Case Study Houses by Elizabeth Smith (Taschen, $75) had its beginnings in 1945, when John Entenza, editor of influential avant-garde magazine Arts & Architecture, decided to show Americans how they could live. With a building boom inevitable after the Depression and war years, he sought to encourage architects to design low-cost, modern housing, examples of which would gain exposure in his monthly publication. Although not every idea was realised, his grand scheme resulted in 36 designs, some of them conceived by people who remain household names today, including Eero Saarinen and Charles and Ray Eames. The couple's double-height structure, built for personal use, was constructed entirely of industrial, prefabricated components. The most iconic design from the programme, however, was that of Pierre Koenig, whose Stahl House is featured on the cover of the book. It also underscored Entenza's aim encapsulated in this statement: 'It becomes the obligation of all those who serve and profit through man's wish to live well to take the ... black magic out of the hard facts that go into the building of the 'house'.'
Another book aiming to uncover mysteries is Karen Mazurkewich's Chinese Furniture: A Guide to Collecting Antiques (Tuttle, $385).
A handsome tome, it offers a historical overview of Chinese-furniture craftsmanship and explains the pitfalls of collecting, helping consumers to make informed decisions about what to buy. Mazurkewich, a former Asian Wall Street Journal reporter, interviews experts in the field and weaves in their comments to produce balanced pieces. She also provides interesting profiles of a handful of Chinese who have profited from the boom in antiques that began in the 1980s. Some were born into the trade; others, such as the wiley Fan Rong, were lucky enough to realise its potential early in the game, although the mainland-based dealer says, 'Now the number of wolves outnumbers the meat.'