The Queen Anne House: America's Victorian Vernacular [ハードカバー]

Generally, books of this type fall into two categories - either they are dense textbook-like examinations of a particular style of architecture that lack visual appeal, or they are beautifully illustrated with minimal text that amounts to fluff. This book is a triumph in that it combines the best of both. It is at once visually appealing and informative. Both the professional and the layperson will find it useful and enjoyable. What an exciting concept!

If you don't know much about architecture, don't worry. This book does not read like an architecture textbook. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how readable this book is. Although it is 240 pages long, I breezed through it in one day.

The beautiful photographs are just the icing on the cake. The author composed a wonderful comparison of various Victorian homes throughout the United States. She divided the houses into various categories according to their location: Summer Houses, Suburban Houses, Urban Houses, Rural Houses, and Houses in town. She also provided a background on the families who built these historic homes and the architects that designed them.

This book illustrates the unique aspects of the American Queen Anne style versus the English Queen Anne home. The Queen Anne style had one rule, there were no rules. Queen Anne homes displayed various textures, shapes, and colors in the exterior, which critics viewed as disorganized. The style however, was uniquely American. Although it was influenced by the English Queen Anne Revival and English architects, such as Richard Norman Shaw, the different building materials available in the United States, the climate, and the growing desire for sanitation and comfort distinguish the American Victorian home from its English counterpart.

Here is a list of the homes discussed:

Watts Sherman House
Roosevelt House
Edward Brooke House
Castle Hill
Charles Baldwin House
Montrose Park: 351 Hartford Road & 426 Center Street
Prospect Street
Hemingway House
Parker House
William E. Conover House
Haas-Lilienthal House
Krabbenhoft Farmhouse
Ovide Broussard House
John Fahnstock House
Elisa Michael's House
Shelton-Mc Murphey-Johnson House
Milton J. Carson House
Piatt House

Really a well done book on one of the great American house styles. The text is highly informative and the images are crisp and well executed. Overall, I was pleased with the houses chosen, some are quite reserved and some are massive and grand. I do wish the author had chosen one of the great Galveston Queen Anne style mansions, instead of the simple quant home chosen to represent Galveston, the city has some spectacular mansions in this style. Though having said that i still highly recommend this wonderful book, if you have a love for Queen Anne, you will not be disappointed, unless you happen to be a Galvestonian.