Naked Airport: A Cultural History of the World's Most Revolutionary Structure

In its early years, air travel was a thrill for the rich. Today, it is boring, necessary and commonplace. Through well-written stories and narrative history, this easy read gives a history of air travel from the perspective of the architectural structures that support it. As our understanding of air travel has changed, airport architecture has changed as well. There is now more glass and more security, painfully long passageways, more roadway than runway and, of course, acres of parking. One thing has not changed: the airport has always been a portal to somewhere else. Airports are the waiting rooms of adventure and freedom. Naked Airport gives insight into the challenge of making these waiting rooms less purgatorial. I share the opinion of the other reviewer who says that the last part of the book is not as strong as the first. For example, there is no discussion of important recent developments such e-ticket kiosks and wireless networks. Even with this shortcoming, I still recommend this one.

As an Architect, I found Mr. Gordon's book to be a very accessible read. This is not a coffee table book with glossy photographs and difficult to comprehend architectural theory. Instead he gives a very clear overview of the development of the airport building type, much like The Architecture of Diplomacy by Jane Loeffler does. He uses simple and tasteful photographs and graphics pared with a well written history. I would give this book a high mark and recommend it for both architects and non-architect. Thank you, Alastair Gordon for a nicely written book. Gregory Knoop Oudens + Knoop Architects

Even for the most expert traveler, the Naked Airport will shed light on many facets of airports domestically and abroad. For instance, did you know that there are over 200 old bank safes in the landfill at Newark (EWR)? The history is layed out cronologically, but woven with social, political, economic and business history, such that it is any interesting narrative rather than a dry recitation of facts.

Whenever I go through an airport I feel kind of disembodied and try not to think too much about it. I hate the glaring lights, boarding tubes and security scanners. I rush through, buy Toblerone and the crappy magazines that I only ever buy at airports and find a quiet place to wait. But along with all the boredom and humiliation, certain airports like Schiphol and Charles the Gaulle and the old TWA terminal at JFK were an architectural experience that was exciting and compelling. In "Naked Airport," Gordon does a great job in explaining how the airport came to be the harrowing experience it is now. In a very accesible way he explores all aspects of the airport as a kind of frontier zone for the modern world. The book is a cultural history in the broadest terms and is written in an easy-going narrative style that weaves together anecdotes, facts and insights about the personalities, architecture, and technology of the airport as well as the literature, movies, art and pop culture that it has generated. I found it a great fun read from beginning to end.