‘Frank Lloyd Wright in Pop-Up’ by Roland Lewis

To open a book and have the Guggenheim Museum curve out at your fingertips isn’t quite as breathtaking as visiting the real thing in New York, but it’s not a bad substitute. And the other fold-outs in Roland Lewis’ oversize “ Frank Lloyd Wright in Pop-Up” (Thunder Bay Press: 36 pp., $24.95) also echo the striking planes of the iconic architect’s work. Stretch the covers and terraces, overhangs, glass corners and additional details surge off the page. One spread, which focuses on Wright’s interior design, includes a pop-up version of his chandelier.

If only there were more! “Frank Lloyd Wright in Pop-Up” features only five fold-out pages and just three Wright homes: the Robie House in Chicago, Fallingwater in southwestern Pennsylvania and Los Angeles’ Ennis House. The book includes some basic information about Wright’s life and career, but it’s a little fuzzy on difficult issues, such as the costs of restoration.

(Contrary to what Lewis states, the Ennis House has been put up for private sale by the foundation that hoped to preserve it for public use.)

Still, the photos here are lovely, and it’s hard to imagine that Wright wouldn’t be flattered. Not everybody can live in a Wright house, but almost anyone can pick up a copy of this book and see his work spring to life.

-- Carolyn Kellogg