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Rating: 
Summary: An interesting study of early 20th century architecture.
Review: For the architect, artist or historian, this unabridged reprint of the actual 1926 Catalog of Houses from Sears and Roebuck is a very absorbing read. The student of architecture will note the simplicity of the home in 1926. The absence of a "family room", and a limited number of small bedrooms in most designs, will cause one to imagine that families must have spent considerable time together in the common areas of the home. There seemed to be no need for a separate room, where other activites could be carried on, while mother and father talked with their guests in the living room. There are also fewer rooms designated for specific tasks, such as an office, den, laundry room or even bathrooms in some cases. For the artist or illustrator, it provides an excellent source of information dealing with home sizes and historically correct drawings. When dealing with the illustration of period homes, this is an excellent choice for reference material. Included with each home is a full floor plan, from which one can deterimine if the size is appropriate for the family who will live in it, and a beautiful rendering of the exterior. Historians will appreciate the detailed quality of this reprinted catalog. There are many details which reflect the lifestyle in the early 20th century including lighting, heating and even the kitchen sink! You can now drive down the streets of the old part of town, knowing what was originally included in these homes of yesteryear - and maybe find one that was ordered from this very catalog. An excellent read, this reprint makes it fun to become immersed in the earlier part of this century. Becoming aware of the things that were important to families at that time, one can be more in touch with how our parents and grandparents might have lived.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting
Review: If you are interested in homes that were built between 70 and 80 years ago, then you need this book. Imagine yourself as a young married person from the twenty's looking to build your first house -- the first place you might look is the Sears catalog. All you would need to do is buy the lot and lay the foundation. Sears sends everything else! The designs of these houses makes you wonder "why do people need such huge houses today?" This book is a must for anyone who loves old houses.
Rating:
Summary: Good for research, history lessons or Sims lovers
Review: Includes detailed floor plans, original advertising, prices & financing info and very 1920s style descriptions from the cataolgue. Sitting down with the book is like sitting down with the actual catalogue. There's no extraneous commentary, aside from a publisher's note. I especially recommend it to fellow early 20th century history buffs. Sim-lovers like me might appreciate the excellent conscise plans to follow (bubble machine room not included). It makes me wish *I* could order one of these "Honor Built Houses." There's even an order form. One fun thing to take note of is how many floor plans do *not* include a bathroom. Although they do offer outhouses ;)
Rating:
Summary: Good for research, history lessons or Sims lovers
Review: Includes detailed floor plans, original advertising, prices & financing info and very 1920s style descriptions from the cataolgue. Sitting down with the book is like sitting down with the actual catalogue. There's no extraneous commentary, aside from a publisher's note. I especially recommend it to fellow early 20th century history buffs. Sim-lovers like me might appreciate the excellent conscise plans to follow (bubble machine room not included). It makes me wish *I* could order one of these "Honor Built Houses." There's even an order form. One fun thing to take note of is how many floor plans do *not* include a bathroom. Although they do offer outhouses ;)
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting
Review: You won't find any houses in this book that are not already included in "Houses by Mail", but this Dover reprint of an original 1926 Sears Catalogue of Houses is an interesting read. It gives more complete information about the old houses and their blueprints, and also has a detailed listing of hardware, with excellent photos, which goes a long way in helping identify Sears Homes. It's a big book - about 8 x 11, and the information is much easier to read than the half-sized "Houses by Mail." I'm a freelance writer and I've written several articles on Sears Homes and have used these two books as reference works. There is a lot of good information that will aid you in identifying Sears Homes. But remember - it is just a reprint of an old catalogue. There is no contemporary information about these houses in this book. However, I highly recommend "Sears, Roebuck Catalog of Houses, 1926" for anyone interested in learning more about these fascinating old houses.
Rating:
Summary: A good companion book to "Houses by Mail"
Review: You won't find any houses in this book that are not already included in "Houses by Mail", but this Dover reprint of an original 1926 Sears Catalogue of Houses is an interesting read. It gives more complete information about the old houses and their blueprints, and also has a detailed listing of hardware, with excellent photos, which goes a long way in helping identify Sears Homes. It's a big book - about 8 x 11, and the information is much easier to read than the half-sized "Houses by Mail." I'm a freelance writer and I've written several articles on Sears Homes and have used these two books as reference works. There is a lot of good information that will aid you in identifying Sears Homes. But remember - it is just a reprint of an old catalogue. There is no contemporary information about these houses in this book. However, I highly recommend "Sears, Roebuck Catalog of Houses, 1926" for anyone interested in learning more about these fascinating old houses.
Rating:
Summary: A good companion book to "Houses by Mail"
Review: You won't find any houses in this book that are not already included in "Houses by Mail", but this Dover reprint of an original 1926 Sears Catalogue of Houses is an interesting read. It gives more complete information about the old houses and their blueprints, and also has a detailed listing of hardware, with excellent photos, which goes a long way in helping identify Sears Homes. It's a big book - about 8 x 11, and the information is much easier to read than the half-sized "Houses by Mail." I'm a freelance writer and I've written several articles on Sears Homes and have used these two books as reference works. There is a lot of good information that will aid you in identifying Sears Homes. But remember - it is just a reprint of an old catalogue. There is no contemporary information about these houses in this book. However, I highly recommend "Sears, Roebuck Catalog of Houses, 1926" for anyone interested in learning more about these fascinating old houses.
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