Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan

An insightful and original history of the coming into being of Manhattan, New York as a metropolis, by a great writer and (now) internationally revered Architect. Reading this, as an Architect, almost four decades after this has been put together for the first time, and being somewhat familiar with some of the works of the office he started (OMA), makes its' reading not without expectations in regards to learning about the practical applications of the lessons learned here. And to fast-forward to a tentative conclusion; these kind of expectations are not full-filled. The book, as a study is an exploration first and foremost; anything beyond is (and was) future, which we can now 'measure' or compare against actual production (of the author as Architect).The book itself then and its' structure; it starts off with a chapter on Coney Island, as being the laboratory for Manhattan; if one can make it through this first chapter, one is well positioned for the next chapters dealing with Manhattan's development, until the last one, where the author shifts gears suddenly, to get into the heads of two European celebrities of the Art & Architecture community, and basically finishes off the 'Manhattanism' process/period described in the previous chapters, thru the tales and eyes of these two. In terms of reading, a somewhat discontinuous experience, and asking the reader (once more), to find his/her bearing on a new 'platform' of thought(s) / thinking, this time centered around a newly introduced idea of a so-called 'Paranoia-Critical-Method', and the aspects of Paranoia itself. It is not quite clear why this shift is needed in view of the preceding chapters and history, and does not contribute to its core story, imho.The book is an intellectual and theoretical approach to Planning and Architectural history, where an objectivity has been maintained most of the time, albeit one cannot miss the at times sarcastic/sceptical/comical tones, when describing rather bizarre moments and ideas in the history of Manhattan. Almost every paragraph, headed by a short keyword of its content/subject, is concluded with a transcendental thought, a 'one-liner' providing a philosophical condensation of the evolving step in the process, which in themselves are the little pearls the writer adds on a string (of the story-line).One of the main values of the approach is that it puts Architecture, Planning and Design in an historical context that's including cultural, socio- and economic forces, as much, and most of the time, more than the Architecture, Planning and Design itself. What it tries to convey is a sense of processes beyond any one's control, where the Architect, Engineer and Designer are merely the ones providing the means to the forces that are occurring and shaping the processes. Their 'ideas' appear as makeshift, when seen against a 'bigger picture' background, their particular 'Architectural' approach or style more or less irrelevant.The book does include at the end, design proposals for Manhattan by the author / Architect around the time of writing / conception of the book (mid-seventies), that are presented as visual illustrations of the principles discovered and described in the book. However, partly due to the scale of the graphics included (small singular conceptual 3D images) and in part due to a listing of programmatic characteristics that one has been inundated with already a lot in the book, it doesn't really add to the story-line, imho. It seems that what one would expect, based on knowing what we know now in regards to the author and his career, that is a summarizing and a valuation of the principles in terms of how they would be made to guide one in projects for the future, is a missing stepping stone.As such, the shown projects in a way act more as a 'smoke-screen' than an unveiling of a future 'manifesto' (or set of rules), since it is not clear what is 'different' than what one has come to see before, nor what value, rejection or acceptance, is placed upon it. The Architect did not come out and valuate what the author has distilled. Perhaps that had not happened to the point of conclusion yet, but instead what is presented seems to represent a phase of mesmerizing and fascination with the subject. As such, the Architect and the subsequent work of the office remains a subject of study for me. One has to start somewhere, and this is most likely an obligatory starting point.

The book comes in great condition. Everything is intact. Compared with the price for a new book, this is def a good deal!

I was turned onto this book in Architecture studio. I was considering the idea of "odd adjacencies" within programmatic space. Someone shared the naked boxers eating oysters and I knew I had to read the book. I enjoyed Rem's take on New York's pursuit of thrills in their Architecture.

He goes into rigorous detail in describing the evidence for his "manifesto" but without losing the reader. If you have ever read any art theory style writing then this will be understandable. It's not a totally normal style of writing but it's still very interesting and understandable if you can pay attention. One of my favorite reads. There are moments of wonder (did that really happen in New York?), moments of enlightenment, and plenty of humor and irony, and even some heroes and villains (Le Corbusier as the tyrant who seeks to destroy New York, Dali as the out of place European in America). Very enjoyable, I have read this more than once. Highly recommend to anyone interested in architecture, design, or art history (and New York of course).

Fascinating from start to finish. This is a gripping history of the city of New York, tracing its architectural evolution from the Dutch's rational plotting the grid of Manhattan to Coney Island's early extravagance as a showcase for the bizarre to the manical explosion of sky scrapers. Intriguing is the story of Coney Island serving as an incubator for Manhattan's themes and personality of forms. Koolhaas, now a starchitect, wrote this goregous work decades before he would create his own masterpieces of architecture such as the Seattle Library or Casa de Musica. In a word brilliant.

An architectural book, written by a person, who at the time was more a writer then an architect! Definitely an interesting point of view!

Here's an undergraduate architecture student's perspective: I really enjoyed this book! It's not difficult to get into but be prepared to venture into some pretty fantastical theories about New York. I couldn't help but think that some of the explanations and narrative were a bit forced to fit into some very memorable lines and titles. Just go with it though and you'll be glad you did; it's a captivating interpretation of New York that is certainly at least as valuable as whatever you'll find in a history book.

Koolhas doesn't need to the presentation. He is a genius of the American and global architecture. THe importance of this book is related to consider the history of the development of Manhattan.What is the function of the skyscraper? During the economic boom of Reagan cycle, it is the symbol of the financial subcess, next the last crisis every skyscraper must give us a proper value. That is true, but it can mean a return to the original sense of the City, and to an architectural function of the open spaces.

Genius description of New York's history by the architecture great Rem Koolhaas. The only thing which hurts the readability is Rem's love in using jargon and uncommon words, which are sometimes completely unnecessary.

Fantastic book!

A text that should be read.

Considering just how miserable he seems to be these days, this book by architect Rem Koolhaas is an absolute delight. It is the perfect distillation of quirky research, fantastic images and barely credible stories. Koolhaas seeks to create a retrospective manifesto for the iconic city of our era, New York. He creates and illustrates theories, that then run through the book like a thread. At the end when the book slips into fantasy, it is scarcely less believable than what has gone before.This is a cracking read. I am marking down slightly to four, as there is a lot of arty farty theoretical stuff that some people will love, but is bound to turn off some potential readers.The Kindle version is well put together, though the effect of the illustrations is a little lost, so you might be tempted to buy a hard copy to supplement the Kindle version. One to read and read again.

Le livre à l'intérieur est en état, mais la couverture arrière est légèrement abimé. C'était un usagé alors je ne suis pas surprise et je suis tout de même très satisfaite de mon achat. J'adore le livre et les écrits de Koolhaas!