American House Styles: A Concise Guide

by John Milnes Baker

Book Overview

America has an abundance of fascinating and varied house styles, as fascinating and diverse as its people. This unique book will allow readers to recognize the architectural features and style of virtually any house they encounter.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393034216
• ISBN13: 9780393034219
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

American House Styles

Great book to sort out the various styles in american architectural houses. The history of each house is given well and concise. The language is appropriate and the illustrations are excellant.

It sells out fast at the book store

This is a great way to study the different elevations/styles that can be applied to the same basic floorplan. Also a quick reference for the many Architectural styles of the U.S.

A good, quick introduction

This fascinating book is a quick introduction to the evolution of house styles across the history of the United States. Each chapter has a short introduction to the era in American history, and then launches into a description of the house styles, complete with excellent sketches of a typical house and floor plan of that style. I found this to be a fun and educational read. I enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

Too concise? ...maybe, but it serves a purpose.

Baker's book covers the basics on the history of the house style in America. It is concise, and easy reading. Those looking for an in-depth and specific guide to the architectural purity and detail of the many individual residential styles have several other excellent books to chose from that would serve that purpose better. Baker is opinionated, but the novel "common plan" he creates to simplify the comparisons is an excellent method to help the novice in understanding the architecture of the house. I'm sure you will have your own opinions of what styles you like and dislike. This book won't answer all of your questions, however, it will give you a jump start on understanding the basics. This book would be helpful for anyone looking to purchase an older home if you are confused by the often misleading real estate agent's description on home styles.