CRAIG ELLWOOD By Neil Jackson (2002)

A very interesting read as well as filled with gorgeous photos. Ellwood had a very interesting life. He was the "Cary Grant of architecture". Highly ambitious and constructed his life like a soap opera. He was a superstar- drove around in a Ferrari, wore expensive suits, was married four times. His real name is John Burke. In his early career, he would claim the work of other architects as his own. Did you know that "technically", he was not even an architect? He received an honorary degree in architecture later on in his life.

"Craig Ellwood, the Californian Modernist best known for his Los Angeles Case Study Houses and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena was a product of Hollywood. An architectural superstar, he was fashioned and honed by ambition, charm and an eye for great design.

This book examines the architecture and the colorful life of Ellwood. His life and career are discussed chronologically, beginning with his early work in the post-war California building industry and ending with his retirement to Italy for a new start as a painter.

From his initial interview with Ellwood in 1988, author Neil Jackson's many interviews with dozens of Ellwood's friends, colleagues and family members make this book stand out among architectural monographs. This book is illustrated with images and drawings from the Ellwood archives at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, as well as with photographs from Marvin Rand and Julius Shulman, and specially commissioned pictures by John Linden."

Contents: Introduction, Prelude: Johnnie Burke, Shadowline, Californian Modern, Nonsensualism, Californian Mies, Californian Commercial, Conclusion: Casanovalta, Notes, List of Works, Family Tree, Bibliography, Index, Author's Acknowledgments, Picture Credits

Architects that appear in the book include Richard Neutra; Marcel Breuer; Philip Johnson; Mies van der Rohe; Paul Rudolph; Frank Lloyd Wright and more.