A Field Guide to American Houses

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and useful reference
Review: If I could only keep one volume from my small library of books on home architecture, I would probably stick with "A Field Guide to American Houses," by Virginia and Lee McAlester. This is a true encyclopedia of the American home.

The McAlesters combine an informative introduction with a chapter-by-chapter guide to each of the major styles of home architecture in the United States. Each chapter includes both crisp, detailed line drawings and a wealth of photographs of actual houses themselves. The photographs alone--there are literally hundreds of them--make this book an invaluable reference work.

The McAlesters also provide newcomers with a useful primer to the language of home architecture. After reading this book you might find yourself using terms like "hipped dormer," "decorated verge board," "roof-line balustrade," and "ogee arch" when you visit a new neighborhood.

From Native American tipis to geodesic domes, from Chateauesque mansions to mobile homes--all this and more is in here. This book is a monumental achievement.

Rating:
Summary: A complete & entertaining education for old-house fans!
Review: If you are an old-house fan, this book is the equivalent of a college education. Here are some reasons this book is both entertaining and useful:

It starts with chapters on basic structure: shapes of houses, style of construction, ornamentation, etc. There are simple, remarkably clear drawings accompanying all this that will serve to give you a kind of 'vocabulary' to interpret houses when you run across something new (for example, a dozen different types of dormers - what are they all called?). (These involve almost entirely external elements, for detailed interiors you will need another book.)

Lots of delicious historical background about how history and technological advances changed housing. For example, the authors divide folk housing into "pre" and "post-railroad" because not until railroads made building materials nationally accessible did a national set of housing styles develop.

Following this, there are a series of chapters describing different styles (i.e., Victorian, Tudor, etc.), starting with the characteristic details, when and where the style is found, etc. The McAlisters do a particularly good job on regional variations; there are some remarkable maps showing the prevelance of different styles in different states.

The graphics are fantastic and plentiful. The simple stylzed drawings of building elements (rooflines, doorways, windows, etc.) clearly distinguish one detail from another, while the photographs make you want to pop into the car and drive all over to see the real houses themselves.

One note: there is a table, starting around p. 55, that will make the book much easier to use as a 'field guide' (i.e., driving around looking at houses the way birders look at birds). This chart helps you use key identifying features to determine the most likely style of the house. For example, my house has a steeply pitched roof and multliple gables, so it's probably a Tudor. From there you can go to the proper chapter. Without this chart you'll have to search the whole book.

Rating:
Summary: A complete & entertaining education for old-house fans!
Review: If you are an old-house fan, this book is the equivalent of a college education. Here are some reasons this book is both entertaining and useful:

It starts with chapters on basic structure: shapes of houses, style of construction, ornamentation, etc. There are simple, remarkably clear drawings accompanying all this that will serve to give you a kind of 'vocabulary' to interpret houses when you run across something new (for example, a dozen different types of dormers - what are they all called?). (These involve almost entirely external elements, for detailed interiors you will need another book.)

Lots of delicious historical background about how history and technological advances changed housing. For example, the authors divide folk housing into "pre" and "post-railroad" because not until railroads made building materials nationally accessible did a national set of housing styles develop.

Following this, there are a series of chapters describing different styles (i.e., Victorian, Tudor, etc.), starting with the characteristic details, when and where the style is found, etc. The McAlisters do a particularly good job on regional variations; there are some remarkable maps showing the prevelance of different styles in different states.

The graphics are fantastic and plentiful. The simple stylzed drawings of building elements (rooflines, doorways, windows, etc.) clearly distinguish one detail from another, while the photographs make you want to pop into the car and drive all over to see the real houses themselves.

One note: there is a table, starting around p. 55, that will make the book much easier to use as a 'field guide' (i.e., driving around looking at houses the way birders look at birds). This chart helps you use key identifying features to determine the most likely style of the house. For example, my house has a steeply pitched roof and multliple gables, so it's probably a Tudor. From there you can go to the proper chapter. Without this chart you'll have to search the whole book.

Rating:
Summary: You Can't Beat This!
Review: It was during a conversation that I was having with a co-worker at a major N.Y. cultural institution that I was first handed a copy of this book. I needed it too, because I cound not identify the architectural style of my own house!! This book changed all of that! You will find every architectural style in covered in this book along with some fabulous illustrations, with variants and details. I was absolutely delighted to see a section devoted to Native American architecture, and eclectic architectural styles. The photographs are excellent as well. This book is perfect for students of architecture and Historic Preservation. In the many years since I was first introduced to this book I have yet to see any other publication beat it, and I don't think any will.

Rating:
Summary: The bible of American house styles
Review: Of the several dozen books I own of American house styles, this is the only book that systematically breaks down every American house style from the Native American tipi to Modern architecture. For every style, it gives the two critcal elements of architecture, the form/shape of the houses and their details. As a land developer, I use this book as a pattern book for the design criteria of homes built in my neighborhoods - every homeowner gets a copy! This is truly the bible of American house styles.

Rating:
Summary: Should be standard issue in all real estate offices
Review: One of my pet peeves is looking at the real estate section of our paper and seeing all the two storey homes listed as either a "Colonial" or a "Victorian." These people are in the business of describing houses yet they are ignorant as to what architectural style they are. A copy of this book in their office would make all the difference. Great book. I have kept a copy in my car for times when I come onto an interesting house and want to learn more about it.

Rating:
Summary: Should be standard issue in all real estate offices
Review: One of my pet peeves is looking at the real estate section of our paper and seeing all the two storey homes listed as either a "Colonial" or a "Victorian." These people are in the business of describing houses yet they are ignorant as to what architectural style they are. A copy of this book in their office would make all the difference. Great book. I have kept a copy in my car for times when I come onto an interesting house and want to learn more about it.

Rating:
Summary: Well organized and clearly illustrated guide to Am. housing.
Review: Other than a strange bias against the most famous American residential architect of all time, Frank Lloyd Wright, the McAlesters do a teriffic job of organizing American architectural styles into easily understood categories. It has profuse illustrations from every part of the United States, I have enjoyed teaching from it for over 10 years. Students often say this is the one college text they keep, and they put it in the glove box of their cars. They do include Wright's most famous, but ignore the great numbers of modest yet influential homes he designed in the 20th Century.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of information
Review: 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. The early chapter on massing comes to mind--which probably should be an appendix anyway. All the lesser styles are included for completeness, but including them makes the big picture harder to see. On the good side, there's lots and lots of B/W pictures, which really tell the story anyway. If you're willing to sacrifice comprehensive coverage, House Styles in America by James C. Massey tells the same story in a more enjoyable and understandable way.

Rating:
Summary: A must have for any residential architect or designer.
Review: Still the most thorough compilation of residential styles. Should be in your library - is it?