A guided tour of the variety of architectural
home styles that have developed throughout America's history. America has an abundance of fascinating and varied house styles, as diverse as its people. This unique book will allow readers to recognize the architectural features of virtually any house they encounter.
John Milnes Baker designed a simple four-bedroom house, and then developed
a basic plan for each historical style. Starting each drawing with the same plan and adding essential characteristics, Baker leads the reader through a series of additions. Each section of American House Styles begins with a historical overview of the period, followed by commentary. The author shows how different styles developed and what influenced their development. His elevation drawings, each with a floor plan, illustrate the details and embellishments of each style. Through an understanding of earlier styles,
we develop insights into the architecture of our own era. Thus the study of architecture allows us to make informed judgments about what is being built today.
Editorial Review
From Booklist:
From early colonial to "pretentious" postmodern, Baker's guide achieves its goal of defining and clarifying American architectural styles introduced throughout various
periods of home construction. Baker considers the changes occurring in house design by elaborating on, and providing links between, general historical incidents, pertinent architectural history, and influential figures who participated in the development of distinctive house styles. Baker creates a basic house plan, then manipulates it to include designated elements of design integral to the various period styles discussed. The finished book--set to contain a glossary, reading list, and 100 elegant black-and-white
line drawings--should prove to be an engaging historical account and an attractive, practical resource ...Alice Joyce
Editorial Reviews
A good, quick introduction: Dec.8, 2002
Reviewer: Kurt A. Johnson
from Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
This fascinating book is a quick introduction to the evolution of house styles across the history of the United States. Each chapter has a short introduction to the era in American history, and then launches into a description of the house styles, complete with excellent sketches of a typical house and floor plan of that style. I found this to be a fun and educational read. I enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.
Too concise?
...maybe, but it serves a purpose:
March 17, 2001
Reviewer: A reader
from Seattle, WA United States
Baker's book covers the basics on the history of the house style in America. It is concise, and easy reading. Those looking for an in-depth and specific guide to the architectural purity and detail of the many individual residential styles have several other excellent books to chose from that would serve that purpose better. Baker is opinionated,
but the novel "common plan" he creates to simplify the comparisons is an excellent method to help the novice in understanding the architecture of the house. I'm sure you will have your own opinions of what styles you like and dislike. This book won't answer all of your questions, but, it will give you a jump start on understanding the basics. This book will be helpful to anyone looking to purchase an older home and confused by the often misleading real estate agent's description of home styles.
