 Excellent option!
I saw the bigger version, that is almost impossible to read in a Bookstore in Brazil; I immediately checked the availability at Amazon and found this smaller yet complete version of CSH. I strongly reccomend to those like me that are not architects but love the art!!!
 The Case for modern architecture
A sumptuous visual record of this southern Californian house design program. Original published by Taschen in a jumbo edition. This reprint celebrates their twenty-fifth publishing anniversary and it's slightly smaller than the original book but still beautifully printed with English, German and French text.
Each of the thirty-six houses is covered in the same way with:
1 A short introduction by editor Smith
2 The relevant editorial copy from Arts & Architecture magazine about the house.
3 Photos, plans, diagrams and illustrations. Plenty of the photos are by the brilliant Jules Shulman.
4 Contemporary color photos of some houses.
Some of houses only have a spread or two (the unbuilt ones) while others have several spreads, Pierre Koenig's famous Stahl House (#22) has twenty pages. I have given book only four stars because it is not as complete as it should be, the focus is really a visual history of the Study Houses and that's it! What is missing is any historical and contemporary background and surely the reason the whole project was important was the influence it had on other architects, house builders, planners, the public and manufactures.
To get a perspective you will have to get Elizabeth Smith's earlier book Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses, published in conjunction with an exhibition in Los Angeles in 1989-1990. As the sub-title to the book says: 'History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses'. I found this a marvelous book though there are only forty-two pages of text and photos on the actual houses the rest of the 256 pages place them in the context of Californian living and mid-fifties American architecture.
*** I have done a Listmania on books about Case Study Houses.
Beautiful book, affordable price
I had been ogling the super-deluxe edition of this hefty book, and was very pleased to find that the "bargain" edition was as lovely as the deluxe edition - without needing a weight belt to lift it. (I accidentally ordered two copies and it came with a "Caution! Heavy!" label.) I am so pleased with the book as a gift for my spouse that I'm keeping the accidental second copy for a gift for another MCM fan who I know will love it.
Great illustrations - photos, sketches, diagrams - includes lots of interesting bits about the thinking behind the design. Lots of ideas too for built-ins as well as showcasing popular MCM furniture.
The only downside of this edition is that the print is a bit small - but being able to actually fit it on a bookshelf is a really nice trade off.
If you love MCM, this is a must-have for your collection.
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