For three years in college I dated an architect major. And this book was like his bible- he treasured it. He idolized Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his O.M.A firm. And he wasn’t alone. You couldn’t get the first edition of this book, it sold out so fast. (First editions today are selling for as much as $2000.) If you’re a New Yorker, you probably know Rem Koolhaas’s work because he designed the insane sloping Prada store in Soho. I’ve always been impressed with that space. So when I was walking my dog the other day and came across this book in a box with some other giveaways I decided to lug it home. It’s a second edition- the first editions cover type is yellow instead of blue, and unfortunately it has lots of waterstains across the front. Inside is what seems like an insane hodgepodge of stuff. It’s over 1300 pages and filled with images of drawings, models, surreal photo collages, random inspirational imagery, a comic. Plus there’s essays, fables, diary excerpts, and a glossary that runs in the margins throughout the whole book. It incredibly overwhelming at first but then it’s easy to focus on reading and understanding small sections. It feels almost like how sketchbooks feel- alive and fresh and unedited- everything and anything that may have inspired. The book was designed by Bruce Mau and seemed to have revolutionized what architecture books could be at the time. You can get this book here.

© Julia Rothman 2007