500 Bungalows [Paperback]

Douglas Keister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2006

Popularity meets affordability as America's favorite house style (according to a 2005 survey on About/Architecture.com) comes at a price point that every bungalow fan can afford. There is perennial interest in all things bungalow related. Every year there are numerous books, magazines and floor plans published that are all geared to the bungalow enthusiast. Taunton Press has published several bungalow-related books to great success including Bungalow Style and Updating Classic America: Bungalows. 500 Bungalows features an irresistible package at an incredible price, making this the perfect stocking stuffer or impulse buy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dubbed "America's most noted photographer of historic architecture," Doug Keister has photographed 25 critically acclaimed books including The Bungalow, Inside the Bungalow, Outside the Bungalow, and the Bungalow Basics series. His work has been seen in numerous publications, including Smithsonian magazine, and he lectures regularly on architecture and photographic techniques around the country, including at the Smithsonian and Cooper-Union in NYC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561588423
• ISBN-13: 978-1561588428
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Architectural

More About the Author

Photographer-writer Douglas Keister, has authored and co-authored thirty-six critically acclaimed books. He also writes and illustrates magazine articles and contributes photographs and essays to dozens of magazines, newspapers, books, calendars, posters and greeting cards worldwide. His twenty-five books on architecture include five books on Victorian homes (Daughter's of Painted Ladies, Painted Ladies Revisited, America's Painted Ladies, Victorian Glory and 500 Victorians); twelve books on bungalow homes (The Bungalow, Inside the Bungalow, Outside the Bungalow, 500 Bungalows and eight small format books on bungalow details), a book on 1920's whimsical homes (Storybook Style) a book about cemetery art and architecture (Going Out in Style), a book on Spanish architecture, (Red Tile Style), four books on cottage (Classic Cottages, Inside Classic Cottages, Cottages and 500 Cottages a book on cemetery architecture (Going Out in Style) and a book on Courtyards. Keister photographed and wrote an award winning children's book (Fernando's Gift), has two monographs of his personal work (Black Rock and Driftwood Whimsy), and four books on classic recreational vehicles, Ready to Roll, Silver Palaces, Mobile Mansions and Teardrops and Tiny Trailers. His wealth of books on architecture has earned him the title, "America's most noted photographer of historic architecture". His book on cemetery symbolism, Stories in the Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography, has garnered a number of glowing reviews. Sunset magazine said, "Keister has done for cemetery exploration what Audubon did for birding."
He recently photographed and wrote two bilingual children's books in China, To Grandmother's House: A Visit to Old-Town Beijing (January 2008), and Tao Tao's Green Gift (future release). Three other books came out in 2008: Forever Dixie (a book on southern cemeteries), Teardrops and Tiny Trailers and a book featuring his collection of glass negatives. Lincoln in Black and White 1910-1925.
His thirty-seventh book, "Forever LA" which will feature cemeteries in the Los Angeles Area, will come out in the fall of 2009
Doug frequently gives presentations in conjunction with his books and speaks at related events. In the past few years he has lectured in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Spokane, Kansas City, Boston, Milwaukee, Vermont, Winnemucca and Carson City, Nevada, Lincoln, Nebraska, The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and the Cooper-Union in New York.
He lives with his wife, Sandra Mclean, in Chico, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Size Might Matter..., March 26, 2007

By 

M. Vacha (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 500 Bungalows (Paperback)

Wow... well I must say that I really feel "taken"!! Both Taunton Press and Keister have done excellent work in the past, so I did not think twice about purchasing the book... Unfortunately I did not pay attention to the SIZE! I fully expected this to be a picture book because that was how it was advertised. But I assumed it would be 8"x10" like similar Taunton publications. Did it do what it set out to do? Yes. It is a picture book about cottages. I did not expect the book to be 5" x 6" -- less than half the size of normal books. This is a "post card book". Buyer Beware-- This book is tiny!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty pictures, December 11, 2007

By 

Rosemary Thornton "Niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo ... (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 500 Bungalows (Paperback)

The photos are beautiful and they're all color, but...

This book is a mere 6" by 4" which was a surprise. Plus, the great majority (probably 90%) of the photos are from California. A better title might be, "500 California Bungalows."

The non-Californian photos are from Bellingham, WA, Lincoln, NE and Nashville, TN and a couple from St. Paul, MN. Those are the only other non-CA cities represented in this book.

The book features several photos of kit homes from Pacific Ready-Cut Kit Homes of Los Angeles, but with nary a mention that these are indeed kit homes. For example, the houses on pages 248, 436 and 500 are gorgeous (and classic) examples of the 40,000 homes that Pacific Ready-Cut sold throughout California.

Page 163 features what appears to be a Sears Ashmore, but it is also not mentioned as being a kit home. It's a fun book and as mentioned above, the photos are all crisp, clear and colorful. While it's long on photos, it's way short on text. Two very short pages in the front of the book answer the question, "What is a Bungalow?" and that is the full extent of the historical info.

It's more a miniature coffee-table book, with its pretty, pretty bungalows, outfitted in a dazzling array of bright California colors.

Rose Thornton
co-author, California's Kit Homes

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great exterior photos!, February 23, 2008

By 

paintergirl "Mary" (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 500 Bungalows (Paperback)

This book is wonderful if exterior bungalow photos are what you are looking for. As a remodeler who specializes in 1920's bungalows, I often need reference photos for ideas. This book is ideal for this purpose, or if you just want to dream about ideas for your own home. One small complaint is that we found some duplicate photos within the book. And I don't mean different views, for instance a front and a side elevation. That I understand. I mean the same house fifty pages later with a different title. Kinda weird in an otherwise beautiful and exhaustive collection of bungalow facades.