|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rating:  -
Reading Earl Nisbet's books is as close as I can get to really understanding what the experience was like working and living with Frank Lloyd Wright. I have read all of the apprentice's published accounts and I found Earl's book to be the best of them all, as well as the most enlightening.
The reason this book had such an impact on me was because Earl shares all of the intimate details of his life before, during and after his experiences as a member of the Taliesin Fellowship. By doing this he creates context for me to be able to relate to in my own life.
The lavish layout and design of the book with it's numerous photographs was irristiable for me. Being able to see Earl's wonderful photographs of his life was delightful, and insightful.
As I got caught up in Earl's experiences I was fascinated and rewarded with his incredible architecture that follows the spirit of FLLW organic architectural teachings.
It's clear that Earl Nisbet has a gift for art and architecture that was perfectly suited to the Taliesin experience, and it makes realize how much Earl contributed to that time and environment. His true spirit and personality comes through in his writing. This is a must read for the FLLW enthusiast, and anyone interested in the autobiography of one man's life journey.
Rating: -
Like another review, from Richard Blois, this review is not unbiased as I live in the house that Nisbet designed for Blois, referred to as the Blois House, in the book.
Earl Nisbet has a reverence for Mr and Mrs Wright, as he calls them, that intensifies the longer he stays at Taliesin and then is carried through into his architecture. It is a very personal book, about the struggles and triumphs of the Taliesin training, the rigors of the business of architecture and the pleasures of companionship.
I would recommend this book to any student who is thinking about being an architect, because even though techniques, tools and materials have changed, the principles that Wright championed, such as respecting the land are very much relevant today. Also Frank Lloyd Wright fans who have room on their bookshelves for more than books on Falling Water and usonian designs will find the book a good read.
The book is illustrated with pictures and floorplans of varying quality - ranging from snapshots to stunning portraits - that make the book appear alive and genuine. The font is sans serif that is well spaced to make the text clear and appealing. Chapters are divided with subheadings into paragraphs - so if you want this for bedtime reading you can read it in small chunks, enjoy the pictures and contemplate Mr Wright's influence on both Earl Nisbet and building styles in general.
Rating: -
By David M. Kinchen
Huntington News Network Book Critic
Hinton, WV - In the 1940s and 1950s, any man or woman dreaming of a career in architecture considered being an apprentice at the Taliesin Fellowship run by Frank Lloyd Wright the ultimate achievement - at least for those who were admirers of the Wisconsin-born Wright (1867-1959).
Born in San Jose, CA in 1926 - he turned 80 this past July - Earl Nisbet was a California dreamer, seeing himself as a Taliesin Fellow in the original Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin and Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. He achieved his dream in 1951, following service in World War II and graduation from a San Francisco engineering institution, Heald College, where he studied architectural engineering.
In a lavishly illustrated, large format paperbound book, "Taliesin Reflections: My Years Before, During, and After Living with Frank Lloyd Wright" (Meridian Press, Petaluma, CA, 240 pages, $24.95) Nisbet gives the reader a look inside the two Taliesins, where future architects were toughened under the watchful eye of Wright's wife Olgivanna. If they didn't pass the formidable muster of Mrs. Wright, they were kicked out of the fellowship.
The cost was considerable when Nisbet was an apprentice from 1951-1953 -- $[...] a year. It included taking out the trash, cooking and canning and maintaining the buildings, something that required constant work, as anyone familiar with Wright's designs knows. Nisbet provides the reader with plenty of inside information about Taliesin operations and the book is full of black and white and color illustrations. There's even a leaking roof anecdote that will delight architecture buffs who consider leaking roofs part of the charm of a Frank Lloyd Wright house.
After leaving Taliesin, Nisbet began an architecture practice in Northern California - and after a nine-month interlude in Tahiti, described with humor and charm in this book - in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he designed the S.C. Doo House on Black Point, among other buildings. He moved back to his native region, the southern San Francisco Bay area, after several years in Hawaii. Now a resident of Aptos, California, outside Santa Cruz, Nisbet is still active in the Northern California chapter of Taliesin Fellows and travels as much as possible. His wife Barbara died about a decade ago and Nisbet's reminiscences of their life together reveal what a wonderful relationship is all about.
As a fan of Wright's architecture from my years of living in Chicago and Milwaukee, I particularly enjoyed the parts about the two Taliesins (the name means "Shining Brow" in Welsh). Nisbet was a woodworker extraordinaire, which appealed to me since I was a shop rat in high school and had a strong Industrial Arts minor in college to oddly compliment my major of English. Nisbet's skill with automobiles and trucks gave him the opportunity to use his mechanical skills at both Taliesins.
Nisbet began his Taliesin Fellowship in 1951, 19 years after Wright and Olgivanna began the fellowship in Spring Green, with 30 apprentices. The year 1932 was a tough year for everyone, but especially so for architects. Few people were building anything, and the Taliesin experiment managed to keep the distinguished architect in business.
Judging from the photos of the Doo House and Nisbet's first solo commission, the Cabana Tanglewood built in 1954 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Nisbet drank deeply from the Wright design well. They're outstanding designs and attest to his skill as an architect and hands-on engineer. As a woodworker myself, I approved of the furniture designed and built by Nisbet for the Doo house. The author got his woodworking start working in his dad's hardwood flooring company in pre-Silicon Valley San Jose.
If you're seeking a perfect gift for an architecture buff - especially an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright - look no further than "Taliesin Reflections" by Earl Nisbet. It's a beautifully designed book that will provide hours of delightful reading.
The book is available at [...].
Rating:  -
Taliesin Reflections is more than a recounting of Earl Nisbet's experiences with Frank Lloyd Wright. It's an autobiography of his life and is written in a style not unlike Wright's autobiography. It's not a narrative, but instead is a journal with interesting observations and stories throughout. As a Wright fan, I enjoyed reading about the stories related to Taliesin of course, but also found myself reading the entire book with an interest in his stories of travels and experiences in Tahiti, Hawaii, China, Japan, Egypt, various parts of Europe, etc. The book is beautifully typeset and has color photographs throughout. I've read some about Frank Lloyd Wright over the years, but Mr. Nisbet's book has made me want to read more about his apprentices. I'd give the book five stars except that as a Wright enthusiast, I wish it had an index!
Rating: -
This is not an impartial review of Earl's book. We both attended San Mateo High School back in the 1940's. At that time Earl's talents as a designer and craftsman were already evident in the form of what today would be called "street rods". Three of his cars are pictured in the early portion of his biography (dealing with the time before his living with Mr. Wright). They were indeed objects of beauty and greatly admired by everyone, including, as he notes, Merv Griffin, also a San Mateo High student at the time. After graduation from high school Earl entered the Army. I went into the Army a year later and completely lost track of Earl until 1955. At that time my wife and I were living in a small Palo Alto cottage. When we learned of Earl's experience with Frank Lloyd Wright, his property in the Portola Valley and availability to design a house for us we could hardly wait to get started. The next few months were a great adventure as our small home took shape under Earl's expert supervision. We were delighted when it was finished and were very happy and comfortable living in it for several years. So my review of his book is from the standpoint of an old friend and one of Earl's earliest and very happy clients. The book itself is divided into three parts of Earl's life - before, during, and after his living and working with Frank Lloyd Wright. Not being a book review expert, I will fall back to my basic test of every book I read - is it a good read ? In this case my response is an enthusiastic YES. I was particularly interested in his description of his personal life and experiences as an apprentice to Mr. Wright and I suspect this will be the portion of the book that is of special interest to Frank Lloyd Wright fans. His description of a tearful good-by meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Wright on his departure in 1953 by itself could be a great closing scene for an academy award. In short, I am happy to recommend this book to anyone interested in learning what life as an apprentice with Frank Lloyd Wright was like, to anyone from San Mateo High during the years of 1942 to 1945, and to any reader who might enjoy a good read about some talented and interesting people.
|
|
|
|
