The two editors started exchanging ideas for this reader about ten years ago until the opportunity arose to bring it to fruition. They invited original contributions as well as suggestions for
materials to reprint or excerpt. What they have assembled is a far-reaching anthology composed of 50 essays, poems, and reprinted pieces, accompanied by a section of 16 full-page color plates
and numerous b&w images. Writings by Mies van der Rohe and Mircea Eliade are included, and essays address a startling array of topics. A sampling: the dark side of Bauhaus, the Gnostic
dimension of abstraction in modern architecture, the spiritual basis of creativity, Louis Kahn and the language of God, and Jewish space 1978-present, among other topics. In fact, the editors
had to winnow down the selections from a surplus of good ones, and they envision future volumes to accommodate the surplus and expand the scope even further to include eastern religions and
architecture. Hejduk is affiliated with the design department at Arizona State U.; Williamson, with the architecture department at Cornell U. Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
(booknews.com)
