My New Book of Choice: The Metropolis of Tomorrow

I have recently been reading The Metropolis of Tomorrow by Hugh Ferriss. Ferriss was a architect and draftsman for some of the most predominate urban planners and architects of the 1920's and 30's. For those of you who are familiar with Minnesota architectural history, you might find it interesting that Ferriss got his start working for the great Minnesota architect Cass Gillbert.


The book was first published in 1929 to illustrate the architectural trends of the future. What I find so interesting is Ferriss's short, and often, correct predictions pared with his beautiful illustrations of realized and theoretical buildings.

This is a great 10 dollar purchase for those of you who are interested in the architecture of the 1930's and beautiful graphite renderings.

Here is some further information on the book.

Publisher Comments:
The metropolis of the future — as perceived by architect Hugh Ferriss in 1929 — was both generous and prophetic in vision. Largely an illustrated essay on the modern city and its future, Ferriss' book incorporated his philosophy of architecture. Includes powerful illustrations of towering structures, personal space, wide avenues, and rooftop parks. 59 illustrations.

Book News Annotation:
This is a reprint of a 1929 book in which architect and draftsman Ferriss presented his vision of the city of the future (based on New York City) with dramatic and powerful drawings. His buildings appear massive and mysterious, and evoke a sense of smallness and frailty in the viewer. The drawings use shadow and light to describe the structures, with less attention paid to the actual surface of the building. The book is divided into three parts: the first part depicts buildings already in existence (at the time of publication); the second part shows underlying trends and proposals, and the third part presents Ferriss' vision of an imaginary metropolis. Ferriss' drawings are displayed in 59 full-page black & white plates, and are supplemented by his writing.
Annotation �2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:
The metropolis of the future — as perceived by architect Hugh Ferriss in 1929 — was both generous and prophetic in vision. This illustrated essay on the modern city and its future features 59 illustrations.