Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 (American Association for State and Local History) [Paperback]

John J.-G. Blumenson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761991433 | ISBN-13: 978-0761991434 | Publication Date: October 6, 1995 | Edition: 2nd

Have you ever been intrigued by a beautiful building and wondered when it was built? Identifying American Architecture provides the answer to such questions in a concise handbook perfect for preservationists, architects, students and tourists alike. With 214 photographs, it allows readers to associate real buildings with architectural styles, elements and orders. Identifying American Architecture was designed to be used--carried about and kept handy for frequent reference. Every photograph is keyed to an explanatory legend pointing out characteristic features of each building's style.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Blumenson has called out stylistic details and architectural terms in the book's 214 chronological photographs. This guide will help you identify (and write about) not only homes, but also banks, churches and other buildings that may have puncuated your ancestors' town. (Sharon DeBartolo Carmack Family Tree Magazine, October 2003 )

An extremely 'user friendly' identification tool, Identifying American Architecture is highly recommended for both students of American architecture and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in identifying architectural classifications of buildings they encounter on trips and excursions throughout the country or in their own neighborhoods. (Wisconsin Bookwatch )

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press; 2nd edition (October 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761991433
• ISBN-13: 978-0761991434
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,287,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for students of American architecture, January 31, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 (Paperback)

Enhanced with 214 photographs, John Blumenson's Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide To Styles And Terms 1600-1945 enables the reader to associate real buildings with architectural styles, elements, and orders. Every photograph is keyed to an explanatory text pointing out characteristic features of each building's style. An extremely "user friendly" identification tool, Identifying American Architecture is highly recommended for both students of American architecture and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in identifying architectural classifications of buildings they encounter on trips and excursions throughout the country or in his own neighborhood.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Worst Field Guide to American Domstic Architecture, September 11, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 (Paperback)

I have been collecting field guides to American domestic archiecture for many years and beyond a doubt this is the very worst guide that I have come across. This guide has many strikes against it.

First, it is too short to give the reader any real understanding of the different styles of American domestic architecture. Many styles are ignored and the styles that are covered are done so superficially. As an example, the section on the International Style of architecture only has two washed out black and white photographs. The few details that are explained are done so in the most superficial manner.

Second, the quality of the printing is very poor. The quality of the paper and binding makes the book look like it was produced int he 1970's. Worst of all, the photographs used to show the different styles are washed out. A revolution in publishing has happened in the past twenty years and this publisher has missed out in the opportunity to produce a modern looking guide.

Finally, there are some wonderful field guides in current production. Don't waste your money on this guide. Check out the guides produced by Lester Walker and Virginia McAlester. Those are the types of guides that can inspire the reader to learn more about history and American houses. Avoid this guide!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Torn between two and three stars here..., January 14, 2006

By 

Rosemary Thornton "Niece of Addie Hoyt Fargo ... (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 (Paperback)

Well, it's not the worst field guide I ever saw but as a previous reviewer said, it has some serious flaws. Most notably, I struggled to focus on the wee tiny numbers that identify the architectural characteristics.

Man, those are some small numbers. And sometimes they get so clustered together, you're not sure which number goes with which architectural feature.

The long, thin layout of the graphics works against this book, too. The pictures of houses just don't fit well in this format.

And (sadly), I agree that some of the photos are a little washed out. With all that said, I do believe you can learn something from every book and this book does contain a wealth of information.

Rose
author, The Houses That Sears Built
and co-author, California's Kit Homes