What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture [Paperback]

John C. Poppeliers (Author), S. Allen Chambers Jr. (Author), Nancy B. Schwartz (Author), Historic American Buildings Survey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471144347 | ISBN-13: 978-0471144342 | Publication Date: June 29, 1995 | Edition: 1

"A History in Miniature of Architecture in America." American Institute of Architects How many of the architectural styles on the front cover could you identify? Unless you scored 100 percent ? and especially if you?re in the habit of labeling all old buildings either "colonial" or "Victorian" ? What Style Is It? will finally put to rest your questions about American architectural styles. As the examples here clearly show, at least two dozen major styles have shaped the buildings that surround us. (And "colonial" and "Victorian" are not really styles, as the authors explain.) But our buildings remain a mystery to many people. When was it built? Why does it look that way? What style is it? Questions such as these are answered in this award-winning guide to 300 years of American architecture. Designed for easy identification of buildings on the road or at home, What Style Is It? gives a unique overview of America?s architectural styles. Individual chapters on 22 of the most important styles provide a concise look at the history and appearance of each. "If you?re confused by the differences between Stick and Shingle, or Queen Anne and Italianate, you may need What Style Is It?, a picture-and-prose handbook [that] strips away the mysteries of architectural nomenclature." Chicago Tribune "This slim, pocket-sized guide, with its many photographs and illustrations, should be of value to anyone interested in identifying and enjoying the architectural assets of a building.? What Style Is It? concisely gives the details and design features needed to identify a building?s style." New York Times "Anyone with the quest for discovering the details behind beautiful buildings will find this book an enlightening experience." Antique Monthly "American architectural styles aren?t strictly American, and that?s where problems arise. American builders adapted Roman, Greek, Spanish, English and Continental styles to produce some often impressive, often confusing examples of architecture....The expected styles are here, of course ? Georgian, Federal, Jeffersonian, Greek Revival ? but so are a host of lesser-known but often encountered ones. [The book has] excellent photographs, careful descriptions and an easy-to-read, flowing prose style." Southern Antiques American Booksellers Association Basic Book List

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Designed for easy identification of buildings, this picture and prose handbook offers a unique overview of U.S. architectural styles. Individual chapters on 22 of the most important styles including Gothic Revival, Art Deco, Richardsonian Romanesque and Prairie School provide a concise look at the history and appearance of each.

From the Back Cover

"A History in Miniature of Architecture in America." American Institute of Architects How many of the architectural styles on the front cover could you identify? Unless you scored 100 percent — and especially if youre in the habit of labeling all old buildings either "colonial" or "Victorian" — What Style Is It? will finally put to rest your questions about American architectural styles. As the examples here clearly show, at least two dozen major styles have shaped the buildings that surround us. (And "colonial" and "Victorian" are not really styles, as the authors explain.) But our buildings remain a mystery to many people. When was it built? Why does it look that way? What style is it? Questions such as these are answered in this award-winning guide to 300 years of American architecture. Designed for easy identification of buildings on the road or at home, What Style Is It? gives a unique overview of Americas architectural styles. Individual chapters on 22 of the most important styles provide a concise look at the history and appearance of each. "If youre confused by the differences between Stick and Shingle, or Queen Anne and Italianate, you may need What Style Is It?, a picture-and-prose handbook [that] strips away the mysteries of architectural nomenclature." Chicago Tribune "This slim, pocket-sized guide, with its many photographs and illustrations, should be of value to anyone interested in identifying and enjoying the architectural assets of a building.… What Style Is It? concisely gives the details and design features needed to identify a buildings style." New York Times "Anyone with the quest for discovering the details behind beautiful buildings will find this book an enlightening experience." Antique Monthly "American architectural styles arent strictly American, and thats where problems arise. American builders adapted Roman, Greek, Spanish, English and Continental styles to produce some often impressive, often confusing examples of architecture....The expected styles are here, of course — Georgian, Federal, Jeffersonian, Greek Revival — but so are a host of lesser-known but often encountered ones. [The book has] excellent photographs, careful descriptions and an easy-to-read, flowing prose style." Southern Antiques American Booksellers Association Basic Book List

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (June 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471144347
• ISBN-13: 978-0471144342
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,720,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Sketchy Overview of American Architecture, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture (Paperback)

This book is fine if you are looking only for a very brief look at American Architecture. It does not organize architectural styles to give a comprehensive overview of them. It does, however, present example photos of various styles with easy-to-read text briefly describing the styles. If you want a book that is handy and comprehensive, no other book can compare to A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester (ISBN 0-394-73969-8). This book will give you a comprehensive framework of the development of American Architecture so that you can build your understanding as you become exposed examples in the field. Everything from windows and doors to contruction techniques are covered. The book is organized in such a way that you can find what you need quickly. It is the cornerstone in the study of American Architecture.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and to the point!, June 19, 2000

By 

G Beekley - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture (Paperback)

This is a very handy, pocket sized book which can be easily used in the field! Different historic architectural styles are divided into small chapters with helpful photos for identification. I particularly love the user-friendly "Glossary" which identifies architectural features in a short and to the point manner. Since this is published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a person can feel assured that this is accurate information! Makes a great gift too!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Field Guide That Could Have Been, August 1, 2005

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture, Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is the most dissapointing of architectural field guides because it had the potential to have been the very best. John Poppeliers was the head of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and Allen Chambers was an historian with the Historic American Buildings Survey. Quite simply they had access to 51,000 sheets of measured drawings, 156,000 large format black and white photographs and over 20,000 reproductions of individual items. With all of that access, they could have produced the ultimate architectural field guide. Instead they produced a 146 page superficial guide.

The best aspect of this guide are the line drawings produced for the Historic American Building Survey. They are two dimensional drawings that are almost surgical in their precision. The building photographs are also first class.The narrative describing the different elements of the style is short and to the point.

The second edition of this book was published in 2003. In my opinion, if someone is going to introduce a new field guide into this already crowded arena, it has to offer something new. I would recommend sticking with the already proven field guides by Lester Walker, Rachel Carley, Carole Rifkind or Virginia McAllister.

This book is recommended for people with really short attention spans. This book is a dissapointment. Oh, what it could have been. One day, somebody from the HABS project will produce the ultimate architectural field guide.