Customer Reviews

Plantations of the Carolina Low Country

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed reading through this book, although it is as much a coffee table book as anything, it did a good job of showing SC country plantations.

This is actually considered to be a great document to the history of the houses of the Lowcountry. There are photographs of places that unfortunately are no longer in existence or not as intact as they were when this was originally compiled. Do not be scared by the other negative review - the fact that the photographs are not in color is not enough to bring negative attention to this wonderful book. I am so glad it was published when it was to capture some of the history we may have otherwise lost forever. Actually, I consider it to be more informative than some other books published because it does show some floor plans and molding details that other publications have not gone into great detail about.. If you are interested in a book of postcard photographs than this is probably not the book for you but if you are a serious lover of architecture and history and want to fully grasp what the houses were and are truly like I would HIGHLY recommend you making this purchase.

What a disappointment! We just returned from a trip and saw many of these plantations.It was absolutely glorious hearing the history of many of these historical plantation sites. This book will not fulfill a desire to view these sites in all their glory.

From the previous reviewer I was excited to see a book that had photos of some of the plantations we visited because most of them won't allow you to take photographs inside the home. Coffee table book - NO WAY! Imagine my disappointment when I received this book and all the photos were in black and white or sepia-tone. I have seen books that show these plantations in color, so I know they are available.

The cover of the book, shows exactly the color of most of the photos in this book. This edition is 1989, but the copyright page says "is an unabridged republication of the seventh (1977) edition of the work as published...

The initial chapter discusses the low country and it's people. The next chapter discusses the various styles (trends) of architecture of the plantations, i.e. Colonial, Republican, Provincial. The last section are photos of the plantations and LOTS of diagrams of the architectural style.

For those who may never see these structures in person or for those who have seen these plantations in all their glory, I highly recommend skipping this book and looking for a book that shows these stately mansions in color. Imagining colors in a historic mansion is not the same as seeing the architecture of these buildings in color. On every tour, someone would invariably ask, "Is this the original color?" It is often surprising and thrilling to see the original colors selected for ceilings, paintings, wall colors, frescos, furniture, wallpaper, etc. You cannot comprehend the pure beauty and grandeur of these wonderful mansions and estates by viewing a sepia photograph.