Housing

More than 60 articles here address a myriad of topics on the overall theme of housing. Various scholars, editors, architects and social reformers cover subjects as diverse as homelessness, retirement havens, underground living, homemaking, shelter magazines and military housing. Although some of the articles are densely populated with statistics and technical details, the writing generally is absorbing. Especially entertaining are an article by Isaac Asimov in which he considers possible solutions to the housing problems of an overcrowded planet and Brendan Gill's piece on the influence of the movies on architecture and interior design. Of the more socially minded essays, Gary Orfield's article on segregation and discrimination in housing and Janet Abu-Lughod's analysis of the low standards of shelter in the Third World are particularly incisive. Lively photo spreads break up the narrow columns of small type. Taylor is director emeritus of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in Manhattan. (July)