Self-Guided Architectural Tours of Cape May, Nj

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Cape May Companion
Review: Marsha Cudworth has written a most useful and usable guide to the architecture of Cape May, NJ. Cape May, a National Historic Landmark, lays claim to being America's oldest extant seaside resort. It certainly is one of the loveliest and Ms. Cudworth's book shows why in a series of easy-to-use walking and driving tours.

Especially useful are pen and ink drawings of outstanding structures in this remarkably well-preserved and carefully restored slice of Victoriana-by-the-sea. Many of the drawings are taken from the beautifully-rendered Historic American Buildings Survey of Cape May. Others come from the author's own hands.

This slender volume is neither a full-scale history of Cape May nor a scholarly discussion of the town's architects and builders (for that, one should consult Emil Salvini's "Cape May: Summer City by the Sea" and Thomas & Doebley's "Cape May: Queen of the Seaside Resorts").

But for a lovingly written and charmingly illustrated traveler's companion, this small book is just about perfect. It is a model of the sort of well-researched yet non-academic guidebook which enhances the appreciation of our nation's historic districts for tourists, newcomers, and long-term residents alike.