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Great Houses of the South [Hardcover]

Laurie Ossman , Steven Brooke
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 23, 2010
An exquisitely photographed collection of the great houses and mansions of the South.
In the tradition of Rizzoli’s Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley and Great Houses of New England, Great Houses of the South features a stunning array of newly photographed homes that range over three centuries and are distinctive examples of the architecture of the region. While in popular imagination the "Southern Style" is embodied in the classic Southern plantation house with its Greek Revival detailing—its stately white columns, wide porch, and symmetrical shape—the houses themselves are much more various and engaging, as shown in this important volume. From stately Stanton Hall of Natchez, Mississippi, one of the most magnificent and palatial residences of antebellum America; to Longue Vue House and Gardens of New Orleans, the luxurious Classical Revival–style home of Edgar and Edith Stern; to the fabled Biltmore of Asheville, North Carolina, the opulent French Renaissance–inspired chateau and Gilded Age estate of George Washington Vanderbilt, this lavish volume is comprehensive in scope and a landmark work of enduring interest to homeowners, architects, architecture historians, and all those who love fine architecture.

Frequently Bought Together

Great Houses of the South + Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House + The Southern Cottage: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Florida Keys
Price for all three: $92.47

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laurie Ossman has served as the Deputy Director at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami. Her previous positions include Chief Curator at The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida, and Curator and Restoration Project Manager at Ca d’Zan, The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

Steven Brooke
is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome and winner of the A.I.A. National Institute Honor Award for photography. He is the photographer of Rizzoli’s Aqua, Seaside Style, and Miami: Mediterranean Splendor and Deco Dreams.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Rizzoli (March 23, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0847833097
  • ISBN-13: 978-0847833092
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 1.2 x 10.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
(14)
4.9 out of 5 stars
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This book looks great on my coffee table. Liz Wilson  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
This book shows some plantations from all over the south. Betty P.  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Photography to make you plan a journey April 6, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is intended as a living room conversation piece rather than a reference work or scholarly study.

That, of course, does not diminish the supreme quality of the photography of this rather small selection of grand Southern houses. Let me make clear that the SELECTION is small, but the houses are most certainly not.

The author treats us to gorgeous stops at Mount Vernon and the Biltmore House, Shirley Plantation and Whitehall. The book is arranged in chronological chapters, beginning with 1700-1800 and ending with 1865-1940, so the majority of the book is dedicated to OLD structures. Think the framing essays for each entry are just filling material and you'd be seriously mistaken. The author creates the perfect balance of historical depth and reader accessibility. The writing is profound without being pedantic, and the book will be as interesting to architectural historians as it is to amateur enthusiasts.

Here's something really nice: The building selection is limited to places that are open to visitors, so a reader can visit ANY of the houses s/he falls in love with from the book.

My only regreat is that this author's "South" does not include Texas. There are no examples from Texas, but there are several from Florida, Kentucky and Maryland.

This is a big book printed on heavy gloss paper. Overall, it is one of the very best coffee-table books you can buy on this subject, and it's a nice travel guide as well. Exceptionally well done.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars THE Book on Southern homes March 29, 2010
Format:Hardcover
This beautifully written (and photographed) book is an engaging review of an almost forgotten part of our heritage -- the great homes of the South. Ms. Ossman's prose makes one want to take a "grand tour" of the South, and explore further its history. It is an elegant additional to the Rizzoli collection.
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The witty and erudite text and stunning photographs of this beautiful book succeed at placing some of America's most historic, largest, and anachronistic homes in the context of an evolving narrative on life in the South as expressed in its premier homes. Ossman's incredibly well researched yet concise essays trace the evolution of the use of home architecture to provide signs and represent status of the owners from the earliest days of European settlement to the flowering of Colonial Revival in the mid-twentieth century. Seeking common threads in a disparate fabric of house high styles over centuries, Ossman links transplanted English Palladian forms with classic plantation style Greek Revival and later Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival homes through how each represents the aspirations of its creators within the Southern milieu. Brooke's stunning photography illustrates and complements the text to provide a panoply of gorgeous house settings and interiors from Key West to Baltimore, Charleston to New Orleans organized by progress in time. Each house is open to the public so readers can use these chapters to guide them on their own travels through the South's rich history.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Laurie Ossman brings a skilled eye to reveal the inner workings of these amazing homes rich in history and beauty. Her writing style teaches and amuses us, while the beauty of the photographs makes you feel you are visiting as you read along. Read this book. Then hit the road to visit firsthand!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book March 5, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book shows some plantations from all over the south. The pictures are beautiful and it's a very informative book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Southern Charm February 24, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My mother-in-law has always been enamored with the South. This was a perfect book for her for her birthday. It certainly is chocked full of information and photographs.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful February 12, 2013
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought this for my boss for Christmas. It was a smash hit. If you've got someone in your life who loves gorgeous architecture give them this book. You can't go wrong.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful November 26, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book looks great on my coffee table. The cover colors are neutral enough it would work in any room. The photography inside is stunning.
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