Rating: 
Summary: What makes this book so useful?
Review: -- Thorough research. Through her articles about Sears mail-order homes for "Old House Journal" and now with this book the author shares her findings as well as her personal insights.-- Reprints of rare catalog pages. As well as pictures of six homes which were not mentioned in other books, the author also reprints pages from original catalogs about construction details and varying floorplans. -- Sincere human interest. The book retells the personal stories of how people saved money in order to finance their Dream mail-order homes. And how the contemporary planners surveyed builders and researched the way owners used their homes in order to improve the architectural plans. -- Dispels myths. There have been several myths circulating on how to identify a Sears mail-order house. The author dispels these myths and replaces them with useful and practical advise on how to Positively identify a home ordered from a Sears catalog. -- Shows you how to Positively Identify a Sears home. Whether you are a 'Sears Spotter' or just want to discover whether a specific house was built from a Sears pre-cut kit, the author offers definative ways to discover and document that infomation.
Rating:
Summary: Sear Homes
Review: As a real estate agent I came across a potential Sears home and decided to find out if it was true. I went online and came across this book and as email address for the author. I read the book and was surprised to find all the wonderful information on these historic homes. It was fascinating and I now look at houses in a completely new way. Rosemary Thornton identified the house for me and suggested another book that I might find interesting. All the information I have learned is helping me to market this house and given me an appreciation of Sears homes I didn't have before.
Rating:
Summary: Sear Homes
Review: As a real estate agent I came across a potential Sears home and decided to find out if it was true. I went online and came across this book and as email address for the author. I read the book and was surprised to find all the wonderful information on these historic homes. It was fascinating and I now look at houses in a completely new way. Rosemary Thornton identified the house for me and suggested another book that I might find interesting. All the information I have learned is helping me to market this house and given me an appreciation of Sears homes I didn't have before.
Rating:
Summary: Who knew?
Review: I had never heard of Sears houses before, but Ma had..It tells about the Sears' Homes, but also it's a history lesson on labor relations, construction techniques, and materials. The list of materials they shipped with the kits is truly vast.. I could never have put one of these together myself, but I do a little carpentry and electrical work around the house, so I appreciate what it took to get one of these things together, and this book illustrates that point in quite graphic terms. Striking also, how little money carpenters and builders made back then. It's a cool book, and anyone with a little interest in 20th century Americana would enjoy reading it..
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I have really enjoyed reading this book, it is jamed packet with information and really takes you back in History. Once I started reading about the Sears Homes, I found it very difficult to put to put the book down. If you have not read this Book you have missed a real treat. My wife and I have had the opportunity to spend some time with the Author of the Book, touring some of the Sears Homes in Cairo, Illinois. Rose is a fine Young Lady, we wish her God's Speed in the writing of her next book.
Rating:
Summary: Renewed Interest
Review: I just finished reading The Houses That Sears Built. I was unable to put it down. I grew up in a Sears house, but I did not know anything about them until I read this book. It is obvious that the author did her homework while researching the subject.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: I really loved this book. Ms. Rosemary Thornton has really done her research. I have a few other books concerning Sears, Montgomery Wards, and Alladin houses, and although they are very interesting to me, they read like the catalog books that they really are. Rosemary goes beyond the catalog format, rounds everything out, offers information that none of the other books offer, and then adds a "human element" to the subject. Reading her book made me want to re-read the other books right along with hers, in order to catch all the points that I had missed reading the "catalog" books before. This book is ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL and an absolute must to read if you have any kind of interest at all in "kit houses." The author has a great sense of humor, too! In more than a few places, I was laughing out loud - who would have thought you could be reading a book on Sears Houses and find HUMOR! A great book, and I cannot wait for the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: A must for any Sears Home enthusiast!
Review: I received this book as a gift and I found it quite interesting. There's a lot of history about the evolution of early 1900s housing in America -- which is a fun read.. I also enjoyed reading about the large collection of Sears Homes in Carlinville, Illinois and the story of how Standard Oil turned to Sears when they needed to house their workers. Ms. Thornton did a lot of research and it shows and best of all, her information is presented in a very readable manner. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in American Architecture.
Rating:
Summary: The Houses That Sears Built
Review: I was elated to learn that our big old home was a Sears home. I immediately started looking for information about them. The book was very informative and the author was kind enough to list an email address. She responded to my questions and left no doubt she has a great deal to contribute on the history of these homes.
Rating:
Summary: The Houses That Sears Built
Review: I was elated to learn that our big old home was a Sears home. I immediately started looking for information about them. The book was very informative and the author was kind enough to list an email address. She responded to my questions and left no doubt she has a great deal to contribute on the history of these homes.
| 
