Scan barcode
aatiii's review against another edition
3.0
A list of interesting factoids, trivia and ephemera that doesn’t quite add up to a book. In the end, the authors don’t seem to have a point of view. “So what?” Is never answered.
In hindsight, the trick is to read a single story every week. Then you’ll enjoy the trivia without expecting anything more.
In hindsight, the trick is to read a single story every week. Then you’ll enjoy the trivia without expecting anything more.
bellamonster's review against another edition
4.0
The perfect book to fit my city planning obsession. It has so many fascinating tidbits about all sorts of designs and phenomenons in our world. Definitely should be read snippets at a time instead of all at once.
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool book. I wasn't surprised to discover it was based upon a podcast. It has that easily accessible text and the illustration was fun and informative. Some of the categories are pretty basic. Some are interesting some are less so, but all are fun and worth reading.
lucian_childs's review against another edition
5.0
What a unique and terrific book this is. Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt have given us a guidebook to the city we inhabit daily, but never really see.
This adjunct to their podcast, “99% Invisible,” documents everything from the mundane (manhole covers, spray-painted sidewalk markers that trace utility lines, anchor plates and painted signage on old buildings) to large-scale urban architecture and planning (the story of the Chrysler Building or the Transamerica Pyramid, say, or the layout of Detroit streets or the birth of the US Interstate Highway System.)
To my mind they save the most touching to last: stories of citizens shaping urban spaces on their own, without the intervention of designers or the approval of governments. From the Oakland resident who installs a concrete Buddha across from his house to discourage crime, only to find it become a community hub and a pilgrimage site for Vietnamese immigrants, to gorilla gardeners beautifying unused interstitial spaces, to disability activists carving their right to the city by sledgehammering curb cuts.
Beautifully designed and illustrated, this handsome book is a compendium of things whimsical and mind-blowing that will change how you navigate the city you love.
View all my reviews
This adjunct to their podcast, “99% Invisible,” documents everything from the mundane (manhole covers, spray-painted sidewalk markers that trace utility lines, anchor plates and painted signage on old buildings) to large-scale urban architecture and planning (the story of the Chrysler Building or the Transamerica Pyramid, say, or the layout of Detroit streets or the birth of the US Interstate Highway System.)
To my mind they save the most touching to last: stories of citizens shaping urban spaces on their own, without the intervention of designers or the approval of governments. From the Oakland resident who installs a concrete Buddha across from his house to discourage crime, only to find it become a community hub and a pilgrimage site for Vietnamese immigrants, to gorilla gardeners beautifying unused interstitial spaces, to disability activists carving their right to the city by sledgehammering curb cuts.
Beautifully designed and illustrated, this handsome book is a compendium of things whimsical and mind-blowing that will change how you navigate the city you love.
View all my reviews
xsleepyshadows's review against another edition
Not enough time to finish...some other time