OLD HOUSE BOOK LIST

BOOK SITE

2008-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Internet Archive lists 251 books under, Architecture, domestic. They are all free to read online.
Titles like, Country cottages and week-end homes (1912)
..........The Englishman's house. : A practical guide for selecting and building a house. ([1898])
.........The half-timber house, its origin, design, modern plan, and construction, illustrated with photographs of old examples and American adaptations of the style (1912)
..........A handy book of villa architecture, being a series of designs for villa residences in various styles, Charles Wickes
........Old cottages and farmhouses in Kent and Sussex (1900)

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1920-

2007-12-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

CHEATING THE JUNK PILE
Ethel R. Peyser
1922

Ethel Peyser was an apparently prolific writer in her day. You can read an article she wrote about kitchen tables for House and Garden magazine.

MECHANICAL DEVICES IN THE HOME
Edith Allen
1922
This book was designed as a guide to the operation and selection of all kinds of household systems like stoves, refrigeration units, heating and plumbing, lighting, washing machines, etc.

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1910-1919

2007-03-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

DISTINCTIVE HOMES OF MODERATE COST: being a collection of country and suburban homes in good taste, with some value in suggestion for the home-builder
Henry B. Saylor
1910
…moderate cost if you’re a society big-wig, that is. The information is geared toward people who were seeking to build and decorate what we today refer to as “estate homes”.
The book is illustrated with many photos and has building and decorating information.

ADVENTURES IN HOMEMAKING
1910
The tale of a couple who bought an old house in the Pennsylvania countryside and decided to bring it back to its former glory.

ART AND ECONOMY IN HOME DECORATION
Mabel Tuke Priestman
1910

AMERICAN HOMES and their furnishings in colonial times
Mary Northend
1912
Another book that reflects the interest in the homes and furnishings of colonial America. One has to bear in mind that some of the information in this book is now known to be incorrect. During the past 100 odd years archaeologists and historians have uncovered a lot of new material, particularily about the actual colors used in that era.
This book was also published as COLONIAL HOMES AND THEIR FURNISHINGS

THE ENGLISH HOME
1910
This book includes a section on the history of English houses and devotes several chapters to building, ventilation, electricity, water, etc.
There are chapters about interior finishing and decorating, but the book is geared more towards homes with billiard rooms and music rooms, etc., rather upper-crusty. I’ve only skimmed through it, the decorating ideas are rather conservative compared to other books’.

FURNISHING THE HOME OF GOOD TASTE: a brief sketch of the period styles in interior decoration
Lucy Abbot Throop
Another British book. Much of it is about the various furniture styles of the 18th century, though there are chapters on “modern” window curtains and other furnishings, including American Craftsman furniture.
1912

BUNGALOWS: their design, construction, and furnishing, with suggestions for camps, summer homes, and cottages of similar character.
A quote: “One hears nearly every type of country or suburban home called a bungalow, provided only that the house is somewhat informal or picturesque in its lines. Someone has facetiously remarked that in the new dictionaries a bungalow should be defined as ‘a house that looks as if it had been built for less money than it actually cost‘."The author lists 10 kinds of bungalow types, most of which can only serve as vacation homes
1911

INSIDE FINISHING
A carpenter’s book, tons of information.
1912

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1900-1909

2007-03-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

THE UP-TO-DATE WAITRESS ,Janet McKenzie Hill
Written 1906, 1914 edition
Though the dining room and pantry were the waitress’s domain, in some households she had to be prepared to do all sorts of household chores.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S WEEK , Marion Harland
1908
How to clean everything in the house, doing laundry and baking, etc., in 1908

PRINCIPLES OF HOME DECORATION With Practical Examples ,Candace Wheeler
1903

THE HOUSE: its plan, decoration and care
1907
Isabel Bevier

THE COMPLETE HOME 1906
Decorating and taking care of a home, down to kitchens and laundry, what you need to buy as far as kitchen wares go, household chores, Mon…Tues…Wed, etc. a useful book.

THE FURNISHING OF A MODEST HOME
1908

MODERN HOMES
1909
This book is a sort of showcase of beautiful homes of the well to do, with sketches and some floor plans and assorted comments

THE RADFORD AMERICAN HOMES: 100 house plans.
1903
A book of house plans.

CRAFTSMAN HOMES , Gustav Stickley
1909

THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MANUAL OF HOME HANDICRAFT
1908
Stenciling, leather craft, making a doll’s bed out of a coconut shell and other interesting craft ideas for the turn of the century homemaker

THE CHEAP COTTAGE AND SMALL HOUSE: a manual of economic building
1913
A British plan book with added information about landscaping and cottage
gardens.

PLANNING AND FURNISHING THE HOME , practical and economical suggestions for the homemaker
1914
very informative

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1890-1899

2007-03-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

HOW TO BUILD, FURNISH AND DECORATE, published in 1897. It's chock full of house plans. Some of them have been reprinted in Dover books, but most are ones I've never seen before.There are also some plans for stables, churches,and stores.Included is also a nice section towards the back of the book about interior decorating.

COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE E C Gardner
1898
I've included this book because it reflects the late 19th c interest in American Colonial architecture and furnishings.

COTTAGE DESIGNS with constructive details by various architects: a series of 25 designs of cottages, ranging on cost from 600-1500 with the details of interior and exterior finish drawn to scale and accompanied by brief specifications.
1897
A plan book, with many drawings of details.

ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FURNITURE;
From the Earliest to the Present Time.
1893
A British book covering furniture from ancient Egypt through the Victorian age, some interesting illustrations.

HOMES IN CITY AND COUNTRY, Russell Sturgis
1893
A book for people planning on building a home, this book covered a little bit of American architectural history, gave suggestions for the design and planning of houses and landscaping, and information about building and loan societies. Note, Small Country Places is the chapter with information on landscaping, but there didn’t sseem to be anything particularily small about the country places mentioned.

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1880 -1889

2007-03-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

THE HOUSE THAT JILL BUILT AFTER JACK’S HAD PROVED A FAILURE , E.C. Gardner (1882) revised, 1895

COTTAGES, or, Hints on economical building, containing twenty-four plates of medium and low cost houses, contributed by different New York architects: together with descriptive letterpress, giving practical suggestions for cottage building
1884
A nicely written plan book with much additional information regarding building.

DECORATION AND FURNITURE OF TOWN HOUSES: a series of Cantor lectures delivered before the Society of Arts, Robert Eddis
1880
A British book, but reflects also what was going on in America

HOW TO FURNISH A HOME, Ella Rodman Church
1882
Mrs. Church was a noted authority in her day, also, you may find the ads in the back of the book interesting.

EVERYBODY‘S PAINT BOOK: a complete guide to the art of outdoor and indoor painting : designed for the special use of those who wish to do their own work, and consisting of practical lessons in plain painting, varnishing, polishing, staining, paper-hanging, kalsomining, etc.
1884
Everything the dedicated restorer would like to know about how it was done…….graining, marbleizing, gilding, faux etching of glass and transferring pictures to glass, painting furniture, furniture cleaning and repair.

BOOKS PUBLISHED 1870 TO 1879

2007-02-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

The first 3 books are by Springfield MA architect Eugene Clarence Gardner. He was a noted architect of his day, and his buildings can be found in various parts of the country. His books are amusing, and present a whole other side to 19th c life.

HOMES AND HOW TO MAKE THEM , E.C. Gardner 1875

ILLUSTRATED HOMES : a series of papers describing real houses and real people EC Gardner 1875

HOME INTERIORS EC Gardner
1878

HEALTHY HOUSES: a handbook to the history, defects, and remedies of drainage, ventilation, warming, and kindred subjects. With estimates for the best systems in use, and upward of three hundred illustrations
1872
Drains, pipes, sewers, water closets, ash pits,cisterns,ventilation, heating and ice houses, etc.

HOUSEHOLD ELEGANCIES: suggestions in household art and tasteful home decorations.
1875
Craft projects of the era

THE BEDROOM AND BOUDOIR
1878

The next three books covered the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia. The first covers the fine arts displays, paintings, etchings, sculture, etc. The second contains pictures of home furnishings, among other things. The third has miscellaneous pictures of the fair.

FINE ARTS OF THE 1876 CENTENNIAL

FURNITURE, ETC FROM 1876 CENTENNIAL

THE CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION

BOOKS PUBLISHED FROM 1800 TO 1869

2007-02-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

THE AMERICAN BUILDER‘S COMPANION or, A new system of architecture: particularly adapted to the present style of building in the United States of America
1806
Plans and drawings

SLOAN‘S HOMESTEAD ARCHITECTURE, containing forty designs for villas, cottages, and farm houses, with essays on style, construction, landscape gardening, furniture, etc. etc.
1861
Plans, pictures of furniture and drawing of internal workings of a dumb-waiter.

WOODWARD’S NATIONAL ARCHITECT: containing 1000 original designs, plans and details, to working scale, for the practical construction of dwelling houses for the country, suburb and village : with full and complete sets of specifications and an estimate of the cost of each design
1869
Many illustrations of details, windows, trim, etc.

ARCHITECTURE: designs for street fronts, suburban houses, and cottages, including details, for both exterior and interior : comprising in all 382 designs and 714 illustrations
1867
Drawings of ornamental detailing, doors, porches , some house elevations

HOMES FOR THE PEOPLE, in suburb and country: the villa, the mansion, and the cottage, adapted to American climate and wants : with examples showing how to alter and remodel old buildings
1867
Gervase Wheeler
A useful book for those interested in homes of this period. It’s difficult to read through quickly, you need to take your time if you’re looking for specific information in this book.