Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery (Fred W Morrison Series in Southern Studies) [Hardcover]

John Michael Vlach (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807820857 | ISBN-13: 978-0807820858 | Publication Date: May 1993 | Edition: 1st edition,

Splendid. Using photographs and drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) dating back to the 1930s, oral histories of former slaves taken by the Federal Writers Program, antebellum travel accounts and agricultural journals, modern agricultural histories, and the vast literature on the history of slavery, Vlach deftly weaves an account of plantation life in the slave's territory, back of the 'Big House.

Design Book Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-In the past, much study was devoted to antebellum plantation houses and to the planters who erected them. The slaves upon whom these estates relied have only just begun to receive scholarly attention. Vlach uses interviews with former slaves, photographs, and architectural drawings from the 1930s and '40s to analyze how the black population fit into this environment. The author dispels the Gone with the Wind myth of sterile-white fiefdom and builds an accurate portrayal of plantations as dynamic places that were dominated by the master, yet still influenced by the slaves. This book should fascinate students of American history.
Hugh McAloon, R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Frederick, MD
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This important and pioneering study explores the scene behind the plantation houses of the antebellum South where slaves lived and worked. Taking advantage of the extensive collection of drawings and photographs from the Historic American Buildings Survey, Vlach (American studies, George Washington Univ.) vividly depicts the architectural settings of plantation slavery: the yards, smokehouses, slave cabins, barns, stables, kitchens, and other outbuildings that defined the cultural landscape. Oral histories from former slaves recorded during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as period accounts, provide powerful depictions of how African Americans transformed those settings to serve their particular needs. Highly recommended for social and architectural historians alike.
- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr; 1st edition, edition (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807820857
• ISBN-13: 978-0807820858
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study of Plantation Architecture, August 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies) (Paperback)

John Vlach's book is a thorough study of the architecture of plantation slavery in the South. He primarily used resource materials from the 1930s Historic American Building Survey and WPA interviews with former slaves to develop a social history. The research is solid and comprehensive. Vlach demonstrates ways to interpret the buildings for information about the life of the people who worked and dwelled in them, and he backs up his conclusions with interview materials. It's a terrific way of studying architecture that merges folklife studies with architectural history. The conclusions expanded my understanding about history, and this book is an essential contribution to learning about black history.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History through Architecture, February 7, 2004

By 

grasshopper4 (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies) (Paperback)

This study of vernacular architecture is a great contribution to the social history of slavery. By looking at facets of design such as settlement patterns and the formal qualities of buildings, Vlach shows how patterns in material culture provide clues for understanding the patterns of history that one can read by examining the buildings. This remarkable book not only documents plantation architecture as an important contribution to the historical record, but it also provides a fascinating interpretation of the subject. It is an especially important study because of the dearth of written documents left by slaves.