"A visual feast of fifty wonderfully distinctive and architecturally astounding swimming pools from around the world Extraordinary Pools is a mosaic of exceptional public and private examples of pools, reasserting the protean quality of the swimming pool as a space of activity, pleasure, and excess. Illustrated with awe-inspiring color photography, it showcases stunning examples of architecturally significant swimming pools around the world, Lubetkin’s modernist Penguin Pool at the London ZooThe world’s largest infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands in SingaporeThe landmark Julia Morgan-designed City Club pool in Berkeley, CaliforniaLuis Barragan's signature L-shaped pools at Cuadra San Cristobal in MexicoAnd many more Woven throughout are essays by swimmers and architectural experts on the role swimming pools have played in shaping modern culture, from the 1932 Olympics and Mussolini’s campaign to redefine the new Italian Fascist as physically fit, disciplined, and virile to the dawn of circular backyard pools in California that became playgrounds for skateboarders during the great drought of the 1970s. With its lush imagery and lively discussion, Extraordinary Pools will dazzle recreationists and architecture enthusiasts alike. STUNNING Illustrated with full-color images throughout, Extraordinary Pools is an aspirational, covetable volume befitting any design lover's coffee table display. ENDLESSLY Swimming pools are status symbols and objects of interest regardless of climate or season. Whether they are used for athletic pursuits or the simple joy of relaxing in water, found indoors or out, are kidney-shaped or Olympic-sized, pools are an enthralling source of visual and aesthetic pleasure. EXPERIENCED Naina Gupta, a practicing architect who teaches at the Architectural Association of the School of Architecture in London, turns her trained eye on a dazzling array of pools to explore their visual impact and cultural significance. Perfect beach lovers, and pool enthusiastsCollectors of architecture, design, and home décor booksHost/hostess or housewarming giftArchitectural history buffsPhotography fans and armchair travelers" [BATSFORD]