Lavoirs: Washhouses of Rural France

Book Description

No building better embodies the ineffable qualities of rural France than the lavoir, the communal washhouse that, until a few decades ago, was the central gathering place for women in many small villages across the French countryside – as much a part of communal life as the market.
These open-air laundry rooms first appeared for the private use of the social elite in the seventeenth century but flourished as public spaces after the Revolution. Later, they became architectural monuments of regional styles and local materials, often hand-cut stone and hewn timbers, revealing centuries of masonry and woodworking tradition. As running water and modern appliances became standard in French homes after World War II, the lavoirs were abandoned, and with them three hundred years of women’s gathering and conversation. In spite of the efforts of preservationists, hundreds of them have faced abandonment, vandalism, and decay.
Through stunning duotone photographs, thoughtful sketches, and detailed watercolors, Mireille Roddier safeguards these places of haunting beauty. Her text outlines the history, politics, health, water technology, and social background of the buildings and unveils them as an important architectural type worthy of our study, admiration, and protection.

Customer Reviews:

A Unique Architectural Treasure.......2006-08-25

Exquisite. A unique look at a true french vernacular. Architecture is always best understood in the light of its historical context and the author takes the reader on a time journey to experience not only the beauty of these monuments, but also the reasons behind their construction and how and by whom they were used day-to-day. I'm anxiously awaiting the author's next publication - or better still, a architectural guided tour of rural France.

superb.......2005-05-19

This was one of the most interesting books I have encountered recently. The essay at the beginning does a great job at setting up the social and historical contexts of the lavoir, and the photos are just beautiful beyond belief. That something so ordinary (laundry) could be mined for such a broad range of critical and aesthetic substance is a testament not only to the significance of the building type- but also to Roddier's ability to present it as a compelling artifact of material culture. I hope she plans to publish more in the near future.

Tommytune.......2004-09-14

I really enjoy digs which reveal patterns of the rural to urban shift useful to today's real planning issues; this is a journey that remains haunted and, in doing so, fails to exemplify work beyond stylistic fancieries.

Deep Trenches.......2004-09-14

This work manages a scholarly blend of pastiche, obscurity, and stayed artistic license; lavoirs---sounds and looks to be a very personally satisfying revolution! A true combination of child-like wonder which can appeal to most adults and begs the question---what ever happened to the Sugar Daddy?

Roddier Cleans Up! (Seriously, this book is great!).......2004-06-11

Mireille Roddier reveals the humble rural lavoirs as a locus of architectural beauty, french cultural history, and, perhaps most importantly, the neglected landscape of women's spaces. In her essay, Roddier plays brilliantly on the various meanings and histories of laundry (only the very rich always had clean laundry)-- and of laundresses (often thought of as dangerous gossips--because lavoirs were all female, and therefore suspicious, like 7 Sister's colleges)-- a discourse which is still being richly reinvented in today's unceasing obsessions with detergents and "soap operas." The photographs alone are worthy of the book's price--they look out at the reader with a stand-alone energy that evokes the very French, ornately philosophical ideas of the revolution of 1789, when even architecture had to reflect radical, communalist ideas. I'm not an architectural historian, but I think that this book belongs to feminist theory as well as to the history of architecture. It takes the reader to the point where aesthetics becomes or displaces theory, albeit extremely modestly.

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Arty Dogs

Arty Dogs
David Baird
Manufacturer: Stewart Tabori & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1556709323

Book Description

This delightful companion volume to Arty Cats offers wonderfully witty stories of the pups that impassioned and inspired the masterpieces of the world's greatest painters.

A little-known fact about Whistler's Mother, for example: the painter actually captured his mum in the midst of a game of fetch with her beloved Dalmatian, Sparky. What motivated Edvard Munch's Jealousy? The touching tale of a loyal old hound replaced by the gift of a young puppy. And, for those wondering about the unusual perspective of Eduard Manet's Un Bar Aux Folies-Bergere, here, at last, is the explanation: the Frenchman's little bull dog, Harry.

In this clever parody of some of history's most famous images, readers meet dogs of all breeds (and all manner of breeding) that stole the hearts, captivated the models, and sometime saved the reputations of their masters. From formal portraits to Pop Art, Impressionists to Expressionists, these whimsical works prove that dog is truly art's best friend.

Customer Reviews:

Arty Dogs.......2002-12-25

We've been reading and re-reading arty dogs since last Christmas. Just couldn't give it away. Delightful humor, delightful art. Especially recommend for artistic dog lovers.

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Arty Dogs
David; Broughton, Maurice; Cox, Vicky Baird
Manufacturer: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS9GRQ

Book Description

Throughout his life Turner was profoundly influenced by the eighteenth-century aesthetic theory of the "sublime." However, as Andrew Wilton now shows, the sublime was not merely a springboard for Turner's innovations; he reinterpreted the theory with great individualism and offered it to the world as a fresh and even more far-reaching philosophy of art.

The 140 illustrations, which include 32 in color, reproduce watercolors and prints that demonstrate the development of Turner's response to the sublime in areas as various as architecture, the picturesque, the "terrific," the sea, cities, mountains, and lakes. Many of the subjects have not previously been published.

Wordsworth, Turner, and Romantic Landscape: A Study of the Traditions of the Picturesque and the Sublime (Studies in English and American Literature)

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Wordsworth, Turner, and Romantic Landscape: A Study of the Traditions of the Picturesque and the Sublime (Studies in English and American Literature)
Matthew Brennan
Manufacturer: Camden House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Romantic | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0938100513

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Turner and the Sublime
Andrew Wilton
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOWGUE

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Turner and the Sublime

Manufacturer: The University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H7LPX2

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Not impressed

The Legacy of Stephen King Continues in Sons

A crown for the son of a King

one of the best debuts of 2005

Buy this Book!

We're All in This Together: A Novella and Stories
Owen King
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1582345856
Release Date: 2005-06-16

Book Description

Imaginative, gripping stories and a funny, poignant novella set in Maine after the 2000 presidential election make up this exciting literary debut.

Owen King is a writer interested in the choices we make when we're most conflicted. A young husband must decide whether or not to commit a ghoulish crime; a baseball player in a fantastic 1930s Coney Island is assailed by the guilt of an illicit romance; a nineteenth-century itinerant dentist finds himself snowed in with a group of trappers for a long evening of primitive surgery and laughing gas reveries. Whether they're set in the past or the present, tinged with the macabre, the solemn, or the absurd, all of the stories in this collection carry the weight of real emotion and revelation and showcase King's impressive versatility.

In his novella, King tells the story of George, the teenage son of a single mother, and the only grandson of a family of union organizers in Maine. George's grandfather Henry, obsessed with the outcome of the 2000 election, has planted a giant billboard of homage to Al Gore in his front yard that he suspects has been defaced by the paperboy, now a sworn enemy. Meanwhile, George's mother is about to marry Dr. Vic, who, besides being possessed of an almost royal obliviousness, may even have voted for George W. Bush. George is a nervous accomplice to his grandfather's increasingly unhinged behavior, and a righteous adversary at war with his mother over her marriage. George's struggle is a funny and moving parallel for our times: How will we fight? All together, or all alone? Funny, insightful, and always entertaining, We're All in This Together launches the career of an extraordinarily talented writer.

Customer Reviews:

Not impressed.......2007-08-15

I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was well written, just not very captivating. If you are interested in reading this book, purchase it used and save yourself some money.

The Legacy of Stephen King Continues in Sons.......2007-08-11

Following the footsteps of father Stephen King and brother Joe Hill, Owen King's "We're All In This Together" pays tribute to the literary genes of the King family, yet marks its own unique path. A collection of short stories and a novella, it's literary, nostalgic, often bitter yet touching, and insightful. Sometimes warm and reminiscent, other times painful and hard to read, it's a complex work that's impossible to put down.

The title novella, "We're All In This Together", tells the first person narrative of a young man who wonders about the contradicting world around him with a dry, sarcastic wit far beyond his years; though in the end he's still an inexperienced kid prone to all the same hurts and hopes kids experience.

George barely knows his reformed dead-beat father, loves his mother fiercely but resents her for leaving behind a string of eligible would-be fathers, and respects his grandfather in a fearful way. He spends the dry, dull summer days at his grandfather's, learning about the long gone days of the Labor Union, when honest, hard working folks were bound together by the Union's clarion call, "we're all in this together".

Owen King's work sees the best and worst of humanity; we want to cry and laugh equal parts of the time. His wit and sarcasm is razor-sharp, thought-provoking, and takes no prisoners among conservative and liberal sensitivities alike. King takes aim at everyone in this collection, and he hits the bull's eye every single time.

A crown for the son of a King.......2007-03-15

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Owen King is definitely NOT resting on his father's laurels. The title story is complex, thought-provoking and humorous. The others are wonderful are well, very eclectic style. Written much more in the style of John Irving than Owen's father, Stephen King. Owen's future looks very bright indeed. Bravo!

one of the best debuts of 2005.......2006-03-09

Owen King's debut work, We're All In This Together, is my favorite book this year, hands down. Smart and touching, the five outstanding tales that make up this collection are at once startlingly original and classically accomplished. King is one of those rare finds: a writer refreshing for both his bold, creative ingenuity and his old-fashioned gift for story.

King is a virtuosic writer, and his range is clearly on display in this collection. In "Frozen Animals," we meet Pinet, a nitrus-addicted dentist, summoned in the middle of the night to make a strange and frightening house-call. "Wonders" follows the exploits of a conflicted baseball player, a second baseman for a Coney Island farm team during in the 1930's. In the hilarious and heart-breaking story, "My Second Wife," a man still reeling from his divorce joins his eccentric brother on one of the strangest road trips in contemporary fiction.

Yet for all their daring and inventiveness, King's stories are, at heart, great examples of classic story-telling. His characters live and breathe. They are fully imagined, lovingly created, and immediately empathetic. Take for example, George, the teenage protagonist of King's terrific title novella. George's life (and story) is rich with complications. His grandfather, an ex-union organizer, wants to use George for paintball practice so that he might get good enough to gun down a rogue paperboy who keeps defacing his home-made Al Gore billboard. Meanwhile, George is engaged in an operation of his own, trying to sabotage his mother's impending marriage to a middle-aged goofball named Dr. Vic. Here is George explaining himself: "I wasn't getting along with my mother, and I didn't care to get along with Dr. Vic. Of late, I suffered not so much from a feeling that my voice wasn't being heard, as from a sense that I was speaking an entirely different language...my voice was soundless, on the wrong frequency, like a dog whistle..."

As strange as their stories might be, King's protagonists are unnervingly familiar. Which is testiment to his considerable skill. He writes his characters so well that we can't help but identify; no matter what happens tothem, we're right there along side, in it together.

"The best contact wasn't like contact at all," King writes in "Wonders." "It was like swinging straight through, the baseball only an echo of the bat's motion. The game was so hard, but that moment was so easy -the ball flew, Eckstein ran, and there was no chance they were going to catch him."

King's characters are always searching for moments like these, moments of assurance, of clarity. Which is funny, given that reading King's fiction leaves one feeling nothing if not assured - certain that one is in the hands of a dazzling new talent.

Overall: In story after story, King takes care of business. An Elvis of a collection

Buy this Book!.......2006-02-25

Owen King's first book is a prime example of a young author showing a voice and vision well beyond his years. In the novella from which the book adopts its name, Owen uses language to create a vivid picture of the characters beliefs and mores while keeping the story both light (with humor based both in observation and dialogue) while still providing ultimate heft to make the characters and their world as real as the people you've met on your block, and/or the people you wished lived on your block.
The accompanying stories show a range both dazzling and hopeful for the books that are sure to come (and, end up on all of our bookshelves) in the next decade plus.
All in all, everyone should buy this book now!...if you enjoy intelligent observation, real characters (w/ flaws, quirks, and redemptions) and an easy going style that sneeks up and bites you in the neck after seducing your mind...with commentary on who we are and who we could be. Owen King's writing will insinuate into your heart and mind and nestle up against the things you know to be true but might not be ready to admit. He makes us learn the truth from ourselves, about ourselves...the mark of any great writing. BUY THIS BOOK!

Celebrate Reading 4 SEVEN Volume Boxed Set 1993 (Texas Sings, The Wolf is at the Door, Do Yyou Hear What I See?, Y.O.U., We're All In This Together, The World is Round Just Like an Orange, Don't Wake the Princess, Shrink Wraped)

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Celebrate Reading 4 SEVEN Volume Boxed Set 1993 (Texas Sings, The Wolf is at the Door, Do Yyou Hear What I See?, Y.O.U., We're All In This Together, The World is Round Just Like an Orange, Don't Wake the Princess, Shrink Wraped)

Manufacturer: Scott Foresman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0673800482

Product Description

Seven good books for children

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We're All in This Together
Charles M. Schulz
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0449200973
Release Date: 1987-12-12

We're All in This Together: Families Facing Breast Cancer

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We're All in This Together: Families Facing Breast Cancer
Irene Virag
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Health Care Delivery | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0836270509

Celebrate Reading Grade 4 Six Volume Boxed Set 1993 4A The Wolf Is At The Door, 4B The World Is Round Just Like An orange 4C We're All In This Together, 4D Y.O.U., 4E Do You Hear What I See?, 4F The Wolf Is At The Door (Scott Foresman Celebrate Reading)

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Celebrate Reading Grade 4 Six Volume Boxed Set 1993 4A The Wolf Is At The Door, 4B The World Is Round Just Like An orange 4C We're All In This Together, 4D Y.O.U., 4E Do You Hear What I See?, 4F The Wolf Is At The Door (Scott Foresman Celebrate Reading)
Scott Foresman
Manufacturer: Scott Foresman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E136F6

Product Description

Set of six hardcover student books in a blue cardboard sleeve. The titles of these books are: (4A) The Wolf Is At The Door, (4B) The World Is Round Just Like An orange (4C) We're All In This Together, (4D) Y.O.U., (4E) Do You Hear What I See?, (4F) The Wolf Is At The Door. These books are from the 1993 SCOTT FORESMAN Celebrate Reading series.

Teacher's Guide To Celebrate Reading 4C/4D We're All In This Together / Y.O.U. (Scott Foresman Celebrate Reading)

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Teacher's Guide To Celebrate Reading 4C/4D We're All In This Together / Y.O.U. (Scott Foresman Celebrate Reading)

Manufacturer: Scott Foresman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: 0673804127

Todos a Una / We're All in This Together: Una Novela Corta Y Otro Relatos / a Novella and Other Stories

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Todos a Una / We're All in This Together: Una Novela Corta Y Otro Relatos / a Novella and Other Stories
Owen King
Manufacturer: Plaza & Janes Mexico
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Thanks for Sharing

We're All in This Together
Postscripts , Frank French , and The PostScripts
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Stress Management | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0738844322

Book Description

Fourteen lifetimes full of memories and fourteen still-acute observers of life's ups and downs are reflected in the writings in We're All In This Together, 71 pieces written by the PostScripts, twelve women and two men, ranging in age from 51 to 85. Their individual creative efforts make for delightful reading.

Customer Reviews:

Thanks for Sharing.......2001-07-23

Short, keen, very personal recollections and observations of life that range from poignant to hilarious. It surely will provoke reminiscences in every reader. Well written. A fun book to read and reflect upon.

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Thank you for Jess Miller

We're All in This Together
Jess Miller
Manufacturer: Harvey Publications Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0620266406

Book Description

Using his personal experience of beating clinical depression, Miller explainshow 12 powerful therapies can help anyone fight back and win.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you for Jess Miller.......2001-08-16

I had already been in communication with Jess Miller for sometime before I read his book. He was councelling me on a one-on-one basis. When I finally got the book everything that he had told me made so much sense. The language is simple and you can understand where his coming from totally. This book will always be by my side, when I need it most I will have a friend in Jess Miller and his words in this book will be close by.

We're All in This Together (Disney Choral, 2 part)

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We're All in This Together (Disney Choral, 2 part)
Arranger: Alan Billingsley
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000R46OZY

Product Description

From Disney's High School Musical, this pop-rock message of strength through our diversity is brimming with confidence and empowerment. A great message for your singers! Available for SATB, SAB and 2-Part. ShowTrax CD also available. Performance Time: Approx. 3:50

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Prepare Your House for Sale

The Inspector's Guide--Prepare Your House for Sale
Bob Reemsnyder
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Dress Your House for Success: 5 Fast, Easy Steps to Selling Your House, Apartment, or Condo for the Highest Po ssible Price!

ASIN: 1592286062

Book Description

Buying a house is often a person’s biggest investment, and it’s only when the time comes to sell that owners truly want to improve on their investment. With time and the wear and tear of daily life, the value can quickly and easily depreciate. Yet with attention to details--both structural and aesthetic--homeowners can not only avoid minor annoyances that add up to losses, but can actually increase the house’s value when it comes time for the sale.
Veteran home inspector Bob Reemsnyder guides the reader through each step of the process. Organized like a checklist by areas of the home, this easy-to-follow handbook contains everything a homeowner needs to know to test, organize, clean, and touch up a home for a successful inspection that leads to an even more successful sale.
The Inspector's Guide to Selling Your House Successfully--profusely illustrated and clearly explained--gets to the details and essentials of home maintenance. Whether you’re a new homeowner or one getting ready to sell a well-loved home, this expert and comprehensive guide will prove its value as quickly and as optimally as the value of your home.

Customer Reviews:

Prepare Your House for Sale .......2005-09-24

Bob Reemsnyder gives a thorough coverage of the major things a house inspector looks for and how deficiencies may best be remedied. Simple to follow advice given.

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This is no home inspection guide - That's for sure
Excellent preparation for home owners, even 2nd-time buyers!
An excellent book for the amateur home inspector.

Your Home Inspection Guide
William L. Ventolo
Manufacturer: Dearborn Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0793113369

Customer Reviews:

This is no home inspection guide - That's for sure.......2003-03-22

Members of the national home inspection company I belong to have to take yearly tests to keep up to date with expertise. We are allowed to read home inspection books for extra credits so I can tell you that I read at least 3-5 books per year for home inspectors. This book is NOT a home inspection guide for anyone who knows what they're talking about. It's far too limited in it's scope and I did not learn anything from reading it.

Excellent preparation for home owners, even 2nd-time buyers!.......2003-02-06

I bought this book before buying my first house. The explanations are thorough; the information is eye-opening for a first-time buyer; and excellent illustrations are liberally provided. And I've just found an added use for the book: after owning my house for 2 years, I'm now embarking on renovations. Things I never knew about the house are being unveiled, the structure examined closely. This book is a great resource to go back to; it helps me better understand how my house is put together, why some things that never showed up in the "home inspection" now make sense. For example, the lack of insulation and sound-proofing is something that the home inspection wasn't able to detect. Consequently, I now better understand what to look for in my next house purchase.

An excellent book for the amateur home inspector........1999-02-12

Learn how to inspect and evaluate a house, to find both obvious and hidden defects. Lots of photos, drawings, and comprehensive checklists make it easy to spot the clues.

Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector: Your Guide to a Comfortable and Confident Inspection Experience

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I WANT MY MONEY BACK
A must read for homeowners and realtors and more...
From Experience
Fantastic !!
A book on "Home inspections??" -come on get real.

Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector: Your Guide to a Comfortable and Confident Inspection Experience
Wallace J. Conway
Manufacturer: Someday Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0975545701

Book Description

In this fun and fact-filled book, Wally Conway gives you the knowledge needed to use the home inspection to bring comfort to the home buying experience. Whether your role in real estate is as homebuyer, seller, lawyer, lender, builder, or REALTOR, you need to read this book!

Quite simply, this is the most useful book ever written on the subject of home inspection. Wally Conway is the only home inspector ever to author a book on the interaction and relationships of all the people needed to close the contract. This is an essential read for everyone connected to real estate.

Customer Reviews:

I WANT MY MONEY BACK.......2006-08-31

This book is improperly titled. It should read, "The Clueless Home Inspector." If I could just get back the money I wasted on this piece of propaganda. Wally, the author, believes it is his job to be a deal closer as well as a home inspector. Guess what, Wally, you are supposed to keep your nose out of "the deal" and offer nothing but an objective description of the property inspected. It is not an inspectors job to help the deal close. Wally says that "code" is a four letter word that should never be brought up during an inspection. Sorry Wally, but there are many times that current codes should be brought up for reference to life safety issues in structures. Wally says he likes to take his clients up on the roof with him for roof inspections. Wally isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Wally says there is no reason to tell a client that there is anything wrong with an old ungrounded two hole electrical system. Gee, Wally, have you ever looked at the plug-in cords to the electrical appliances in your home and office? That third thingy muhjigy on top of the plug-in is the ground, Wally. People like to use them, Wally. And when they buy a house that has only two hole receptacles, and you didn't let them know the ramifications, they get pissed off, Wally. Wally tells a story about how brave he was to go back on a re-inspect of a repaired bathroom floor, wherein he had to crawl through 6 inches of water to do the re-inspect because it had rained since the last time he was there. He crawled out soaking wet and told the new owner that everything was fine with the repair. HEY WALLY, you crawled through 6 inches of water, buddy, EVERYTHING WASN'T FINE, WALLY. It must be impossible to sue a home inspector in Florida. Wally would loose his shirt in Oregon if he pulled this crap. I'll tell you what, buy this book if you want to know how to be the seller and realtors best friend, and If you don't really care about the buyer, or your reputation as an inspector. And hey, Wally, you missed your calling, buddy, you should have been a realtor. If I could just get my money back. Don't waste your hard earned cash on this BS.

A must read for homeowners and realtors and more..........2006-06-02

If you want a positive home inspection experience this is the book for you. It is a positive tool for realtors and their customers to see the process in a new and different light. I have a new attitude that a home inspection can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved and not an experience to dread. In his book Wally shows us how to make the inspection a positive and a "deal-maker" instead of a negative "deal-breaker"
Thank you for this insight.

From Experience.......2004-12-21

Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector is a "must read" for all present or future Home Inspectors. To me the most valued part of the book centers around expectations. Wally Conway gives real and understandable explanations as to differences between expectations and reality. Why is this useful? Most home buyers look at the home they have chosen as near perfect and it is the job of the home inspector to identify problems with the home. The home buyer is often saddened by our findings and not quite sure which way to turn. Wally then gives clues on how to "soften the blow" by putting the home buyer at ease through non-alarmest explanations about what is wrong, how it can be fixed and that all homes have problems but all problems can be resolved. After all, in the home buying experience it truly is "all about knowing", so that expensive surprises are not in the home buyers immediate future.

Fantastic !!.......2004-11-22

This book is not only informative and practical, but interesting and entertaining! Even though I originally wanted and expected a more detailed, technical book, this book proved to be more informative than I imagined. This is not a textbook on the specifics of home inspection process, but instead talks about all the "people" aspects - who should come to the inspection, how to choose a qualified inspector, the real reason why you're getting a home inspection, the role of real estate agents, and much more about the issues that blend at this point in the real estate transaction. Who knew there was so much going on during a home inspection? I loved this book because Wally Conway leads the reader through the whys and whats of the entire process with humor and smarts. How refreshing! Not only should every person buying or selling a home read this book, but every home inspector and real estate agent should, too!

A book on "Home inspections??" -come on get real........2004-11-21

A book on "Home inspections??" -come on get real. Why do I need to read a book about Home inspections?

I read this book NOT because the topic interests me, but because I had to. I am a professional speaker and author who teaches investors how to buy vacation homes.

I read this book to help my clients. When you purchase vacation homes (most often from a distance), home inspections are an integral part of the purchasing process. So naturally I should read everything on this topic to educate myself...

I opened up the book and started to read the about the "about the author" page...The author is a of course an experienced home inspector, but also retired navy pilot-- oh, double joy, not only was I embarking on a journey of overly detailed information on a topic I was not excited to read, but I had visions of TV's "Major Dad"...he's going to belittle me and yell at me in the process.

Well let me say, Wow! Wow! Wow!

Only Wallace Conway could have written a book on such a boring and dry topic, filled with with detailed information and made it interesting to read. I read it like a "I can't put it down, engaging page turning novel!" I even laughed out loud during many of the anecdotal stories. This book engaged me from the first page. I read this book from cover in one day!

Now I can see why HGTV Hired this guy to be their Detective Inspector...he's competent, charming And funny!

From the start of this book to the very end, Wallace fills this book with critical facts and logical and sometimes not so logical mistakes sellers, buyers, realtors and even inspectors make. He fills in the facts with poignant examples to paint clear pictures of every situation.

For me, he clarified the matter building codes. Wallace explained how when you purchase a home today that was built 50 years ago you cannot expect things to be to today's building codes. He used the analogy of the vintage T-Bird. Even though the T-Bird does not adhered to today's safety codes with airbags, antilock breaks, etc, it does not mean that you can't drive it. As long as the home was built to code at the time of building then it should pass your home inspection (but I still think that a good inspector should still point these things out to the buyer).

This is a book that I feel every single person who ever buys a home should read.

I have purchased numerous properties and hired many home inspectors. I thought I was pretty educated on the topic. Boy was I wrong! Thanks Wallace Conway for opening my eyes and for writing such a great book. Christine Karpinski

Building Your Home Inspection Business: A Guide to Marketing, Sales, Advertising, and Public Relations

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Building Your Home Inspection Business: A Guide to Marketing, Sales, Advertising, and Public Relations
Carson Dunlop and Associates
Manufacturer: Dearborn Home Inspection Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0793195691
Release Date: 2004-08-02

Book Description

Written by one of North America's leading home inspection firms, and based on the experiences of that company, this book will help both new and established inspectors focus on strategic business growth and marketing in a competitive profession. You will find clear, logical advice that has been field-tested for success. The accompanying CD-ROM contains marketing and advertising templates that you can personalize for your business needs.

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Century 21 Guide to Inspecting Your Home
Century 21
Manufacturer: Dearborn Trade Pub
ProductGroup: Book
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Entrepreneur Magazine's How to Start a Home Inspection Service (Your Step-By-Step Guide to Success)

Manufacturer: Entrepreneur Magazine Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
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