ABSTRACT
A is for Alvar Aalto and the Alternative Tradition – two Modernisms rather than one. If we don’t see half a dozen new books a year on Aalto, it means it’s not his centenary any more. Aalto has the advantage – like Aardvark taxis – of being first in every type of alphabetical architectural listing, and so is a thoroughly reliable publishing candidate. A is also for Advance – what publishers regard as a princely sum with no certainty of delivery; what authors see as a miserly but somehow irresistible pittance to take on another millstone.
