Victorian Brick and Terra-Cotta Architecture in Full Color: 160 Plates (Dover Architecture) [Paperback]

Pierre Chabat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1989 | Series: Dover Architecture

541 beautiful full-color architectural drawings illustrating the imaginative use of brickwork and terra-cotta appliqués in Victorian revival styles, reprinted from a rare portfolio by a well-known 19th-century French architect. Includes front and side elevations, floor plans, and detailed sections. 682 illustrations. Captions. Publisher's Note.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; reprint edition (December 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486261646
• ISBN-13: 978-0486261645
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,237,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine pattern book of <<French>> late 19th century brickwork, November 22, 2000

By 

Stavros Macrakis (Cambridge, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Victorian Brick and Terra-Cotta Architecture in Full Color: 160 Plates (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

This is a pattern book of architectural designs in brick, with essentially no accompanying text. Another wonderful Dover production. Lovers of 19th century architecture -- like myself -- should have it in their libraries.

The title, however, is completely misleading. To call French architecture from the 1880's "Victorian" is bizarre. Although there is a handful of examples from Belgium and Holland, there is nothing from Britain and its Empire (that is, where Victoria reigned), from the US, from eastern or southern Europe, etc.

So do buy the book and enjoy the architectural renderings, but don't expect a general survey of Victorian brickwork!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection, One Brick at a Time, July 23, 2008

By 

Timothy J. Mccarthy "Mongo" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Victorian Brick and Terra-Cotta Architecture in Full Color: 160 Plates (Dover Architecture) (Paperback)

If you see a "brick building" going up today, you might note a couple of things. First, it's almost certainly not really a brick building. It's a building that's using brick as a veneer, instead of using vinyl siding, clapboards, cedar shakes, or another siding option. Second, it will probably be a monotone or close to it, done in a single shade of red or brown, with at best some contrasting bricks added in a random pattern. Third, the walls will be dead flat, having no projections or reliefs, with the possible exception of some uninspired quoins plopped onto the corners. Fourth, everything will be straight and square, with nary a curve to be seen. Finally, the brick will be laid in a simple and boring pattern, most commonly a running bond. It is, in short, little better than drab, something the eye passes over without slowing. Well folks, it weren't always so in the land of brick.

This book shows how brickwork was done a hundred years ago, when some incredibly skilled craftsmen plied their trade. Houses, townhouses, churches, even engine sheds were treated to elaborately designed and intricately detailed exteriors. Somehow, those ugly rectangular bricks were formed into wonderful arches, framing windows and doors. Walls are anything but flat, with bricks courses forming shadow lines that give the humblest buildings incredible character. Terra-cotta was carefully applied like make-up on an actress, to boldly add accent and interest.

Some of the patterns shown are a bit too intricate, with the contrasting colours becoming garish and distracting, subtracting rather than adding to the building's beauty. Terra-cotta, like make-up, can be over-applied or misapplied, again to ill effect. Still, if you're considering a building with a masonry exterior, and prefer attractive to drab, you really want this book. No, you really *need* this book. A couple caveats though. There aren't a lot of folks left who can do this kind of work, and if you can find someone qualified, they won't be cheap. Also, if you really like the terra-cotta, you may be out of luck. From a thriving industry in the 1800s, it's nearly disappeared today. There are a few manufacturers left in the U.S., but they mainly cater to commercial development. You'll have your work cut out for you if you want terra-cotta on your new residence.

One note, there is very little text to go with the plates. Not a lot should be needed, but when you give a plate of "Styles of Brick Bonds", you really should label each. Not every reader is going to know the terminology. There are plenty of other places where a few words of explanation would come in handy. Over all though, this book occupies a unique niche, and fills it very well!