Back in, I think, 1997, my friend Jim got me an issue of El Croquis devoted to MVRDV for my birthday. I hadn't heard of the Dutch architecture firm, and I was impressed enough by their buildings and projects to purchase this thick monograph (theoretical in nature) a year later. Unlike size/scale, as in Rem Koolhaas's similarly sized S,M,L,XL, density, as the subtitle indicates, is the focus here, be it in terms of projects like WoZoCo's or their now-famous data visualizations that take whole cities or countries as their canvas. This is also the book that introduced me to Kowloon Walled City, which lead me to put together a standalone website for my same friend, and purchase no less than four books on the late "city" that continues to fascinate architects. For this alone, the book holds a dear place in my library. ( )