A Field Guide to American Houses: Amazon.ca: Virginia McAlester, Lee McAlester: Books

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How to Use This Book

Preface

Looking at American Houses

Style: The Fashions of American Houses

Form: The Shapes of American Houses

Structure: The Anatomy of American Houses

Pictorial Key and Glossary

Folk Houses

Native American

Pre-Railroad

National

Colonial Houses (1600-1820)

Postmedieval English

Dutch Colonial

French Colonial

Spanish Colonial

Georgian

Adam

Early Classical Revival

Romantic Houses (1820-1880)

Greek Revival

Gothic Revival

Italianate

Exotic Revivals

Octagon

Victorian Houses (1860-1900)

Second Empire

Stick

Queen Anne

Shingle

Richardsonian Romanesque

Folk Victorian

Eclectic Houses (1880-1940)

Anglo-American, English, and French Period Houses

Colonial Revival

Neoclassical

Tudor

Chateauesque

Beaux Arts

French Eclectic

Mediterranean Period Houses

Italian Renaissance

Mission

Spanish Eclectic

Monterey

Pueblo Revival

Modern Houses

Prairie

Craftsman

Modernistic

International

American Houses Since 1940

Modern

Neoeclectic

Contemporary Folk

For Further Reference

Index

From the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

The guide that enables you to identify, and place in their historic and architectural contexts, the houses you see in your neighborhood or in your travels across America. 17th century to the present.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Domestic buildings are of two principal sorts: folk houses and styled houses. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for this novice, Feb 6 2004

By

Ken Zirkel "Kickstand" (Somewhere in New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to American Houses (Hardcover)

A very useful reference, even for those (like me) just starting to understand different styles of homes. My only gripes: more photos, color photos, and more specific information on the photos would be more useful.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Contemporary Classic Saves Architectural Books Forever, Feb 6 2004

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"joewillie_01" (Eastman, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to American Houses (Hardcover)

Are the differences of the Ionic, Doric, or Corinthian Columns a little fuzy to you? And are these columns found on Early Classical Revival, Greek Revival, or Italiante? (it's a little tricky, they can all three be found on all three but rarely together). McAlestor & McAlestor have transformed a world of bleak descriptions and bland designs and turned them into an understand system of brillant diagrams and excellent pictures. This book was assigned in my historic architecture/preservation class and serves as the DEFINITIVE SOURCE for architectural identification. Buy it and throw it in the car. The world has made some great houses and McAlestor does the BEST JOB of explaining it to all of us!!!

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4.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable tool, Oct 10 2003

By

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to American Houses (Hardcover)

I stand in awe of the amount of work that must have gone into this book. Photographs of existing examples of every style of architecture (from #1, a Winnebago bark wigwam, to a sampling of NeoVictorians) in every region of the United States dominate its pages (their size is the only reason I don't rate it at five stars: you'll definitely want a magnifier). A lengthy (61pp) preface explains the roots of American house styles and all their basic elements, from plans and shapes to methods of construction to decorative details. Each chapter concentrates on a basic style, from "Pre-Railroad" (log cabins and plains soddies, including a splendid series of sketches showing the former's possible permutations) through "NeoEclectic" and "Contemporary Folk;" all include a map showing the locations in which that type was common and the period of its outward spread, and most have ink sketches of details such as doors, windows, roofs, and general shape. Whether you're a dedicated "house-walker" or just curious about the kinds of houses people have lived in over our nation's history, this comfortably sized and clearly illustrated volume should be on your shelf. I refer to it regularly in writing about past house styles.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable
Great Book. Highly useful in the field and as a reference. Good illustrations and high-style photographic examples. Read more

Published on July 11 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of information
Possibly too much. A lot of research went into this book, and the result is more of a reference than something you'd want to read straight through. Read more

Published on Feb 1 2003 by misterbeets