This work is a gathering of essays in tribute to the life and achievements of a remarkable Irish- born structural engineer Peter Rice (1935-1992), 'perhaps the most influential of the 20th century'. His work and inventions underpinned the great buildings of his day, from the Sydney Opera House to the Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou), the Mecca Conference Centre, the Lord's Mound Stand in London, Stanstead Airport, the Menil Museum in Houston, La Defense in Paris, the Lille TGV Station, the Seville Pavilion of the Future, the Gourgoubes Full-Moon Theatre. Working in tandem with architects Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and Zaha Hadid, and the artist Frank Stella, he consciously placed himself in the tradition of the great 19th-century engineers, Telford, Stephenson, Brunel father and son, and Eiffel. A director of Ove Arup in London and a partner in Paris-based RFR, he was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture in 1992. He summarized his vision and legacy in a keynote, posthumously published book An Engineer Imagines, written in the knowledge of an inoperable brain tumor from which he died aged 58. This monograph will be the focus of upcoming exhibitions in Dublin (Farmleigh), Paris, London and Milan, in 2012 and 2013.

The long-awaited reissue of the autobiography of Peter Rice, one of the main structural engineers behind the Sydney Opera House, the Pompidou Centre, the Menil Collection and Lloyd's of London. 'I am an engineer. Often people will call me an 'architect engineer' as a compliment. It is meant to signify a quality of engineer who is more imaginative and design-orientated than a normal engineer... To call an engineer an 'architect engineer' because he comes up with unusual or original solutions is essentially to misunderstand the role of the engineer in society.' An Engineer Imagines is a rare look into the professional creativity and philosophy of Peter Rice, who was widely acclaimed as the greatest structural engineer of his generation. He was a man who, in Renzo Piano's words, could design structures 'like a pianist who can play with his eyes shut'. Working with many of the world's greatest architects on buildings that became icons of contemporary architecture, he brought a uniquely poetic feeling to his work. Joining Ove Arup & Partners in 1956, Rice had heard that 'it was a place where an oddball could fit in.' Taking on Arup's theory of Total Design to heart, Rice writes about the role of the engineer in society, and how he himself applied his creativity to various projects. He admits he became an engineer by accident, tentatively feeling his way through a career without a natural instinct. But as he takes you through each of his projects, one-by-one, you can trace his development from graduate to veteran. Written in clear and poetic language, Rice's autobiography is perfect for those who want to better understand postwar buildings, our concrete environment, or are budding students of engineering and architecture.

"Nifty neighborhood. Nifty book"—The New York Times Book Review In this multicultural picture book, Carrie goes from one neighbor's house to the next looking for her brother, who is late for dinner. She discovers that although each family is from a different country, everyone makes a rice dish at dinnertime. Readers will enjoy trying the simple recipes that correspond to each family's unique rice dish.

With the same unique vision that brought his now classic Mars trilogy to vivid life, bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson boldly imagines an alternate history of the last seven hundred years. In his grandest work yet, the acclaimed storyteller constructs a world vastly different from the one we know. . . . “A thoughtful, magisterial alternate history from one of science fiction’s most important writers.”—The New York Times Book Review It is the fourteenth century and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur—the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of Europe’s population was destroyed. But what if the plague had killed 99 percent of the population instead? How would the world have changed? This is a look at the history that could have been—one that stretches across centuries, sees dynasties and nations rise and crumble, and spans horrible famine and magnificent innovation. Through the eyes of soldiers and kings, explorers and philosophers, slaves and scholars, Robinson navigates a world where Buddhism and Islam are the most influential and practiced religions, while Christianity is merely a historical footnote. Probing the most profound questions as only he can, Robinson shines his extraordinary light on the place of religion, culture, power—and even love—in this bold New World. “Exceptional and engrossing.”—New York Post “Ambitious . . . ingenious.”—Newsday

Examines the social uses of architectural drawing: how it acts to direct architecture; how it helps define what is important about a design; and how it embodies claims about the architect's status and authority. Case study narratives are included with drawings from projects at all stages.