From the Editor: As you've probably divined by now, this issue is about Frank Lloyd Wright, every bit of it. What you haven't discovered yet is why. Why is because we here at Jetsetmodern believe that Frank Lloyd Wright the man and architect has become lost, plowed under by Frank Lloyd Wright, the industry. There are a lot of people out there engaged in making a buck off something-or-other vaguely connected to Frank Lloyd Wright, and not a few of them preside over institutions Wright himself put into existence. There are house plans, seminars, CD-ROMs, neckties, trivets, computer typefaces, posters- anything you can imagine, and some things you can't. An astonishing amount of it is sold as having some genuine connection to Wright, as "authorized" by someone or some organization. What was once a system of organically-derived architectural principles arising from one man's genius is now, sadly, product. Wright's famous, proud red square has been reduced to a logo- Frank Lloyd Prada, anyone? This is not to say there are not good Frank Lloyd Wright designs available in today's marketplace; we'll tell about some here. But it's a limited selection, because most companies trading on the Wright name today are marketing products which are not actually Wright-designed, only derived from Wright designs that are not necessarily used the way Wright intended. The motifs may be familiar, and even pleasing, but Wright's philosophy does not inhabit the merchandise. This may be understandable when the item in question is a coffee mug, but it's a great deal harder to comprehend when someone sells a house that is supposedly Wright-inspired, but which has little to do with Wright's work as he himself did it. So what are this issue's articles about? They're about people who honestly understand Frank Lloyd Wright, who carry Wrightian principles forward into our own time, or who were unsung keepers of the Wright flame in Wright's day. Two owners of Wright houses have written from two completely different perspectives, both equally valid- one has restored and renovated a near-derelict Wright house, finding ways to make an old design serve new needs. The other commissioned her house from Wright himself, and has preserved it without enshrining it, finding it adaptable to all the seasons of her long life just as Wright designed it. There's a story on an architect Wright personally trained. There's a review of a book that reveals the source of Wright's designs. There's a commentary about the house Wright influenced without meaning to- the suburban ranch house. And there's the story of a man who served Wright selflessly, putting aside his own considerable talent to be sure that Wright's affairs ran smoothly. This issue is about Frank Lloyd Wright, and how he touched lives. Yours and mine, as well as those lucky enough to work with him or have a Wright house. That's worth more than all the calendars and coffee-table books in the world. Sandy McLendon Editor-In-Chief www.jetsetmodern.com sandy@jetsetmodern.com