Author affiliation and brief biography:
One of the most highly regarded architects in Los Angeles, Scott Johnson is also one of the few architects who is well-known to the general public and the design profession alike. He is best known for his gracefully resolved tall building designs.  A number of his best-known designs have been widely published and have become local landmarks. He and William Fain acquired the landmark Los Angeles architectural firm Pereira Associates now known as Johnson Fain in 1987. Johnson is the author of Figure/Ground: A Design Conversation and The Big Idea: Criticality and Practice in Contemporary Architecture.

Authors’ current homes: Los Angeles, CA

Book Description:
The skyscraper, whatever it may be as physical fact, looms large in our lives and as a figment of our imaginations carries with it ideas of wealth, ambition, and dominance. The image of the skyscraper has been made and remade in the news, in literature and film, and now in all forms of our now global media. 
Paradoxically, as the building type continues to become more complex and is designed to address fundamentally different cultural conditions, the image, that is to say, the idea, of the skyscraper in the public mind seems to become simpler, more omnipresent, and more consumable.

Building Tall explores what the skyscraper evokes in us as a curious and complex technical achievement and also as a powerful image that has inspired artists for over 100 years. Johnson’s readable text and his intimate knowledge of tall building brings the skyscraper to life both technically and emotionally. Numerous rarely seen images of landmarks of architecture make this book a visual treat.

What makes this book special?

• This book shows amazing images of skyscrapers that are rarely seen.
• The book focuses on the psychology and artistry of skyscrapers.

Primary and secondary audience:

• Architects and urban designers
• Chicago and New York history buffs

Comparative/competitive titles:

• Skyscrapers: Structure and Design by Matthew Wells (HC2005)
• Skyscraper: The Search for an American Style 1891-1941 by Roger Shepherd (HC2002)
• The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories by Roberta Moudry (HC2005)