A Field Guide to American Houses Description:

A Field Guide to American Houses review:
5 stars (Great Photographs-Line Drawings Weak) - At 525 pages, Virginia and Lee McAlester's "A Field Guide to American Houses" is an exhaustive study of the different styles of American domestic architecture. They identify and categorize 39 different architectural styles. This is much more than most field guides.



I have been collecting architectural field guides for a number of years. The only thing I do not like in this well prepared book is the over-reliance on black and white photos of homes. The quality of the photos vary significantly. The photos are not of the same high caliber as the photos taken for Historic American Building Survey.(HABS)



I believe the best field guides are made up line drawings. Line drawings get to the point and the different archiectural features can be labled. The best line drawings really help in clarifying stylistic points. Photos can be distracting because trees, power lines and vehicles end up in many of the photos. There are line drawings in this book at the beginning of each section. Unfortunately, the line drawings are the weakest part of the book.



This is a great book and you cannot go wrong with purchasing it. However, as a devotee of these types of books, I would recommend purchasing Lester Walker's "American Shelter". His illustrations are really beautiful and very informative.
5 stars (Great Book for Preservationists!) - This book has helped me through school! Its a great book to have in your collection if you study preservation or interested in architecture!
5 stars (Invaluable Reference) - You will truly value this book if you are interested in the styles of residential architecture in America. After an engaging survey in the introduction, the styles and movements are presented in chronological order. Also included at this point are outline drawings of the various types of houses, illustrating style, basic shapes, elevations, plans, types of materials and building techniques used as well as a pictorial key. In this chapter and the others, are hundreds of black and white photographs which are clear enough to identify their defining features, labelled with city and state. Because the emphasis is on the exterior, there are few interior pictures. The single-family home is targeted, rather than public buildings, multi-family buildings etc.



In addition to text glossaries, there are intermittent glossaries with line drawings of architectural details and keys of applicable terms and design features. These are very helpful in recognizing the defining aspects of each style. Maps point out the principal areas.



The remaining six chapters start with Native American architecture and finish Contemporary Folk of the 1940's. Accompanying the flowing text are more drawings, which clearly illustrate the basic structures and how they are constructed as well as photographs of each style.



One will learn how to identify not only the wealth of house styles, but where they are located and be able to compare and contrast their differences. Also the reader will learn how these styles evolved and the historical trends that influenced them, giving the bonus side effect of an interesting overview of general American history.



What an invaluable volume for anyone interested in architecture and/or history. It appeals to both the novice and professional in its informative text and 'at a glance' reference charts. Not the least of importance is what a handy addition when reading other books on history and architecture books.