Author: BICKNELL, A. J. & COMSTOCK, WILLIAM T.
Title: Victorian Architecture: Two Pattern Books Introduction By John Maass
Description: Watkins Glen, NY: American Life Foundation, 1976. Softcover. ISBN: 0892570016. B&W; 10 3/8 x 13 3/4"; 155+ pages; Soft cover has brown spine with orange lettering. Light rubbing and bumping to the covers. Previous owner's name neatly written on front endpaper. Pages are clean and tight. Exhuastively illustrated with b/w pictures. Includes two books: 'Detail, Cottage and Construction Architechture' and 'Modern Architechtural Designs and Details.' Reprint of the 1873 ed. 'On the surface, the subject of the two pattern books reproduced here is architecture. On a deeper sense, the topic is social status. The house is a person's most important acquisition; it places him or her on the social scale, it presents an image of his or her character in the world. In the 19th Century, it was taken for granted that the home reflected the personality of the owner. Architectural styles were not a mere matter of 'aesthetics' or 'taste. Each style carried a distinct 'message.' A Gothic Revival house usually signified that the owner was proud to be of old English stock. An Italian villa meant that the owner belonged to 'a cultured and artistic household.' A French style house proclaimed 'This is a stylish and fashionable home.' 'Extra heavy 3#.. Very Good+ .

Keywords: 0892570016 Victorian Architecture; Designs and Details; Architechtural Drawings; Houses; Homes; Reference; Cultural History; Social History; 19th Century American History; Cultural History Education Architecture Reference Social History