Art deco San Francisco The architecture of Timothy Pflueger

These two books examine America's ongoing love affair with art deco. Architectural photographer Berenholtz's volume is a jewel box of photographs. The details of buildings and close-ups of sculpture and mosaics make it a lovely gift book and a good companion to more documentary volumes on the subject. In several panoramic photographs spread across gatefold pages, Berenholtz captures the telling details of landmarks such as Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building as well as the larger art deco landscape of the city. In Art Deco San Francisco, journalist Poletti presents the story of architect Timothy Pflueger, detailing the historical background of select work from the designer of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph building in San Francisco and the Paramount Theater in Oakland. Pflueger's creations are well illustrated by photographer Paiva. Although Poletti does not approach the subject with the eye of an architectural historian, the book is nevertheless a useful biography of an art deco architect. Both of these titles are recommended for public libraries and architecture libraries with strong California or New York collections.-Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.