like adobe) home for only $500.

My advice would be to sign up for any natural building workshops that are in your area, and take lots of notes, pictures, and video. Start building up a good library of books (since a lot of natural builders are hippie-types, you can often download their books for free online). Keep a notebook full of your sketches and ideas (Google also has a free modeling program called SketchUp that you can try using if you want to have a 3D model) and collect materials if you can. Then when the time comes to actually get started you will have your ideas in order, a lot of materials at hand, knowledge and experience, and contacts with folks that can help you out if something goes wrong.

Don't let people tell you it will be too expensive or too hard unless they've got actual experience in natural building. I have known people that have built beautiful buildings without any fancy equipment or tools.

Edit: For a good first book, I would recommend Ianto Evans' The Hand-Sculpted House. It covers everything from the most basic newbie questions to more complex issues likes drainage and wiring. It also has a section on living roofs, which is what you would want for a hobbit home.

u/jssj13 · 13 pointsr/RealEstate

Why build yourself? Are you looking for something in particular? Building a house in not an easy endeavor.

I'm saying that as a "builder" now working on my second build. I'm not a traditional builder, but I was/am working with smaller in-city lots and am building specifically for long term hold rental properties. My properties had to be custom designed to fit the lots and are for student rentals, so I designed them with smaller bedrooms without master suites, low maintenance long term items (spray foamed the entire exterior of the house, standing seam roof, etc) I literally built the house myself. I was the GC and did a lot of the work myself. It took me about 15 months (demo to CO) for the first one and the second we broke ground about 3 months ago. The drawing and permitting process took ~6 months prior on both. It was an extremely rewarding experience once I finished, but it was extremely stressful on the family and I just can't imagine a normal person doing it. I literally was on my job site 95% of the days over those 15 months.

I'm a huge fan of building science and while I like the idea of Passivehaus, I'm would caution that reaching those higher limits may not be worth the effort if you aren't a building science nerd like I am. More often than not many "normal" contractors will either lie to you saying they know what you want and know how to do it or will have the deer in the headlights look. If you want to get to the higher standards you will have to find those specific contractors and they are not cheap nor are they always readily available.

Agreed with the other user on low maintenance material. The current house I'm building I found a new siding that is definitely more expensive, but is actually dyed through (composite) and therefore will never need to be painted and it being a composite means no caulk. Again that is a tradeoff of upfront cost versus down the road cost.

Lastly before I built my first house I read for almost 2 years. I was/am a full time landlord so am fairly free so that reading was really "studying" and "preparing"for me. One minor note regarding the book list is that I wasn't looking for a builder as I had time and wanted to try and build a house. So many of the books I read were more granular and not so much about permitting and budgeting, etc. I figured I would figure out that stuff as I went along and I did. One big caveat, I didn't finance my build, but if you are you will more than likely need to hire a licensed GC/builder.

Books I read:

  1. I read a lot of the IRC code book (make sure you municipality uses the IRC). This was to ensure that I could check on the people that I hired.

    https://www.amazon.com/International-Residential-Two-Family-Dwellings-Council/dp/1609837371

  1. Read a lot about building science. Not in any particular order of preference.

    Green from the ground up

    https://www.amazon.com/Green-Ground-Sustainable-Energy-Efficient-Construction/dp/156158973X

    Green Home Building

    https://www.amazon.com/Green-Home-Building-Money-Saving-High-Performance/dp/0865717796

    Superhouse

    https://www.amazon.com/Super-House-Efficiency-Dazzling-Strength/dp/0965792633

    Buildings don't lie

    https://www.amazon.com/Buildings-Dont-Lie-Henry-Gifford/dp/0999011006

    Complete visual guide to building a house

    https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Visual-Guide-Building-House/dp/1600850227

  2. A lot of the Taunton Press For Pros by Pros (framing, wiring a house, siding, plumbing, concrete, trim, windows) books. Those were for my education on the utilities as I did most of this myself. Some of this may be too granular for you, but still lots of great info in there.

    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Taunton+For+Pros+by+Pros&ref=nb_sb_noss

    There were many more books, but these are the ones I thought worthwhile to buy.
u/popo707 · 8 pointsr/Carpentry

I'm fairly new to the trade. Been in for about a year now. The way I got in was by looking on craigslist for carpenter apprentices. A local contractor picked me up and I've been on the job learning since. It's very rewarding, expecially when you finish a project or big job, and it is very difficult at times too. Moving stacks of lumber around and working outside on roofs when it's over 100 out isn't fun. I would say with my company we dabble in many things from framing, finish work, remodels, and custom projects. I've heard of guys on this sub who had been working on prefab stuff in shops hoping to get out and work on real homes, but there are plenty of guys who love that stuff because being inside with ac is always nice. I've heard big companies that build track homes are pretty fast paced and a lot of people leave because the pressure and stress amd repetitivness. Also, attention to detail and listening to directions are very important no matter the job. Other than that tools are #1. If you don't have the tools you're useless. Not all jobs do you provide your own tools, but if you're not with some big company you will most likely provide that on your own. You can find some pretty good lists online of general tools you should have. Skilsaw (Mag77), bags, sawsall, grinder, impact, drill, holehawg, levels, nailers, hoses and compressor are some pretty basic things you should have and have experience with. Look up "Larry Haun" when you have a chance. He has good material that you can read/watch through. Other than that listen to advice from the OGs on the job and be confident in your measurements before you cut. As long as you're willing to learn there will be someone willing to teach you. Good luck out there :)

u/YITredMR · 2 pointsr/WaltDisneyWorld

Check out Bob Gurr's Google Talk, particularly at the 12 minute mark when he hears his interviewer use the word "Process." It's pretty funny. Watch the whole video. It's great. I'd also recommend any of the D23 panels that include the Imagineering Legends (Sklar, Gurr, Tony Baxter, Alice Davis, Rolly Crump, Joe Rohde, and others).

I was fortunate enough to hear Bob speak and meet him. Very, very nice gentleman.

In terms of books, in addition to those already mentioned:

The Imagineering Way is a fun book about the way they go about things.

The Imagineering Workout is a fun companion book.

John Hench's Designing Disney is a fun, visual look at his time with Disney.

Building a Better Mouse is a very specific story about the engineers who built The American Adventure show. This might be something you'd find interesting as an engineering student.

Project Future discusses the land acquisition in Florida. Very interesting book.

Three Years in Wonderland covers the construction and development of Disneyland in detail, more regarding the business side of things (leases, sponsors and partnerships).

*Walt and the Promise of Progress City is another fun book on the acquisition and the original EPCOT concept.

The main Walt Disney Imagineering Book is a great start, and Marty's two books are good as well.

I've also found Creativity, Inc to be inspirational. It goes back to the storytelling roots, but you'll find that most of the Imagineering books, articles, and posts are all about storytelling.

u/BuckRafferty · 14 pointsr/TinyHouses

Timber framing is not the same as 2x4 construction, but a timber frame may use 2x4's to fill in the gaps. The main difference between a timber frame and "stick-built" (2x4) structure is that the timbers are the main source of structure or "skeleton" of the building. Once the frame is built, you just have to fill in the empty spaces. You can do this with dimensional lumber like 2x4's, or you can do cordwood, which is cement and logs (looks amazing). There are a number of other option for filling in a timber frame that your book probably covers. Timber-framing is a bit more involved and physically demanding than 2x4/stick built framing, but it is also much more beautiful and will last much longer. I've timber-framed a few small cabins and I can tell you first hand that it is an incredibly fun and satisfying way to build.

​

Edit: this is also a great resource https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Frame-Construction-Post-Beam/dp/0882663658/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=timber+frame&qid=1563287101&s=gateway&sr=8-3

u/Ask_Seek_Knock · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon


Item which would most make you seem like an old posh Englishman.. Because the posh always like to have smart books about, it reflects well on them. Even if they haven't read them. Located on my Books wish list.

Most "oh god, I would never be seen with this in public" looking item.. It just looks weird, that's all. Located in my >$8.00 with shipping wish list.

Most phallic looking item. Located on my Knitting & Crochet wish list.

Most geeky item. Which is on my Entertainment wish list
Or this on my Misc list.

Or this from my Dream List
Maybe even this which is on my Books I have a lot of them :D

Item which would most help you achieve a goal. We're designing and building our own home over the next couple of years so the book would be very helpful in achieving that goal. It is located on my House Design wish list.

Best item to bring to a deserted island. Eating is important, being able to cut things is important for eating. On my Cooking & baking list.

u/wizardnamehere · 6 pointsr/urbanplanning

Firstly on the resources for Urban planning. Well. Honestly, I haven't personally great online resources for learning about Urban planning. Various government institutions have released master plans and design guide documents (almost all are pretty boring). Your best bet (unfortunately) is in buying expensive books online and getting it shipped to you. There are plenty of great planning books for the European context. Particularly urban design books.

https://www.reddit.com/r/urbanplanning/wiki/readinglist Is worth a look at. (most are american focuses of course)

I think these might be useful to you.

https://www.amazon.com/City-Reader-5th-Routledge-Urban/dp/0415556651

https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Land-Planning-Alan-Evans/dp/140511861X

https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Economics-Arthur-OSullivan/dp/0073511471

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Streets-Press-Allan-Jacobs/dp/0262600234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536125765&sr=8-1&keywords=great+streets

​

On the green space/parking. Well firstly it really depends on:

A) what is the land parcel you already own here. Who owns the petrol station? What is the minimum set back from the Ma-6014 road?

B) What kind of funding do you have? Are you using a loan?

C) what are your zoning and planning powers here?

D) how many cars do you need to accommodate and how much of the parking share would be given for free and how will you pay for that (will the foreign parking pay for it? Will you need general revenue or will you lease out some land for commercial purposes to cover costs -and do you have the power to do that) -I'm personally against free parking but i get it's appeal and use as a planning tool-.

E) What kind of services does your town lack? Child care? Library (if within your level of government)? Flexible community space (i.e cheaply rent-able rooms for hire by community groups)?

F) What's the parking for anyway? Do people drive to your town to go to the beach (will it compete with the beach front parking)? Or do people use the town as a dormitory suburb for Parma and is that is why people park there? Will people be using the car park all the time? On the weekends? Mornings and at night in the week days?

​

Other random observations:

-How much demand is there fore more green space? The town seems to be pretty well provisioned with public space (even if there isn't much 'green' public space). There's also near by natural reserve.

-There's a lack of street trees east of the supermarket and police station.

- Whats up with the fence around the main park? For the children?

-From an urban design perspective, everything around that park is such a missed opportunity.

u/mollaby38 · 1 pointr/history

I can't believe no one has mentioned it yet, but you'd love Bill Bryson's book At Home. It's written for a general audience so some stuff may not be new to you, but it is all encompassing and pretty much covers the exact period you're talking about. I'm on my second read through now. It's funny too!

Edit: Oh, just read that you're from Australia. If you live in Melbourne you should go to the Rippon Lea Estate and take the tour. The house has been around since the 1860's (I think). It's like a little museum of life in Australia around the turn of the century. Plus the gardens are fantastically beautiful.

u/duck_mancer · 3 pointsr/WaltDisneyWorld

Walt Disney's Disneyland is an incredibly comprehensive history of the original park. While it includes plenty of concept art it features many historical photos, planning documents, construction photos etc as well as taking the most detailed approach to the story of the park's construction and updates I've seen.

Walt Disney Imagineering is a good companion with a stronger focus on World, but this is more specific ride histories and designs than the overall park.

The Art of Walt Disney is a fantastic top to bottom look at the history of the studios and company, with plenty of amazing illustrations but is obviously art driven.

DisneyWar (already mentioned) is the seminal account of the Eisner era specifically and takes the word "comprehensive" to new heights.

The Walt Disney Studios (releasing this Sept) promises to be an excellent account of the film studios themselves and movies developed there.

As others have touched on there is a little bit of a vacuum for works that are just written histories, most have to get wrapped around "art" in some capacity to justify all of these books being $60+ 300 page hardcovers.

u/Squebeb · 2 pointsr/architecture

Do your grades for your diploma count towards UCAS points? If they do, then it shouldn't be too much of an issue as many universities go by that system and not strictly A Levels. What I would do is visit as many universities as possible, have a look at some of the work students do and ask the tutors. Some universities focus heavily on the technical side of architecture whereas others look towards a more artistic side. If you're getting a diploma on graphic design, then it would probably be best to lean towards the artistically oriented uni's as you might have a better chance with those.

Another thing you should do which is perhaps the most important thing is build up a strong portfolio and try to make it architecture related as possible. Many universities will ask for one and it can make a huge difference. I'd suggest buying an A3 sketchbook and a pencil and just go out and draw. It doesn't necessarily need to be a work of art, it's more about recording, anaylsing and communicating what you see around you. You could also buy a roll of tracing paper and draw some of your own designs over your sketches and photographs.

You could even start making physical models and using programs such as Sketchup to further develop your ideas and add them to your portfolio. If you really wanted to get technical, you could start looking into structure and detailing. Building Construction Illustrated by Francis Ching and subscribing to Detail Magazine are excellent for this and chances are you'll use them for life as well as throughout university.

It would also be worth looking at other portfolios to help you have an idea of what to include in yours and how to present them. I'd recommend big.dk as a good example, but be sure to look at others. Try to avoid too much writing, your work should speak for itself. When people are looking through portfolios, they're not going to bother reading lots of text so your work needs to stand out.

Good luck!

u/brainflosser · 4 pointsr/history

I love the Mental Floss History of the World and Mental Floss History of the United States. Those two may be exactly what you're looking for. Also, check out Sarah Vowell. Assasination Vacation is great. Bill Bryson's work is excellent. A Short History of Nearly Everything is mind-blowing and I've heard great things about At Home which is next on my reading list. :)

u/Dj_White_Gold · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

Here are some of the books that I learned a lot from:

General Knowledge

Plumbing

Electrical

Additions (I don’t like this book as much as the rest as far as individual tasks go, but it’s value comes from teaching more about project management than anything else)

Framing

There’s a couple more that I can’t remember the names of right now, I’ll see if I can find them this weekend and make a post for other diyers

These aren’t really books for pros (except for The Very Efficient Carpenter), but I’ve found they’re very good guides for diyers. They’re what got me started, and I think I’ve reached a pretty high skill level with their help

u/anomoly · 2 pointsr/movies

Anyone agreeing with this statement, and interested in how this came to be, should enjoy At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. It's one of my favorites.

In the words of the author "We are so used to having a lot of comfort in our lives -- to being clean, warm, and well fed -- that we forget how recent most of that is. In fact, achieving these things took forever, and then they mostly came in a rush. How that happened when it did, and why it took so long to get it, is what the following pages are about."

The audio book version is narrated by Bryson and I highly recommend it. The man is a joy to listen to.

u/magpie-birdie · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

If altering walls/floorplans is important to you, definitely make sure to bone up on framing and carpentry - there are some great books on Amazon that are geared towards apprentices. They're very easy to understand and will help you figure out how to make changes to your home. At the very least, you'll be familiar enough with basic concepts to ask smart questions of any contractors you hire in the future.

Also, you'll want to learn about the difference between load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls.

If you're looking to find a professional for his/her opinion, assistance or labor, asking elderly neighbors for recommendations is a good place to start. Don't overlook asking around at your local mom & pop hardware, plumbing store or sawmill as well. The "gruff curmudgeon" working the counter for the last 20 years has seen & heard a lot and can be an invaluable resource.

If you find yourself buying supplies locally, it's almost always preferable to buy them on a 'cash and carry' basis at a source that sells to pro-contractors. Sherwin-Williams vs Home Depot, for example. These guys sell products that are meant to last (no pro worth his or her salt wants to come back and redo a job they just finished because something has failed or broken) and that aren't available in big-box stores. The more you buy, the more of a relationship you will build, and this is always a good thing when it comes to DIY. There are a lot of fantastic roofing/plumbing/tile shops in nondescript pole-barns out in the middle of 'nowhere'. You can usually find these shops by reading pro-forums online, searching for products that are mentioned, and then looking for distributors on those product manufacturer's websites.

Last but not least, if you ever find yourself looking for granite or marble counters, pay a visit to your local tombstone/monument company. You can often pick up amazing deals, and if your project is small enough, you can buy their "scrap" trimmings for far, far less than you would pay at Lowe's or a custom kitchen company. (We scored beautiful marble thresholds and window sills for our bathroom remodel for $20 each; the tombstone maker custom-cut them out of a piece of overage he had leaned up against the back of the building.)

u/squeak363 · 1 pointr/RandomActsOfGaming

43.773157, 11.256953

Brunelleschi's Dome is still the largest unsupported masonry dome in the world, even though it was built in the Renaissance. You can actually climb to the top of the dome and see over all of Florence, just a spectacular view. Probably my favorite place I've ever visited. There's actually a book about how the dome was built that's really interesting.

I was hoping to get the Super Meat Boy bundle, but I like puzzle games, so if there is a different puzzle bundle/game available, that would be awesome as well. Thanks for the giveaway!

u/LeKoos · 2 pointsr/urbandesign

No shame in copying.

Look at great examples of Section drawings of Streetscapes and emulate them in some way. Pay attention to the details, how do they dimension? how do they draw a person, car, bus, tree? How do they depict architecture?

Here's a famous example: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Streets-Allan-B-Jacobs/dp/0262600234

Go digital though if you can do that look.


Getting dimensions is fairly simple. Measure from google earth. Measuring tape, Find out a street standard for a particular city to fact check as you go along. Figure out your pace as you walk across a roadway.

For buildings:

Step 1: Have a friend with a specific height (let's say 6') or most doorways are 6'8" tall.
Step 2: Have them stand against a building.
Step 3: Take a photo from further away to get the entire building and your friend in the photo.

Step 4: Now to find the height figure out how many of your friend (6') you can fit from the ground to the roof of the building.

e.g. This building can fit your friend 4 times so your building is 24'.


Hope this helps.

u/iamktothed · 4 pointsr/Design

Interaction Design

u/nickpickles · 3 pointsr/todayilearned

Well, there could be a lot of factors determining sub-par mass transit in an urban area. At the most basic level it could be lack of funding. In WA state we dealt with this over ten years ago with Tim Eyman's I-695 which in my area cut mass transit funding 50%. When you have a group of voters who say "fuck it" to funding bus/light rail you're going to have progressively worse service.

Another aspect is urban congestion. If you are running a bus line without dedicated lanes in a dense downtown region (or the center of an auto-centric sprawl city like Atlanta) it's going to back up and cause delayed routes, more gas consumption, and longer rides. Light rail, commuter rail, and BRT can move faster in most locations but require a larger investment (more money per mile of service, which won't happen if voters turn down taxes and bonds for it). Also factor in the continued sprawling out of cities like Phoenix, which requires more money to service fewer riders due to low density.

It's funny now because many cities are opting to re-implement the trolley lines they so quickly tore up in the 40's/50's/60's, albeit at a cost. When you had cities growing organically with an urban core that included housing followed by streetcar neighborhoods, the transportation system was integrated into the environment (you walked in downtown, took a streetcar to home/visit in the peripheral neighborhoods). The streetcars were tracked and had the right of way. When the cities tore the tracks up and placed their buses within the street traffic, which would become more congested than we could have ever imagined, in many cases we see them giving up a dedicated right of way for transit and forcing their vehicles right into the shark tank, so to say.

The post-war boom that fueled auto production/purchase coupled with the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 swelled the streets with cars and kicked off the suburban sprawl that still persists today (although the numbers have lowered significantly since the 1990's and took a sharp decline since 2008). A few good books on these subjects include: Suburban Nation, The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways, Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820-2000, and How Cities Work : Suburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads Not Taken Here are a few about specific cities with high amounts of sprawl that go into what factors caused this and the problems faced today: The Reluctant Metropolis: The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles and Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World's Least Sustainable City (which I am reading right now and can say so far is a really interesting history of the city).

u/Rubix1988 · 5 pointsr/UniversityofReddit

Francis Ching has some good reference books for a starter: Building construction illustrated and Architecture: Form Space and Order. It might be a good idea to regularly visit sites like ArchDaily to see what contemporary architects are doing. If you want to start learning design programs, try downloading SketchUp or Rhino (both have free versions). Good luck!

u/zoltecrules · 1 pointr/MechanicalEngineering

So, regarding the eligibility for an MSME program, I don't think you'll be able to get accepted without some level of BSME curriculum. You might not need a full BSME, but there would be some core courses you'll need to take. More discussion here: https://m.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/comments/32pfc8/those_who_have_a_msme/

Now as for the Disney Imagineering path, I wouldn't limit yourself to Orlando area. Judging by the latest engineering job postings (link), it seems a lot of their staff is in Glendale, CA. There has been a lot of discussion here on Reddit as well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3e7i0z/iwasan_imagineer_amaa/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Disneyland/comments/2m8ign/how_do_you_become_an_imagineer_at_disneyland/

You also might want to start reading up on Imagineering as well. I've found dozens of books on Amazon on the subject. Here's just one: http://amzn.to/29HwlF0. There are numerous books on theme park engineering as well.

Hope this helps. Sounds like you have some research to do.

u/Marxshmarx · 1 pointr/pics

It'd sure save you a lot of money. But it would be seriously laborious and unless you have a strong working knowledge of framing, codes, power tools, and jobsite safety I'd advise against it. You probably only need to read a few books and experiment with some tools to be capable though. I'd recommend starting with this if you're interested in building structures.

u/Rabirius · 7 pointsr/architecture

For identifying the elements and composing with them:

Classical Architecture by Robert Adam is really great.

Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid by Marianne Cusato is also very useful.

Regarding the second point, it comes from a reading of Vitruvius and his principle of decorum. For a good overview, I recommend Architecture, Liberty and Civic Order by Carroll William Westfall.

u/cirrus42 · 18 pointsr/urbanplanning

In this exact order:

  1. Start with Suburban Nation by Duany, Zyberk, and Speck. It's super easy to read, totally skimmable, and has a lot of great graphics and diagrams that help explain things. It's not the deepest book out there, but it's the best place to start.

  2. After that, try Geography of Nowhere by Kunstler. The author can be cranky and there are no diagrams, but he does a nice job of explaining how suburbia happened, why it made sense at the time, and why it's not so great anymore. Basically it's a primer on the key issue facing city planning today.

  3. After them, you'll be ready for The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jacobs. This is the bible of urbanism, the most important and influential book written about the form of cities since the invention of the car. But it's not as accessible as the first two, so I wouldn't start here.

  4. Walkable City by Speck. This is the newest of the bunch, and provides the data to back up the claims from the previous 3.

  5. Image of the City by Lynch. This one is a series of case studies that will teach you how to "read" how a city functions based on its form. The examples are all woefully obsolete, which is too bad, but still teaches you an important skill.
u/nmkcole03 · 2 pointsr/TinyHouses

Cool design!

I highly recommend taking a look at the book “Green From the Ground Up,” it provides great insight into making an affordable, healthy, and quality home, and would apply even better to a tiny house!

https://www.amazon.com/Green-Ground-Sustainable-Energy-Efficient-Construction/dp/156158973X

u/CallMeTwain · 2 pointsr/whatisthisthing

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

One of my favorite books from my favorite author. Definitely a good read for anyone who wants to learn about the things you'd never think you'd want to know about. Like why forks have 4 tongs instead of 3 or 5 and why we have such an abiding attachment to salt and pepper instead of cinnamon and cardamom.

u/DasGanon · 2 pointsr/techtheatre

Would also maybe throw on "At Home" by Bill Bryson it's not too relevant, but it's a fun history of western houses and can help inspire with Scenic design.

u/DameoftheDen · 1 pointr/homeschool

My son is similar though younger. He enjoys books on architecture like the book cathedral
Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction https://www.amazon.com/dp/0395316685/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SP2MAb9P0DY50

and a recent one on bridges that shows how every different type of bridge in the Portland /Vancouver area was made.
The Big & Awesome Bridges of Portland & Vancouver : A Book for Young Readers and Their Teachers https://www.amazon.com/dp/0978736567/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DU2MAbYFKBWHB


I have architectural blueprints from a family member that I'm going to let him copy or trace soon.

I give him Lego challenges. Www.dameoftheden.com/block-challenge/

I'm looking forward to seeing him grow, little engineers are fascinating!


u/Pink1253 · 6 pointsr/WaltDisneyWorld

They are no longer sold in the parks, but I got one of these books about each park on Amazon.
The Imagineering Field Guide to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World--Updated! (An Imagineering Field Guide) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1423124685/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_V2nEAb9ESJWFM

This book is awesome as well.
Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making More Magic Real https://www.amazon.com/dp/1423107667/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_G5nEAbWCYDX57

u/owner_builder · 1 pointr/Construction

I'm preparing to build my own house (both serving as GC and with hammer in hand) with very limited experience.

Fine Homebuilding Magazine and internet subscription is great.

Also

Housebuilding; A Do-It-Yourself Guide, Revised and Expanded is a great book.


Fine Homebuilding offers very in-depth explanation on specific subject matter. For example I just read a great article and videos on mitering VS coping crown molding.

The Housebuilding book is a very broad and complete guide, if a little shallow. If you don't know all the phases of construction and most of the options for each step, this is a great book to start with and you can go researching from there.

u/sweater_ · 2 pointsr/AYearOfLesMiserables

I really love the book At Home by Bill Bryson and that’s basically all digressions...so when I read there were tons of digressions about the Paris sewer system, argot, the battle of Waterloo and so on, I said to myself, “this sounds like a beautiful literary marriage of my favorite things! Sign me up!”

u/ReverendDizzle · 4 pointsr/booksuggestions

Off the top of my head here are some interesting books I've read (or reread) lately that I think you might enjoy and fall nicely into the young-adult-expanding-their-mind category.

The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti

Really interesting look at what the implications of the American obsession with virginity/purity are.

---

The Communist Manifesto (edited/annotated by Phil Gasper)

Everybody should read the Communist Manifesto. It's too big of a part of history (and of America's history of opposition to communism) to not read. Gasper's heavy annotations make this an absolutely top-notch edition to read.

---

At Home by Bill Bryson

Really enjoyable overview of the history of domestic life and it's myriad of quirks and traditions.

---

Escaping the Endless Adolescence: How We Can Help Our Teenagers Grow Up Before They Grow Old by Joseph Allen

Very interesting look at the current trend in America of lengthening adolescence and how our extension of what we consider adolescence well into the 20s is harming young adults.

u/reillser · 4 pointsr/AskHistorians

I recommend reading 'At Home' by Bill Bryson. He goes through this in detail.
From what I recall, houses used to be just one big room, animals, people, servants all in the one place. Over the centuries, people got bette at building walls, so they built these buildings higher - this showed your wealth and was much less smokey. As there was all that extra room above head height, primitive first-floors came about, pretty much just elevated sleeping areas for the main family in the home. That's when people began sleeping upstairs, hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Kitchens were at the back of the house so that visitors didn't need to see them. Dining rooms were adjacent to kitchens for ease of service.

I didn't include dates here as I'm sleepy can't can't remember, but the book is a great read http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0767919394

u/Random · 3 pointsr/gamedev

The Art of Game Design - Jesse Schell is very very good.

Game AI (Millington and Funge new edition iirc) is very very good.

Some non-game-design books that are very useful for those doing game design:

Scott McLoud: Making Comics (the other two in the series are good but the section on plot, characterization, and development in this one is great)

Donald Norman: The Design of Everyday Things. (How design works and how people interact with technology and...)

Christopher Alexander et al A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, and Construction (Thinking about scale and design elements and modularity and...)

Kevin Lynch: The Image of the City (How do urban spaces work - essential if your game is set in a city - how do people actually navigate)

Polti: The 36 Dramatic Situations (old, quirky, examines how there are really only a few human plots)

Matt Frederick: 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (how to think about and execute simple art, improve your design sense, ...)

u/hankydysplasia · 2 pointsr/BuildAHouse

I recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-American-Houses-Revised/dp/0375710825

It has pages on pages of colonial houses. It also calls out design choices that are consistent with the style.

I’m sure you can google or Pinterest more options, but long-term I would be wary of trends.

That house pictured is beautiful though. In going through the process I would start by writing down all your needs for each room based on what you actually do and then when you see interior plans, make sure it does what you want it to.

u/J_Webb · 4 pointsr/worldbuilding

I highly suggest purchasing resource books on urban design, urban planning, and city structure. I will list some for you. I like to keep the aid of resource books in my personal library collection, and I am finding that urban planning resource books are helping me greatly in my world-building process.

I highly suggest looking into the life work of urban planner and MIT lecturer Kevin A. Lynch. He studied how urban environments are heavily shaped and influenced by fundamental human values and perceptions. Cities reflected directly those whom lived within them according to Lynch.

Here is a list of books as well as a link to their Amazon page:

  • Good City Form by Kevin A. Lynch link here

  • The Image of the City by Kevin A. Lynch link here

  • The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects by Lewis Mumford link here

  • Design of Cities: Revised Edition by Edmund N. Bacon link here

  • The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History by Spiro Kostof link here

    Provided on each page is a wide variety of other resource books depending on the time period you are aiming on world-building around. I hope this helped.
u/euric · 1 pointr/books

Malcolm Gladwell or Bill Bryson spring to mind. Entertaining, engaging and light hearted, yet still packed with good content.

If you were looking for fiction recommendations, have you thought of short stories? Gabriel Garcia Marquez has quite a collection - I'd recommend Strange Pilgrims.

Edit: Added links.

u/fernker · 2 pointsr/Disneyland

I have a couple that I've loved:

Walt Disney Imagineering Behind Dreams

And version 2 of the book:

Walt Disney Imagineering Behind Dreams 2

I've also really enjoyed this one:

Disney Mountains Imagineering at its Peak

u/Jibart · 16 pointsr/thesims

Love this! I am actually doing a personal challenge where I am building each type of house.

​

This is another great resource, goes in depth!

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-American-Houses-Revised/dp/0375710825

u/DeltaIndiaCharlieKil · 1 pointr/randopics

Yeah, /u/A_Bus_Fulla_Nunz is correct. Michelangelo had nothing to do with the the dome itself.

I highly recommend the book Brunelleschi's Dome. It will blow your mind how amazing the creation of this cathedral is.

u/ItsJustaMetaphor · 2 pointsr/Permaculture
  • Serious Straw Bale

  • The Hand-Sculpted House

    These two books have made me confident I can build my own small house with natural materials. I am starting a pole barn with cob walls this month and a small straw bale guest house on my property later this year with the guidance of these books.

    Also, this blog is a great resource for code issues related to tiny houses.
u/harvus1 · 2 pointsr/videos

At home is a great read. It is basically a way of discussing many interesting facts and events throughout history, draped over a rough scaffold of investigation into the beginnings of a house. Highly recommend.

u/copopeJ · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine is a great start for understanding shinto. Another great one is Shinto: The Kami Way. I used both for a capstone paper on Shinto in college, and they were invaluable resources.

u/ningwut5000 · 3 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Not that person but:
get your house right is a pretty good book on architectural details

u/kruegersar · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I like big books and I cannot lie really... I love them.

Non-fiction:
History of your home!
Some badass women!
What did those lyrics mean?

fiction:
The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr. Its a huge series, that is the first one.
Or seriously, anything by Dan Simmons. :)

u/Morvahna · 5 pointsr/architecture

As someone who recently purchased A Field Guide to American Houses for personal reading (and to figure out what house style I've always liked but not known the name of), this is amazing. Great work!

u/Barabbas- · 2 pointsr/architecture

Architecture isn't a very textbook-y kind of field, so there aren't really many authoritative books that are universally used by everyone (other than the IBC).
Francis D. K. Ching is really the only exception to this rule as most schools seem to have incorporated at least one of his books into their curriculum. I would highly recommend the following:


Form Space and Order is a great introductory text that will introduce aspiring architects to some of the basic concepts of architecture.
Building Codes Illustrated relays code information graphically, making it easier to understand. It is not a replacement for the actual code, but it will at least give you an idea of what to look for.
Building Construction Illustrated is arguably the most useful of the three. I continue to refer back to this book even today and I'm not even in school anymore.

u/gordonv · 2 pointsr/AbandonedPorn

There's a reqlly good book called A Carpenter's Life Told by Houses, Larry Haun

If your into house histories, and yes, the does talk about Sears houses, this is a great book. Easy to read also.

u/BigBankHank · 34 pointsr/DIY

Correct.

For those with any interest in getting architectural details right when you're DIY'ing, I cannot recommend this book enough. I bought 10 years ago and it's hands down my favorite/ most recommended reference ever.

Source:
I'm a contractor, the product of an interior designer mom and a lumber/building supplies wholesaler dad. Grew up with Arch Digest, Fine Homebuilding, JLC, and a million other design & home improvement publications littering the house.

u/ficklehearts · 8 pointsr/architecture

pick up any francis ching book. they are wonderfully illustrated and quite helpful.

u/GodoftheStorms · 3 pointsr/television

It's not a TV show, but Bill Bryson's book At Home: A Short History of Private Life is a good read on this topic. It's a history of all the rooms in a house, including many of the items in it. It's exhaustive and entertaining.

u/peens_peens · 1 pointr/architecture

I'm currently in graduate school. Most of the textbooks I bought were for my technical classes like environmental technology or structures. I have used:

Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius. I used this in my theory class. It's a pretty neat book that offers classic principles of architecture.

The Ethical Function of Architecture This is another theory book that offers more contemporary architectural issues. I'm not the biggest fan of theoretical readings but it's not too bad.

Building Construction Illustrated by Francis Ching

Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings

Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods

101 Things I Learned in Architecture School This is one I think every architecture student should own. Its very small and simple.

u/guardian146 · 3 pointsr/disney

Here are my favorites:

Designing Disney

Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends

The Disney Mountains

It's Kinda a Cute Story

and anything in the Imagineering Field Guide Series.

u/Orthodox_Mason · 3 pointsr/architecture

I am going to recommend a couple of books that should provide insight into the language that buildings speak. These books get at the established rules of building design in a practical way. Certainly, the conversation of architecture is an immense and ongoing conversation, but I think these books serve as a good introductory.

The Old Way of Seeing

Get Your House Right

u/Joessandwich · 3 pointsr/science

If this interests you, try reading "At Home: A Short History of the Private Life" by Bill Bryson. It's full of info like this and is fascinating!

http://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Short-History-Private/dp/0767919394

u/reswobjr3 · 5 pointsr/Disneyland

I have this one on my book shelf, it's pretty good.

u/Darth_Dave · 7 pointsr/booksuggestions

Have you read anything by Bill Bryson? A Short History of Nearly Everything and At Home are two of the most entertaining, well written and informative books I've ever read.

u/istartedi · 2 pointsr/history

I scrolled down just for this. I have fond memories of a co-worker bringing in a book that explained with illustrations how cathedrals were built. It may have been Macaulay. The most impressive thing to me was the hamster-wheel like lift they used to bring materials up to height.

u/plainjim · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

"At Home" is a fantastic book by bill bryson. It is a history of "homelife". The book is framed roughly by bill as he walks through his house in england. As he passes through each room in the house (kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom) he tells the history of humans as it relates to that room. How we slept and courted (in ancient times, as history progressed, up until now), how we ate, how we studied and farmed, etc. It is a page turner for sure, he has amazing style. It is more focused on the changes that occurred from the middle ages until now but does touch on antiquity.

I highly recommend it. It appears to be exactly what you are looking for. It details how specific technologies and tools changed the way we live. How/where did people shit before the toilet? Did they wipe or use water? What did they eat off of? How was food cooked and preserved? How were jobs allocated?

One fact I gleaned? When you buy a college dorm plan or hotel that includes "Room and board" (which means a bed to sleep in and food), the phrase comes from the fact that in the medieval ages tavern patrons ate their food off of a wooden board laid across their laps.

u/mnwinterite · 2 pointsr/videos

I agree, he was a kind person too, very well spoken and well thought out. I posted an article above from the NYT when he passed away. I just bought his [book] (https://www.amazon.com/Carpenters-Life-Told-Houses/dp/1600854028).

u/Trumpthulhu-Fhtagn · 1 pointr/castles

Go to your local library, the books I linked and ones like them are very often available in the kid's sections. Free!


Depending on what you are trying to do - this book is amazing. It really shakes your preconceptions by exploring how people lived in different times. Not "castles" but an incredible eye opener.

https://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Short-History-Private-ebook/dp/B003F3FJGY/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

u/hubris-hub · 4 pointsr/Medici_Netflix

If you're at all interested in the building of Il Duomo di Firenze, I'd highly recommend the book Brunelleschi's Dome

u/golf4miami · 2 pointsr/Disneyland

If you're looking for things most people won't know. Try the Progress City Primer.

if you're looking for cool things from an Imagineer. Try Designing Disney by John Hench

If you're looking for more of an overview of Imagineering. Try Imagineering Disney.

If you're looking for a light overview of the park through time. Try Disneyland Through the Decades.

u/cursethedarkness · 3 pointsr/Houseporn

My book that I go back to again and again is A Field Guide to American Homes. It has lots of pictures of each style, as well as drawings of details and information on the overall shapes used in the various styles. The 1984 edition is also available for just a few dollars. It's also very good, but it doesn't have the chapters on recent developments (like McMansions), as well as a chapter on how to choose appropriate detailing for what the author refers to as "new traditional" homes. Anyone building a house should read that chapter.

u/SpankSearch · 2 pointsr/AbandonedPorn

Funny you should ask!

No, I am NOT BB trying to push book sales:

http://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Short-History-Private/dp/0767919394


A UK home. FULL of amazing facts. Not his best I think, but still a great read.

The US used to have forests that went on for thousands of miles.


Since 1600, 90% of the virgin forests that once covered much of the lower 48 states have been cleared away. Most of the remaining old-growth forests in the lower 48 states and Alaska are on public lands. In the Pacific Northwest about 80% of this forestland is slated for logging.


http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/deforest/deforest.html

u/rockafirelover · 2 pointsr/Disneyland

[Thiiiiiiiiiissssss.] (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Disney-Walt-Imagineering-Book/dp/1423119150) I was told if you wanted to ever be an imagineer, read this book, and apply it to heart

u/shark615 · 2 pointsr/DIY

http://www.amazon.ca/Timber-Frame-Construction-Post-Beam/dp/0882663658

for this type of building that is a great primer

u/RebuildingABungalow · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

I recommend the For Pros by Pros book series for each trade. https://www.tauntonstore.com/for-pros-by-pros-series

I’d also recommend:

u/ekofromlost · 1 pointr/history

Bill Bryson's "At Home" covers it. And other stories, like why we still have buttons on our jacker sleeves, since they have no purpose.

It's not better than "A short History of Everything" but It's a very nice read. We learn a lot and have a blast.

u/TheSlovakMeatCannon · 1 pointr/Carpentry

You're right, there is no one right way to do anything.

All I'm going off of is your first comment about your dad being disappointed in you for buying a book. And my point was that it was the most basic of starting points.

With an example of hammering a nail, the book would tell you how to grip the hammer, how to hold the nail, where to place the nail on the material, maybe offer a tip of blunting the tip of the nail to prevent splitting, the mechanics of the swing, and the steps to start and complete the process.

Of course it's up to you to do it and figure out what works for you and how to get better at it. Same thing for someone offering tips and help.

In the end though, a book is a respectable place to get that foundation of knowledge and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Oh, and Larry Haun also wrote an autobiography, too. https://www.amazon.com/Carpenters-Life-Told-Houses/dp/1600854028

u/no-mad · 2 pointsr/FurnitureMaking

This is an old book by Jack Sobon. He is a timber-framer and has become a historian on old barns.

"Silent Spaces" is a beautiful book of old barns of Europe.

u/TheRuhrJuhr · 3 pointsr/SantasLittleHelpers

If you'd like to add this one to your Amazon wishlist and I'll send it along. Amazon says it will arrive by the 23rd, just in time.

u/disposableassassin · 9 pointsr/architecture

It's always been like this... I think someone should take the Field Guide to American Houses and create a Style Flowchart, like a Taxonmy Diagram, and we can link to it in the sidebar. 99% of the time the house has no style, and falls into the category of "Contractor's Choice".

u/doebedoe · 5 pointsr/urbanplanning

Fixing existing developments and creating better ones in the future are very different beasts. One very influential group working on latter is the Congress for New Urbanism. A useful volume by a few of CNU's leading practioners is Suburban Nation. One pertinent critique of New Urbanism though is that is has been relatively ineffective about the retrofitting you describe. For that you might check out books like Retrofitting Suburbia.

If you want a good rant on how we got into the mess J.H. Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere is an angry read. On patterns that underlay places we like being in, there is the always present work of Christopher Alexander. For my money one of the most under-read great urbanists of our time is Richard Sennett, particularly his book The Uses of Disorder.

Finally, Jacob's has a lot of prescriptive stuff in Death and Life. I'll give you that it is not as rule-based as most contemporary approaches, but therein lies its greatness.

u/_9a_ · 15 pointsr/thesims

That wasn't uninspired, you just took inspiration from old European manor homes! Hallways are for servants!

Seriously though, they were. The concept of connecting hallways was so servants could move unseen through the house and just appear where they were needed. No need for the nobs to see the peons. If you're interested, I highly suggest At Home, by Bill Bryson, a room-by-room historical perspective over the evolution of a western home.

u/mapgazer · 1 pointr/nyc

Most urban planners would tell you that slowing down traffic is exactly what you want to do so that cars must drive slower, pedestrians are in less danger, people are more inclined to use public transportation, and in general areas are more liveable. Here is an excellent book on the subject if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Nation-Sprawl-Decline-American/dp/0865476063

u/chrhardy · 16 pointsr/Design

Sounds like what you want is Virginia Savage McAlester's book A Field Guide to American Houses.

She walks you through each style that is found in the US, explains the key features of each and give well drawn diagrams and photographic examples of each. Really well done.

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-American-Houses-Revised/dp/0375710825

u/wolf395 · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

I'll add Fermat's Enigma to my ever growing reading list. If you haven't had a chance to read Bryson's "At Home", do it. It's one of my favorites

u/thelasian · 2 pointsr/geopolitics

So is the US really relying on softpower, or hardpower to gets it way?

Not at all ignorant, Roman engineering was indeed lost and forgotten during the Dark ages especially when it came to dome-building. Renaissance architecture in fact specifically developed because there was a deliberate study of the left over ruins to try to figure out what they did. The architect of the Duomo, Filippo Brunelleschi spent years doing so along with his friend Donatello in Rome. It remains a mystery how he learned of the technique of laying bricks upside down so they didn't fall down, it is assumed from traders that made it to Florence from the Middleast. May I suggest you read a great little book on this
https://www.amazon.com/Brunelleschis-Dome-Renaissance-Reinvented-Architecture/dp/1620401932

How much do you want to bet that in 100 years, nay 50 years, your kids will be trying to learn Chinese again?

u/satyagraaha · 3 pointsr/architecture

For more technical, structural explanations and drawings Building Structures Illustrated and Building Construction Illustrated are both extremely helpful.

u/testudoaubreii · 1 pointr/latterdaysaints

I really enjoyed Macaulay's books like Cathedral, but for "The Way Things Work," I'll stick with the old dense version (pre-Macaulay).

u/lemachin · 2 pointsr/urbanplanning

The APA has some good material on this: [What Makes a Place Great?] (https://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/characteristics.htm)

Related note, see if you can get a look at Allan Jacobs' classic Great Streets before you go. It'll equip you to evaluate public spaces that you visit.

u/tokyohoon · 5 pointsr/japanlife

This one's a good starter.

u/mofrojones · 9 pointsr/Construction

In addition to his technical writing Larry wrote a memoir shortly before his passing.

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600854028/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

​

I found it to be a good read.

u/poirotoro · 11 pointsr/RoomPorn

Also, the majority of America (and the world) is untrained in the rules of classical architecture. Including me! But I ended up working in historic preservation/documentation, so that's given me enough on-the-job experience to understand what is "correct" and what isn't.

One of my favorite books in this vein is Get Your House Right by Marianne Cusato. She went through (what I understand to be) the near-fanatically Classicist architecture program at Notre Dame, and it really shows. It has some spot-on illustrations, if a bit rigid in philosophy.

u/cometparty · 3 pointsr/Austin

You need to read about New Urbanism. I recommend starting with this book

It's not the intention to put anyone out of business. But sooner or later you have to come to grips with the reality that this little town has become a city and cities require planning, not "build whatever wherever". The space above these shops is prime real estate. If you just build (and maintain) crap 1-story buildings, you have to build OUT (sprawl), when as it gets closer to the city center it should be build UP. Would you like to see the hills of West Austin deforested and developed? Or would you rather see existing real estate get redeveloped and revitalized?

u/notasgr · 2 pointsr/DIY

Assume it's to do with history of toilets and the British bringing their housing style with them to Australia. [wiki link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_(room). Also, Bill Bryson's book "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" is full of interesting bits about all sorts of rooms/furniture in our homes.

u/behemuthm · 3 pointsr/AskMenOver30

At Home by Bill Bryson. It's about the history of domestic living. He moved into an old Rectory and found the original floorplans. The book is broken up into rooms of that Rectory and discusses the history of the living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc.

Fun fact I remember from that book: "Room and board" means "a room with meals" because people used to use wooden boards on their laps as food trays.

I currently have 7 books on my nightstand in various stages of being bookmarked.

u/bserum · 9 pointsr/Houseporn

I'm no expert, but I do have a copy of A Field Guide of American Houses. So with that caveat, my guess is that this is a modern (read: millennium mansion) interpretation of the classical Georgian style house with a center-gabled roof.
> Identifying Features: Paneled front door, usually centered and capped by an elaborate decorative crown (entablature) supported by decorative pilasters (flattened columns); usually with a row of small rectangular panes of glass beneath the crown, either within the door or in a transom just above; cornice usually emphasized by decorative moldings, most commonly with tooth-like dentils; windows with double-hung sashes having many small panes (most commonly nine or twelve panes per sash) separated by thick wooden muntins; windows aligned horizontally and vertically in symmetrical rows, never in adjacent pairs, usually five-ranked on front facade, less commonly three-or seven-ranked.

u/rhombusrhombus · 20 pointsr/todayilearned

Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life covers this in great depth. Highly recommended reading.

u/Tommy27 · 4 pointsr/Carpentry

I just picked up his book A Carpenter's Life. https://www.amazon.com/Carpenters-Life-Told-Houses/dp/1600854028 .
His thoughts and views about the world and his experiences in life make him even more endearing.

u/sakalamp · 3 pointsr/urbanplanning

Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City

a relatively short read, but discusses ideas of "imageability" central to urban design and planning

u/polytropon · 2 pointsr/BuyItForLife

I just read this book on [building a cob house] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Hand-Sculpted-House-Practical-Philosophical/dp/1890132349) and am so in love with the idea that it is my next life plan. Looking for the land now...

u/alamandrax · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

currently reading At home: A Short History of Private Life. Riveting stuff.

u/RedLauren · 5 pointsr/Permaculture

Earthbag Building and The Hand-Sculpted House are both on my shelf. They contain enough information to get you started.

u/echinops · 2 pointsr/SelfSufficiency

I've found the hand-sculpted house to be one of the definitive guides. Couple that with Rocket Mass Heaters.

u/MichaelThorsett · 5 pointsr/tipofmytongue

Cathedral by David Macauley?

Or if not that, check out his other works.

u/CaptainKaos · 11 pointsr/architecture

There's a book called Building Construction Illustrated that should get you started.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470087811/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

u/Bonhomous_Bosch · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson goes into the historical and cultural origins of everyday household things we completely take for granted. Its a fascinating dive into the outrageous and often bloody history of stuff in your house.

u/tas121790 · 1 pointr/architecture

This book outlines many of the design pitfalls that ruin many houses. "Get Your House Right"

Its from an American perspective though so not sure how much that will help you in Barcelona.

u/kingrobotiv · 3 pointsr/badhistory

While we're at it, you know what? Fuck Bill Bryson for telling me the history of chairs.

/s

u/mnewberg · 17 pointsr/minimalism

If you want to dive in deeper in to correct housing elements I would suggest finding a copy of Get Your House Right. Once you read that book you realize how poorly some houses are designed, and how easy it would be to fix.

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-House-Right-Architectural/dp/1402791038

Much of the stuff the book highlights is visually wrong, but it goes into detail why it is wrong, and how to correct.

u/fweng · 4 pointsr/ForeverAlone

Fuck. FUCK. 'Demons', I've just read your post, and every comment that followed, and I've gotta say this to you, and to every single one of you. I can relate. Hugely. I just feel like I'm now at the other side, looking back.
I only joined Reddit a couple of months ago having finally 'got' it, and am slowly building my subscriptions; Funny, WTF, world news, etc. I am very new to FA. I joined because my last girlfriend was 7 years ago and I'm not a womanising creep, thus ForeverAlone.
I am 38 in a month but here's the thing - I feel, finally, like I got comfortable in my own skin only a year or two ago. Everything kinda congealed into me and it 'only' took three and a half decades.
When I was in my early twenties, I was a potsmoking, over-eager mess. I was a try-hard, an amiable buffoon, an idiot. That is because during those adult-forming years, 15,16,17, etc, I was truly alone. I literally had no friends. I was fat and bullied in school. Demons, you say "Even if I were to be designated as the bitch of the group, I'd much rather be included in a clique than excluded." Trust me, you don't. I thought these schoolkids were my friends - after all, they were all I had - but they had no interest in me beyond having me around to make them feel better about themselves. After school, I never saw any of them again. (I did call, but no-one wanted to hang out. I quickly got the message.) This was 1990. Years later, when fucking Facebook appeared, I found them and was about to add them as friends until I saw pictures of the vacation to Spain they went on straight after school, and my heart dropped; It took about 15 years to realise they never invited me... but I digress. The point is being the bitch of any group is NOT acceptable.
After school, I was ForeverAlone with a vengeance. If FA existed then - fuck, there wasn't even The Internet - I would've cried tears of joy although nothing would've changed on the ground and I still would've locked myself indoors (particularly over those lonely weekends), atrophying and not 'developing'.
What changed for me was University. (I'm British, and not sure of the US equivalent term. College? I was 18-21). I took a course 100 miles from home and arrived with literally zero friends in my life (I called this my secret shame). It took a while. It was still awkward. But the friends I made were based on something stronger than those immature and critical fuckers I was at school with and, 20 years on, 95% of my friends today are those Uni guys, or their friends.
BUT... I do have a point. There is no perfect. Neither is there some idyllic, Leave it to Beaver childhood and family unit that is the only way to springboard from into the perfect life. We are all fucked-up mammals with our own insecurities and dreams and desires. There is no right or correct way but at the same time there's no wrong way either. Life is a journey each and every one of us is on and we have to nip and tuck our concerns and make them better so we can make ourselves better.
Now let me see if I can bring everything together into something resembling coherence...
Not everyone here has my experience being physically or mentally bullied at school although I'm sure some of you do. The point is we already have backgrounds and experiences to draw upon and share. This is what makes us us, no matter how unpleasant, or too personal, or even trivial you may think it is to everyone else. Even what you'd consider no personality is a personality.
I used to feel exactly the same when it came to relationships with people. Why couldn't I make people laugh, like X? Why aren't I as interesting as Y? This is all comparison shopping with others, and doesn't help. I was aware of this around my mid-Twenties, and learned to stop caring (or more accurately, I learned to stop dwelling so much) by my early-30s, and that's when some door of perception opened. I'm not these other people. I'm me. I have my own take on things, and my own way of dealing with them - and if I'm unhappy about something, I have to change or die.
I guess it took the passing of time for me to get to this stage, as opposed to having some grand revelation, or cure. I just chilled a little when it came to my own insecurities, seeing it as part of me.
You do have life experiences. Using two as an example - and forgive my assumptions - we have grown up in different countries, so there's a wealth of differences there, as well as similarities. There's also a generational gap of your early Twenties and my late Thirties. We have both different perspectives, and similarities too. As my 91yo grandfather said after I'd shown him some gadget back in 1988, "You're never too old to learn".
And then he died.
So here's my fucking perspective, for what it's worth:-

    1. There are no rules and no givens.
    1. Every life is unique. Just because it feels wrong, doesn't mean it is.
    1. And if it does feel wrong, welcome to Life Experience, Difficulty Setting: HARD. You're going to learn things way beyond the fluffiest, happiest, isn't-everything-peachy? guys out there.
    1. Unhappiness and dissatisfaction is your brain's way of flashing up a warning. You may now take steps to rectify things.
    1. Anything can be changed.

      My current worry is the lack of a lady in my life. Almost all my University friends have married, and are now having babies left, right, and centre. I am therefore dipping into the /r/seddit universe, although I'm not comfortable with it. (I wrote THIS post to voice my concerns and got downvoted to HELL.) I remain unsure about the whole 'seduction' side of things, but if you read the replies to my post, you will see a lot of sanity regarding taking steps to get to where I want to be (i.e. meeting the woman I want to settle down with.) Seddit, surprisingly, reccomends THIS book I bought 2 days ago. It has nothing to do with 'seduction' per se, but overcoming depression and negative perceptions of ourselves first and foremost. I have only just started this book but it makes so much sense, it's unreal. I urge you to look into this.
      Finally, and from my perspective of being nearly 40, rejoice in your youth even though it seems futile. Okay, you've never had that first kiss, or a first date. You haven't driven a car, or been to a party. But the fact you're expressing your frustrations here tells me they're IN THE POST.
      Remember, the fact that you're concerned at all marks the beginning of any change.

      TL;DR EDIT - To give you some kind of solution, read, motherfucker! Learn facts, pick up some history, watch documentaries. Fill your brain with knowledge, or comedy, or drama. Watch movies, seek out your favourite directors, get some foreign films under your belt. Explore music. Sample all genres. Listen to classical composers. DANCE. Wander through museums, and art galleries, and cafes. Travel and discover and explore and embrace your very fucking existence, and not only will your life feel more rich and varied but before you know it you'll have a treasure trove of knowledge and conversation in your head, you interesting son-of-a-bitch. Just don't cave in to years of sexual absence and have accidental sex with a Thai hooker. Having said that, you might just get a story out of it. Just be careful who you share those kind of things with.