Helen Thompson Books

First survey of modernist and contemporary architecture and interiors in the richly layered architectural history of Santa Fe Santa Fe Modern reveals the high desert landscape as an ideal setting for bold, abstracted forms of modernist houses. Wide swaths of glass, deep-set portals, long porches, and courtyards allow vistas, color, and light to become integral parts of the very being of a house, emboldening a way to experience a personal connection to the desert landscape. The architects featured draw from the New Mexican architectural heritage - they use ancient materials such as adobe in combination with steel and glass, and they apply this language to the proportions and demands exacted by today's world. The houses they have designed are confident examples of architecture that is particular to the New Mexico landscape and climate, and yet simultaneously evoke the rigorous expressions of modernism. The vigor and the allure of modern art and architecture hearten each other in a way that is visible and exciting, and this book demonstrates the synergistic relationship between art, architecture, and the land.

Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century explains the historical origins of the political shocks of the past decade: why politics has been so difficult, why energy and debt are such a large part of these difficulties, and how two rather different kinds of democratic crises exist in Europe and the United States.

The book examines the evolution of the British Conservative government's policy toward the European Exchange Rate Mechanism from 1979 to 1994, highlighting its impact on the party's leadership. It details significant events, including the rift between Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson, illustrating how ERM policy contributed to the collapse of Thatcher's government and the subsequent loss of credibility for John Major's administration. Through these dramatic episodes, the text provides a critical analysis of the political consequences of economic decisions.