Country and Suburban Homes of the Prairie School Period (Dover Architecture) [Paperback]

H. V. von Holst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1982 | Series: Dover Architecture

Over 400 photographs, floor plans, elevations, detailed drawings — exteriors and interiors — for over 100 structures of Prairie School period. Complemented by author's concise text. Important primary source.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (December 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486243737
• ISBN-13: 978-0486243733
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding collection of original plans!, December 7, 2001

By 

Dirk Wright (Fredericksburg, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Country and Suburban Homes of the Prairie School Period (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

For the student of the Prairie school and early modernism, this book is an invaluable reference for original floor plans and photographs. The book includes works by many architects, but it is not limited to only the Prairie school. I believe it gives a good cross section of the popular architecture of the early 20th century. There are examples of Colonial revival homes for example in addition to the bungalows and landmark Prairie monsions.

4.0 out of 5 stars Just before the world blew up, January 28, 2010

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Country and Suburban Homes of the Prairie School Period (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

The Prairie School, says the bacover blurb on this book, "was rooted in the turn-of-the-century 'back-to-nature' movement and was animated by a spirit of organic architecture, [meaning] buildings that harmonized with...the landscape." By 1913, when the book was originally published (as Modern American Homes), the style was well-established and its grammar clearly worked out. These houses, apartment buildings, and even a couple of public structures (a small-town library, a small schoolhouse) range from shingle-style to Tudoresque and all seem to have risen out of the ground they sit on. Each is depicted with one to four BW photographs, a brief description (often including the cost of the house to build, which will be an eye-opener to people accustomed to the ever-spiralling prices of a day without a gold-backed currency), and a floor plan; you may want a good magnifier to make out details (a common fault of Dover publications, and the reason I give this one four stars). Pen-and-ink elevations and cross-sections are included for some of the examples. House-lookers, social historians, and designers should all find the book interesting and useful.