Skyscrapers Book

2001 celebrates the 5th anniversary of Skyscrapers. To commemorate the book's extraordinary longevity and success, a new paperback edition has been published. Thank you to my readers around the world.People often ask me how the skyscrapers in the book were chosen. In order to select representative structures from a plethora of worthy choices, I had to set ground rules for inclusion. The vagaries of financing and construction, magnified when dealing with buildings of supertall dimensions, led to the decision that only completed structures, or those under construction, were to be included in the book. Some extraordinary skyscrapers will be breaking through the clouds now through 2004, however, most were still a gleam in the architect's eye in 1995 when this book was written. I look forward to updating Skyscrapers in the next few years. Skyscrapers' magnificent, 18" high photographs are the work of a veritable who's who of architectural photography. I decided early on that classic black and white images, because they distill what is most essential, should be used to illustrate this iconic subject. The book is not about all skyscrapers--it is an adamant, quirky, joyful paean to a selected few. Black and white photographs best capture that exalted place between myth, memory, and reality occupied by only a handful of buildings.