Minimum Paperback – April 18, 2006

John Pawson is one of my favorite architects, and this book perfectly highlights and demonstrates his minimalist approach. Light on text, heavy on beautiful photos. It's also gorgeously bound with a simple but rich cloth cover with beautiful type. It even came shrink-wrapped to ensure that it wasn't damaged during shipping. Everything about it is perfect.For such an inexpensive book, I couldn't have been more surprised. I can't recommend this highly enough.

ANYTHING by phaidon u can get without opening and checking the book. they are the best publishers out there. trust them blindly.. this book is great. great design, it lets out a good vibe. helps get your lifestyle right...

Pawsons vision of simplicity is refreshing and inspiring. This book - a collection of thoughts and images that inspire him - illustrate that minimalism doesnt have to be stark or severe. His thoughts on form and material are incisively illustrated through the photographs.My only warning would be that this is not a manual for simple living as much as it is a treatise. And, for a book on minimalism it's a little big.

This book is interesting. The book reveals what constitutes Pawson's thinking. Thru the graphic representations of photographic art, sculpture, ancient buildings, paintings, places, details, gardens, and ruins; Pawson powerfully visualizes his stance. At each image Pawson carefully crafts little notes to explain why he likes that particular image. A reader will easily grasp that Pawson's journey towards the absolute essentials was not created thru either erasing lines in drawings or reading some philosophical statements. But thru the years of his own site visits and foot work. Sometimes I felt flattered that some of my favorites were chosen as his favorites; othertimes, I found places and artists that I've never heard. I was able to rely on his notes because of his comments on my favorites. Only a person who has visited multiple times to his likings can write such succinct and insightful comments. Due to the intensity of the content and the nature of words, this book could also function like a daily meditation book. By that I mean, you can read it in two hours or you can read an image per day and extend the duration to two years. In a digitally mediated age, clapping hands to the loud voices/ moving fast/ diversity of thoughts, Pawson's book deliberately shuts mouth/ stand still/ seek simple equilibrium.

I founded my Minimum book with several pages broken and unstucked binding, so I'm very dissatisfied with the product (not with the content)

the true beauty of Pawson's quiet polemic is his restraint. remaing true to the theme, little text is offered, save a small elaboration for each image included as an appendix. the other refreshing aspect is his control in image selection. little of his work appears, and when it does, he only credits himself in the appendix. i can appreciate this approach to an architecture book. it is obviously not a monograph or end-table book as is Richard Meier Architect. instead, it is a 'this is what i like around me' book. the inclusion of non-architectural images (note the B-2 bomber and a three-prong fork) reinforces the theme of the truly powerful restraint that could exist in all design.

Was very disappointed with this book. John Pawson is one of my favorite architects, and I was looking forward to a book put together by him of his inspirations. The cover is very nice, it goes downhill from there. It's mostly bad photos of obvious references. It felt haphazardly put together by an intern. I paged through it twice and then put it in the stack of books for the library book sale.

it's hard not to talk to much about a book called "minimum". Previous review said exactly what is my only concern about this beautiful idea: words are in excess in that book. You might almost say the book is too big... Why not use Fontana (the painter) (s)words to say it?