Robert Venturi

Upon its publication by the MIT Press in 1972, Learning from Las Vegas was immediately influential and controversial. The authors made an argument that was revolutionary for its time -- that the billboards and casinos of Las Vegas were worthy of architectural attention -- and offered a challenge for contemporary architects obsessed with the heroic and monumental. Learning from Las Vegas begins with the Las Vegas Strip and proceeds to "Ugly and Ordinary Architecture, or the Decorated Shed," on symbolism in architecture and the iconography of urban sprawl. As Scott Brown says in her introduction, the book "upended sacred cows ... would not bad-mouth bad taste, and redefined architectural research."

A practicing architect discusses the theoretical background of modern architecture.

"Architect George Howe believed there were three pioneers of American architecture. Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and William L. Price. While Wright and Sullivan are still regarded as central figures in the history of American architecture, Price awaits rediscovery.". "Price, a disciple of Frank Furness who practiced in Philadelphia from 1883 to 1916, established the character of two of the nation's greatest resorts, Atlantic City and Miami, thus shaping the architecture of the Roaring Twenties. Although his biggest and best-known projects, the Art Deco Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City and the Chicago Freight Terminal, were both destroyed, his Arts and Crafts utopian community in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania and his Garden City community in Arden, Delaware survive to attest to the vigor of his ideas and the leadership he exerted.". "Price left a legacy of exquisite houses, railroad stations, and commercial structures that were widely emulated and recall the best works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Greene & Greene. In addition, Price was an accomplished writer and furniture designer whose work was regularly featured in Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman.". "Price's role in shaping American architecture is uncovered in this volume, which documents the architect's complete works - including over 350 hotels, houses, and pieces of furniture - bringing to light this unknown American master."--BOOK JACKET.

"The views of Venturi and Scott Brown have influenced architects worldwide for nearly half a century. Pluralism and multiculturalism; symbolism and iconography; popular culture and the everyday landscape; generic building and electronic communication are among the many ideas they have championed. Here, they present both a retrospective of their life work and a definitive statement of its theoretical underpinnings." "Architecture as Signs and Systems is a must for students of architecture and urban planning, as well as anyone intrigued by these seminal cultural figures."--BOOK JACKET.