Synopsis: This is the first biography of Joseph Urban designer of furniture, stage, opera and film sets, also interiors, decorative objects and buildings. He was a household name in his time and his reputation is now set for a revival. Born in Vienna in 1872, the multi-talented Urban was already enjoying a career in archiecture, stage design, and book illustration before he was brought to America in 1911 to do stage settings for the Boston Opera. By 1914 his highly regarded productions had caught the eye of impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who lured him away to design nearly all of his shows and Follies on through the 1920s. His lush stagecraft soon revolutionized all of American theatre design, attracting the attention of William Randolph Hearst, who enticed Urban into becoming artistic director for his Cosmopolitan movie studio, where he designed all of the Marion Davies films. During this period he also operated a showcase on Fifth Avenue for the Wiener Werkstatte and was artistic director of the Metropolitan Opera. Many of his original opera settings continued in use well into the New York cityscape, many of which, unfortunately, have been demolished, including the original Ziegfield Theatre and Central Park Casino. However, the Hearst Building and the New School for Social Research, the city's first International Style building, remain. Several of his works in Palm Beach still stand, including his most extravagant extant construction, Mar-a-Lago, the former Post estate now owned by Donald Trump. Reviews: Renaissance man Joseph Urban (1872-1933) is rediscovered in this first full-scale biography and appreciation. Urban acquired a reputation in fin-de-siecle Vienna for architecture, stage design, and book illustration. He arrived in America in 1911 to design productions for the Boston Opera and stayed to make an impact on theater stagecraft, opera and movie sets, Art Deco and International Style architecture, and industrial design. Relying on the vast Urban Archives at Columbia University and interviews with Urban's daughter Gretl, this rigorously researched and lavishly illustrated volume (with 282 images, 129 in color) revives the spirit and personality of one of the century's most talented designers. An important choice for academic and larger public libraries with specialized interests. - Russell T. Clement, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut.