{"id":4415,"date":"2009-08-28T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2009-08-28T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=4415"},"modified":"2009-08-28T04:56:00","modified_gmt":"2009-08-28T08:56:00","slug":"unrequired-reading-aug-28-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/unrequired-reading-aug-28-2009","title":{"rendered":"Unrequired Reading: Aug. 28, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been a busy week, so cut my links some slack, okay? And just click “more”!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Long Live the King<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Biography Bookshop or thousand-dollar purse: Which Bleecker Street do you want<\/a>?<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

For those of you scoring at home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

I know you’ve been waiting for me to post another Witold Rybczynski architectural slideshow, so here’s Forest Hills Gardens<\/a>!<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Roger Ebert on his alcoholism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Jeff Matthews is not making up The Number<\/a>.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Uncomfortable plot summaries<\/a>: The Passion of the Christ<\/em> made me laugh the hardest.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Astro-grunge<\/a>?<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

My pal Mark & I once taught a January-term class on alcoholic novelists<\/a> (as opposed to great writers who drank, we wanted to teach great drinkers who write).<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Oh, yes, that . . . Jewish . . . novel<\/a> . . .<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Russia? Falling apart<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s been a busy week, so cut my links some slack, okay? And just click “more”!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25,27,26,4,19],"tags":[837,551,285,263],"class_list":["post-4415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-architecture","category-big-business","category-comics","category-literature","category-urban-issues","tag-george-eliot","tag-jack-kirby","tag-roger-ebert","tag-witold-rybczynski"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-19d","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13394,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/covid-check-in-with-witold-rybczynski","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":0},"title":"COVID Check-In with Witold Rybczynski","author":"Gil","date":"May 16, 2020","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show COVID Check-In: Witold Rybczynski Architecture writer Witold Rybczynski checks in from Philadelphia. We talk about how his present circumstances \u2014 retired from teaching, helping his wife recover from a broken arm, and editing his next book \u2014 have enabled him to transition into shelter-in-place mode pretty smoothly.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/covidwitoldcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/covidwitoldcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/covidwitoldcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/covidwitoldcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/covidwitoldcomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C500&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17341,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-624-witold-rybczynski","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":1},"title":"Episode 624 – Witold Rybczynski","author":"Gil","date":"February 5, 2025","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 624: Witold Rybczynski \"As an architect, if you write about buildings, you don't just write about what they look like, but how they work, the plans, how they're built, how they function. But most books about cars focus on the styling, not all the other aspects, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rybczynski2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rybczynski2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rybczynski2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rybczynski2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/rybczynski2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C480&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12535,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-342-witold-rybczynski","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":2},"title":"Episode 342 – Witold Rybczynski","author":"Gil","date":"October 3, 2019","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 342: Witold Rybczynski \"What Charleston did in the Colonial period with single houses, they basically just kept repeating it all these years.\" The great architecture writer Witold Rybczynski rejoins the show (here's our 2015 conversation) to talk about his wonderful new book, Charleston Fancy: Little Houses &\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/wryb2019comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/wryb2019comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/wryb2019comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/wryb2019comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/wryb2019comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C721&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2237,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/unrequired-reading-aug-15-2008","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":3},"title":"Unrequired Reading: Aug. 15, 2008","author":"Gil","date":"August 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"It's time for an all-architecture edition of Unrequired Reading! So if you don't care about this stuff, go visit the Unrequired Reading archives instead! Frank Gehry tries to justify his work. * * * Rem Koolhaas tries to justify his work. * * * Is Zaha Hadid's work past the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8609,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-110-thru-these-architects-eyes","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":4},"title":"Episode 110 – Thru’ These Architects’ Eyes","author":"Gil","date":"March 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: Witold Rybczynski - Thru' These Architect's Eyes \"An architect doesn't build something just because he wants to build it. But as a writer, you can say, 'I have an idea for a book.'\" Witold Rybczynski joins the show to talk about architecture! The renowned writer, scholar, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"how-architecture-works","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/how-architecture-works.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1506,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/emerald-architecture","url_meta":{"origin":4415,"position":5},"title":"Emerald Architecture","author":"Gil","date":"May 16, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Haven't posted one of these in a while: a slideshow by Witold Rybczynski about the architecture in Seattle! (here's my slideshow about Seattle, including a bunch of architecture pix. And here's my wife's slideshow, from the same trip to Seattle!)","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4415"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4417,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4415\/revisions\/4417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}