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Donald Hoffmann

Born: 1933 in Springfield, Illinois
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Hoffman was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois.

Biography: Donald Hoffmann entered the University of Chicago in 1949. After working for the City News Bureau of Chicago and the ''Illinois State Register'' in Springfield, he joined ''The Star'' in 1956. In the early 1960s he began independent studies of the architecture of John Wellborn Root and of Frank Lloyd Wright. He served as Art and Architecture Critic for the Kansas City Star from 1965-1990 and as Assistant Editor of the ''Journal of The Society of Architectural Historians'' from 1970-1972.Hoffmann currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri.


Awards:

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Donald Hoffmann on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=donald+hoffmann


Selected Titles

Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana House /
ISBN: 0486291200 OCLC: 34077260

Dover Publications, Mineola, N.Y. : 1996.

  Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana House.
ISBN: 1306351448 OCLC: 868273338

Dover Publications, 2013.

Mr. Hoffman's magisterial command of the vast Wright literature is matched by his gift for placing the architect in the broader cultural crosscurrents of his time ... long a respected Wright authority [he is in] the very forefront of his peers.--The New York Times Built in Springfield, Illinois, in 1902-04 for socialite Susan Lawrence Dana, the lavish home known as the Dana House was designed for extensive entertaining and for housing the owner's art collection. The house was the largest and most ornamental residence Frank Lloyd Wright had constructed up to that time. The lines, dynamic structure, decorative sculpture, and a thousand other felicities of this magnificent house are captured here in a handsome pictorial essay by noted architectural historian Donald Hoffmann. More than 160 rare photographs and line drawings--including interior and exterior views, plans, elevations, sketches, and studies--clearly document Wright's residential masterpiece. The informative and perceptive text discusses the history and background of the house; its site, plans, and construction; the elements and principles underlying its design, and many other aspects of the home's creation.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater :
ISBN: 0486274306 OCLC: 27428380

Dover Publications, New York : 1993.

A total revision--both in text and illustrations--of the standard document on Fallingwater, the boldest, most personal architectural statement of Wright's mature years. Updated with valuable new material from the recently opened Frank Lloyd Wright Archives, the book gives special emphasis to Fallingwater's architectural innovations: cantilevered construction, ingenious integration with a majestic waterfall, use of reinforced concrete, and more. Over 100 photos depict the site, every phase of construction and the distinctive interior and exterior detailing. "Fascinating"--The New York Times.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House
ISBN: 9780486144351 OCLC: 645857807

Dover Publications, New York : 1992.

Frank Lloyd Wright's house on Kentuck Knob /
ISBN: 0822941198 OCLC: 43487189

University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pa. : ©2000.

"Kentuck, constructed on an isolated knoll, or knob, is now owned by Lord Palumbo of London and is open for public tours. This account tells the story of how the house came to be, detailing the many complexities faced by the Hagans - from the delights and difficulties in dealing with Wright to the problems with topography and architectural plans. In fulfilling Wright's vision, the Hagans and their contractor created a building of great beauty, dignity, and serenity. More than fifty photographs, drawings, and diagrams accompany a detailed descriptive text to illustrate how the peculiarities of the plan, based on the equilateral triangle, resulted in a house that generates countless vistas, indoors and out, and spatial effects of great charm and intimacy."--Jacket.

  Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House :
ISBN: 130635398X OCLC: 868270998

Dover Publications, 2012.

Painstakingly researched and illuminating account of the making of the Fred C. Robie home. Revealing family documents, excerpts from a 1958 interview with Fred Robie, and 160 black-and-white illustrations illuminate design, construction, various stages of landmark of modern architecture. Complete text.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House :
ISBN: 0486245829 OCLC: 9442517

Dover Publications, New York : 1984.

"Frank Lloyd Wright firmly believed that "life could be formed anew if new form could be brought to its setting, architecture." His revolt against customary architectural design was shared by rugged individualist Fred C. Robie, who chose Wright to build his dream house in 1908. In this painstakingly researched and illuminating account of the design and construction of the Robie home, a noted architectural authority presents an in-depth study remarkable for clarity and thoroughness ... Now students, architects, any lover of fine buildings can watch an architectural masterpiece take shape in this profusely illustrated history of the house Wright himself labeled "a source of world-wide architectural inspiration."--

Frank Lloyd Wright, architecture and nature /
ISBN: 0486250989 OCLC: 12975567

Dover Publications, New York : ©1986.

In this profusely illustrated study, a noted Wright scholar and commentator offers a wealth of keen insights into the ways in which nature influenced Wright's complex personal approach to siting buildings in the landscape, use of organic materials in their natural forms and textures, and use of decorative motifs derived from nature in glass, brick, wood and other materials.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and the skyscraper /
ISBN: 0486402096 OCLC: 39060572

Dover Publications, Mineola, N.Y. : 1998.

MARK TWAIN IN PARADISE :
ISBN: 0826221467 OCLC: 1004262348

UNIV OF MISSOURI Press, [Place of publication not identified], 2018.

Mark Twain in paradise :
ISBN: 0826216420 OCLC: 191928534

University of Missouri Press, Columbia ; ©2006.

"Samuel Clemens first encountered the Bermuda Islands in 1867 and retreated there many more times for its beauty, pace, weather and company, both local and elite. Hoffmann gathers and examines passages from travel pieces, letters, and unpublished autobiographical dictation to illuminate the writer's love for Bermuda and its seafaring culture"--Provided by publisher.

The architecture of John Wellborn Root
ISBN: 0226347931 OCLC: 18106139

University of Chicago Press, Chicago : [1988], ©1973.

Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture /
ISBN: 048628364X OCLC: 31520018

Dover Publications, New York : 1995.

"May be the best book on Wright ever written, with the exception of the master's own incomparable autobiography." ? New York Times Book Review.

  Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture.
ISBN: 1306350441 OCLC: 868273296

Dover Publications, 2012.

May be the best book on Wright ever written, with the exception of the master's own incomparable autobiography.--New York Times Book Review Despite the vast literature about Frank Lloyd Wright, noted Wright scholar Donald Hoffmann contends that observations about Wright commonly fail to reach any understanding of his art and few commentaries deal with the principles of his architecture. What inspired his work? How did his architecture mature? What are the dynamics of its characteristic expression? Why will the formative principles always be valid? The answers to these and other questions about Wright's architectural philosophy, ideals and methods can be found in this superb treatment, enhanced with 127 photos, plans, and illustrations of a host of Wright masterworks. Among these are the Robie house, the Winslow house, Fallingwater, Hollyhock House, the Larkin Building, Unity Temple, Taliesin, the Guggenheim Museum, the Johnson Wax Building, and many more. Expertly analyzing Wright's approach to siting, furnishing, landscaping, and other details, Mr. Hoffmann has written an insightful guide to the concepts that gave Wright's architecture not only its extraordinary vigor of structure and form, expression and meaning, but its surprising continuity. The book will be essential reading for all Wright fans and anyone interested in the evolution of modern architecture.

 

 

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