Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago [Hardcover]

Terry Ann R. Neff (Author), Barbara Karant (Photographer), Michael T. Sarna (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

This renowned doll house, conceived as a fairy castle, is one of the most beloved permanent displays at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. A gift to the museum from Colleen Moore, star of the silent-film era and the original "flapper, " the Fairy Castle has appealed to the imaginations of thousands of children since 1949. The minute and precious detail of this cherished residence of Moore's imaginary fairy prince and princess has been captured in color photography, giving the reader a close-up tour of the nine-foot-square and twelve-foot-high castle's rooms and their treasures. We enter the miniature palace of make-believe through the Magic Garden, with its working fountain and weeping willow tree that cries "real tears"; travel through the Library of diminutive books, with contributions from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Willa Cather, and others; move on to the Great Hall, with its tiny paintings, dainty chandeliers made of diamonds and emeralds, Cinderella's glass slippers, and more; and explore the castle's wonders from top to bottom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Castle is housed in the Musuem Of Science and Industry in Chicago and receives over 2,000,000 visitors per annum.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821225197
• ISBN-13: 978-0821225196
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The World's Ultimate Dollhouse, April 24, 2002

By 

Angelaustin (Elkhart, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (Hardcover)

When I was 7 years old, my mother, grandmother and a cousin of mine went to Chicago, and one of the places we went was the Museum of Science and Industry.Before we went, my mother told me that as a young girl, she had seen the fairy castle when it toured the country before becoming a permanent exhibit at the museum. She told me how much she loved it, and I couldn't wait to see it. I was not disappointed. This IS the ultimate dollhouse. Every time I go to the museum, you can't get me to leave without seeing the fairy castle.I took my own daughter to see it, and now she loves it, too. The last time we went, I found this wonderful book at the gift shop, and was thrilled that now I could look at my beloved fairy castle whenever I wished. This book is a real treasure, with beautiful pictures of the castle. Anyone who loves dollhouses, and the fairy castle in particular, will love this book. It never fails to provoke happy memories for me.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Little Girl's Dream, January 10, 2000

By 

Marcia Parks (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (Hardcover)

I was browsing in Amazon.com when I discovered this book. I was so excited that I couldn't wait to order it. Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry is one of my all-time favorite places on earth. I still go there whenever I go back for a visit. As a little girl, growing up in Chicago in the 60's, one of my favorite things was going to see Colleen Moore's Doll House every year. I'm sure you can probably imagine how magical this huge, intricately planned, priceless, bejeweled dollhouse seemed in a darkened room by itself, lit with soft lights, telephones all around it so you could listen to discriptions of each room as you peered through the glass barrier surrounding it. This book captures much of the beauty of the amazing miniature treasures and the magic of the house itself-and definitely puts a smile on my face.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STOP!!! Read this before buying here!!!, February 2, 2006

By 

CMB (Arlington Heights, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Within the Fairy Castle: Colleen Moore's Doll House at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (Hardcover)

I live in the Chicagoland area and was just at the museum today. As expected, the dollhouse is as amazing as it was when I was a little girl. I saw this book in the gift stop. IT ONLY COSTS $24.95!!! Please, please don't pay these people double what the book actually costs! Go to the Museum of Science and Industry's website at http://site.msishops.com/books.html and look for the book at the bottom of the page. I'm sure there's shipping that's not included. There might even be tax, but it'll no doubt still be cheaper than paying these people $50-$60 for the book. What a rip-off!!!