RICHARD NEUTRA by Manfred Sack (Studio/Rizzoli:...

RICHARD NEUTRA by Manfred Sack (Studio/Rizzoli: $24.95) and GUIDE TO FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S CALIFORNIA by Scot Zimmerman (Gibbs-Smith: $14.95). Richard Neutra’s vision of a house as an open shelter that enables the inhabitants to blend their lives into the surrounding landscape had a profound effect on Southern California architecture. In this excerpt from a three-volume study published in Germany, Sack provides a thorough overview of Neutra’s designs for homes, schools and offices. His brief, thoughtful comments point out the skillful use of water, glass, natural light and native materials in these handsome buildings, many of which look strikingly contemporary. Unfortunately, the small format makes it almost impossible to read the greatly reduced floor plans. The author’s unusually handsome black-and-white photographs highlight Zimmerman’s appealing but more modest study of Frank Lloyd Wright (whose work was a major influence on Neutra). Zimmerman provides easy-to-follow directions to each building, noting which are open to the public and which are private residences, and offers advice on how to capture them most effectively on film. Southern California boasts several important Wright creations that range from the pseudo-Aztec grandeur of Ennis House in Los Feliz (which was used as a setting in “Blade Runner” and “Rocket Man”) to the lesser-known Anderton Court shops on Rodeo Drive.