Storybook Style: America's Whimsical Homes of the 1920s

by Arrol Gellner and Douglas Keister

A celebration of AmericaΓ??s whimsical, Hansel-and-Gretel-inspired architecture of the 1920s!

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076435308X
• ISBN13: 9780764353086
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.7" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Rare original idea

My first impression of this book was that it was a trifle; once I started to read it though, I discovered it was surprisingly substantial. What a joy to look at these quaint medieval-inspired houses. Lots of them, and all those turrets! You won't find mention of this phenomenon in any of the popular books on house styles, and the author deserves credit for documenting it. The book displays a professional knowledge of architecture, unlike many in this category which seem to be written by art historians, and you can rest assured the author will not confuse a mullion with a muntin, or claim, as another one once did, that Tudor is an early Rennaissance style. (Although he happens to be incorrect in saying "terra cotta" means "hollow tile"; it means "baked earth".) No vacant catalog-esque prose here; the author knows his subject and enjoys telling others about it.

Whodathunkit - a page-turner architecture book!

5 stars plus! A book to delight the heart! It's so well-written you don't want to stop reading, yet you want to see what delight awaits on the next page. My suggestion - page through and look at all the pictures - then go back and read it all. Great job - please do another one! These guys did a similar book called Red Tile Style, on spanish revival architecture - if you like this one, check it out- it's also very well done.

Living in fantasyland - wonderful!

This is exactly the book I was looking for. I love this style home, but I never knew exactly how to describe it (or that it was even a 'true' architectural style). This book has not only given me some ideas about what I'd love to have in a home, but also made me aware that there are such homes in my area :) The pictures are really wonderful. A lovely book for anyone with a sense of whimsy.

Wonderful Book - From a Builder

This is the best compilation of pictures of Storybook homes, elements of Storybook architecture and the history of this wonderful style of building I have seen. As a builder of Storybook homes it is gratifying for me to see a quality book bringing attention to this subject. From my experience I know there is material for another edition, perhaps with more details of each home and the people who own them. Thank you for publishing this treasure.

This is the book I've been looking for.

I like castles and medeival houses especially with timber-beam construction like Old English villages & Bavarian Forest inns. This book has those styles in brilliant color photos. Although there are no floorplans to speak of, Storybook Style is a refreshing, enchanting look at homes that only your immagination could have dreamed up from half-forgotten fairytales of a place that time forgot. Most of the featured buildings are in California. These are the kind of homes I would like to build for my mom for her retirement and a place I could visit to get away from the real world. Charming, distinctive, quaint, eclectic, fanciful, old-country... Some of the adjectives to desribe these homes that are so far from the typical modern boring houses of today. A book well worth the money for the coffee table or for design ideas.