Reviews for Arm System Architecture

The average rating for Arm System Architecture based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-09-08 00:00:00 Ryan Brown Hamilton has created an excellent primer on Russian Art & Architecture, including an extensive bibliography especially geared for the Western reader who cannot read Russian. By covering architecture together with other arts in a single volume, the reader walks away with a much better understanding of the evolution of the country's culture as a result of the world surrounding it. Hamilton also helps the reader who does not know Russia's political history by interspersing explanations of changes in political developments, dynastic lineages, etc. Finally, this author is not shy in sharing with his readers his own opinion about the merits of various artists, architects and/or their works, which I for one found helpful, even if I did not always agree with him. Those are some of the good things about this book. But let me list some aspects that might discourage the reader. First it is not an easy read, clearly aimed at college level Two things are particularly frustrating. One is that in spite of providing over 300 illustrations, so many of the buildings and other works of art discussed in the text are not illustrated - a phenomenon that is accentuated by the fact that many no longer exist, having been destroyed by the ravages of fire, wars, etc. Secondly, even when pictures are provided the quality of these black & white images is too poor to be able to experience some of the artistic qualities which the author ascribes to them. This is especially true of icons. In short, some sections are very hard to plow through. I found it easier to skip over to the chapters covering those things that most interested me, and then returning later to read what I had left out in the first pass. Complementing the book with other sources also helps. I would Google to find better color reproductions of at least some of the items, and for St Petersburg consulted Google maps as well as the Eyewitness Guide for that city to understand the geographical layout of various buildings and getter good pictures of what may be seen today. Google Street View is great for close-up ground views, and satellite photography for aerial views of palace gardens, urban developments, etc. But be forewarned: at least as I write this all services have lousy aerial photography and street coverage of Moscow. It is all fuzzy

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-26 00:00:00 Donald Miller Excerpts