Rating: 
Summary: size matters!
Review: ...I'd give it five stars. This book is a treasure trove for old-house mavens, especially those interested in early 20th-Century domestic vernacular architecture. Houses of all sizes and styles are included, most with full floor plans--which, unfortunately, you often need a magnifying glass to view clearly--and all with an illustration showing the exterior, as well as the dates sold, price, and other useful information. Many of the writeups also show interior suggestions. A very useful book.
Rating: 
Summary: If Only the Pictures Were Bigger...
Review: ...I'd give it five stars. This book is a treasure trove for old-house mavens, especially those interested in early 20th-Century domestic vernacular architecture. Houses of all sizes and styles are included, most with full floor plans--which, unfortunately, you often need a magnifying glass to view clearly--and all with an illustration showing the exterior, as well as the dates sold, price, and other useful information. Many of the writeups also show interior suggestions. A very useful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative, entertaining & educational look at Sears kits
Review: A "must have" for the Sears home owner! Not only did I find my house in this exhaustive resource, I found many of my neighbors' as well! This is a great read for anybody interested in kit houses of the past. If you know somebody with a Sears house, this would make an excellent, unusal gift for the upcoming holidays.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful Information
Review: I found Houses by Mail to be very helpful and informative.
Rating:
Summary: Wanted a bit more
Review: I was happy to see all the different style and enjoyed all the photos. BUT I really wanted to see the house size and the floor plans they were so small you could not really make out what size the rooms were. I wanted to see the sq. footage of each home. I also would have like to see what each floor plan size was. So if each page had been the floor plan so you could read it I would have enjoyed it more. What was hard is all the info was there just so small could not make out what numbers were.I think all the info in the book was good I guess I just wanted a little bit more out of it.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating book about Sears Catalogue Homes
Review: I'm the author of "The Houses That Sears Built" and my love of Sears Homes was ignited by this wonderful book. I wore out two copies and will probably buy a third soon!!!!!! The first 43 pages are photos and stories about real people and their real Sears Homes. Also contains letters from folks who built their own Sears Home. This section alone is worth the price of the book. And it is also a great reference on historic architecture. Sears Homes were patterned after the most popular architecture and housing of the day, so once you get a feel for the dates on Sears Homes, you'll be able to "date" many houses with some accuracy. Also has specific info on how to tell if you own a Sears Home. If you live in or near the Midwest, you should buy this book. There are many Sears houses throughout the Midwest, most notably in Illinois. (Wood River and Carlinsville) Sears Homes are AWESOME and HOUSES BY MAIL is a good field guide for identifying these old homes!
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating book about Sears Catalogue Homes
Review: I'm the author of "The Houses That Sears Built" and my love of Sears Homes was ignited by this wonderful book. I wore out two copies and will probably buy a third soon!!!!!! The first 43 pages are photos and stories about real people and their real Sears Homes. Also contains letters from folks who built their own Sears Home. This section alone is worth the price of the book. And it is also a great reference on historic architecture. Sears Homes were patterned after the most popular architecture and housing of the day, so once you get a feel for the dates on Sears Homes, you'll be able to "date" many houses with some accuracy. Also has specific info on how to tell if you own a Sears Home. If you live in or near the Midwest, you should buy this book. There are many Sears houses throughout the Midwest, most notably in Illinois. (Wood River and Carlinsville) Sears Homes are AWESOME and HOUSES BY MAIL is a good field guide for identifying these old homes!
Rating:
Summary: size matters!
Review: This book probably provides useful information for persons otherwise unfamiliar with this genre of house and architecture, but personally I found two things about it particularly annoying: first, its small size. Many plans are reduced to the point where they might just as well be heavy line diagrams, and second, I find direct reproduction of original text to be far preferable to the uniform re-typing found here. Original text tends to be just as legible and lets the reader know with no uncertainty what is, in fact, original text. In all fairness, I have to say that since I am an architect and very familiar with house plans in general, my review may not apply to all readers. I much prefer the direct reproductions, and without a doubt favor a larger format.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for Old Home Lovers and Bungalow Lovers Alike!
Review: This is a magnificent volume of historic treasures by Sears, Roebuck, and Company. The charming residences in this book are fascinating to anyone who loves old houses or bungalows. The introduction is an interesting lead-in to the dozens of houses with floor plans and some with interior drawings as well. There are houses of many styles: bungalows, colonials, craftsmen style, and others such as Dutch Colonial and multi-units. Very cool!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for Old Home Lovers and Bungalow Lovers Alike!
Review: This is a magnificent volume of historic treasures by Sears, Roebuck, and Company. The charming residences in this book are fascinating to anyone who loves old houses or bungalows. The introduction is an interesting lead-in to the dozens of houses with floor plans and some with interior drawings as well. There are houses of many styles: bungalows, colonials, craftsmen style, and others such as Dutch Colonial and multi-units. Very cool!!!
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