Architectural Ornament: Banishment and Return

This book made sense of a great many things for me. In explaining the banishment of ornament, it explores the evolution of the elaborate con-game that makes up our present concept of art, of artistic genius, and of good taste. I expect many people will find this book incredibly offensive. It is truly a wonderful book.

The first reviewer has snippily dismissed Brolin as "delusional," apparently assuming that a one-sentence, ad-hominem swipe qualifies as an intellectually honest review. I'd love that reviewer to return to his or her pulpit and cite us chapter & verse. Maybe then we'd all have a chance to see just who is being delusional here. I confess that I haven't yet read Brolin's book, but I have just read a meaty excerpt from it, published in the magazine "Old-House Interiors" (Nov. 2002 issue). I found Brolin highly informed and wonderfully articulate, and I thought he made terrific sense. So, apparently, did the magazine's editor, who chose the excerpt for her lead article. And so, surely, did the tough-minded editorial staff at W.W. Norton, who published the book in 2002.