The Secret Life of Victorian Houses

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating text, intriguing photos.......2002-07-24

I found this book to be a fascinating read, albeit a quick one. If you really just want info on nuts and bolts then go buy a boring restoration guide and look through antique catalogs, but I liked the secrets that are revealed about the Victorians in this book. There is a problem with the title though because the pictures do indeed seem to allude to a secret life of the home itself, but the text is clearly more focused on the Victorians as people. I think the two work well together, but the secrets aren't about the houses, they are about the people.

The photographs are truly beautiful and a bit mysterious, and I found the text equally compelling. Granted it's a social history lesson in the Victorian era, but through that I've learned much more about how people would have lived in my partially restored Victorian home. For example, if you are looking at pictures of dining rooms, you are reading about the change in eating manners and how food was served. Indeed you learn that the dining room was a new invention altogether. The most striking point the author(s) make is that there is much sharper contrast between the Victorians and the people that preceeded them, than between the Victorians and modern-day families.

What secret life?.......2000-11-30

I looked foreward to receiving this book and reading about Victorian houses. I was disappointed.

We moved into a fantastic, lovely old Victorian Queen Anne just four years ago. We are looking for assistance as to what these homes looked like and how they functioned in the lives of the people who lived here a hundred years ago.

First of all, the narative in this book focused on how our country was settled by the pioneers. I didn't have much to say about the Victorian house itself. It never did get around to Victorian Queen Anne homes.

Secondly, the pictures were great, but there wasn't enough narative about the pictures and I wondered just exactly how the narative and the pictures fit together.

In this book, I found a picture of a door that I liked and I think that I may use the picture to find that type of door for our house.

I never figured out the big "secret" that was promised in the title. The authors stated that the secret was that those people lived like we do. Please, many old homes don't have a cement floor. I learned why a few years ago - they didn't have refrigeration and their basement was a "root cellar" that was used to store vegetables. The dumb waiter was used to bring these things up to the kitchen. Why wasn't this discussed? Also, why the outside stairwell? Why the door off the dining room and onto the wrap around porch? Why the door between bedrooms? Why the open architecture? Why the large pocket doors? Why was the upstairs built with less money?

I shall continue to look for more information about the daily lives of Victorian people and why they did the things that they did in their wonderful old homes.

Perhaps the other reviewer will write a book and that one will tell me what we want to know.

Depends on what you want in a book..........2000-09-28

But I was disappointed with this book, myself. For a coffee table book with lots of pretty pictures and glossy photos, it's great.

But as a research tool to learn more about the day to day life of Victorian-era homes, it is not what I expected.

First off, the homes that are featured in this book are grandiose and ostentatious examples of Victorian mansions. The rooms pictured are cavernous and the furnishings look like museum pieces. For decorating and interior design hints, this would be a good resource.

I was looking for a book that told the *why* of old house living. WHY does my modest 1904 Builder's Style home have that hole, that niche, that pipe, that THING over there? What did it do and what was its purpose? [Incidentally, after 4 years of searching, I've abandoned hope of finding a book that answers those questions and am in the process of WRITING a book that answers those questions.]

"The Secret Life of Victorian Houses" does not address those type of questions. Nonetheless, it was good enough to be rated a "keeper" in my ever growing library of Old House Information.

There is quite a bit of text with good information and useful knowledge. Just not near enough.

If you want to know what life was like in our SIMPLE homes 100 years ago, I recommend Susan Strasser's "Never Done" and "Victorian America" by Thomas Schlereth and if you want to know everything there is to know about old house heating systems, try "The Quiet Indoor Revolution" by Bud Konzo.

But this book - "secret life" is not really for dig-in-the-dirt types like me. It's more for people who hire other people to make their fantastic old mansions look fancy and fine.

Again, it's focus is solely on interior design, *not* mechanical systems or construction techniques.

Rose Thornton

Average customer rating:
The Secret Life of Victorian Houses
Zingman-Leith Elan and Susan
Manufacturer: Elliott & Clark
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UD0S1S

Average customer rating:
The Secret Life of Victorian Houses: Authentic and Inspiring Interiors and What They Reveal
Elan and Susan Zingman-Leith Zingman-leith
Manufacturer: Viking Studio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBGIJY

Book Description

Artists young and old will enjoy drawing the characters of Toy Story and Toy Story 2! In collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, Disney artists will have you drawing characters in a variety of poses and moods. You'll also learn interesting facts about the movie. (40-page paperback, 10.25" x 13.75")

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2001-03-25

Even though this book is meant for kids, I bought it anyway. I'm 16 and I really want to be an animator when I'm older, and surprisingly this book really helped me learn to draw all the Toy Story 1 & 2 characters on my own. The characters are computer-animated in the movie, but this book helps you bring them alive on paper, too. I have all the books in this series and I LOVE them all, they seriously helped my cartooning skills & they're fun to use as well!

Average customer rating:

How to Draw Disney's "Toy Story 2"

Manufacturer: Titan Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1840231890

Book Description

On September 15, 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit eastern North Carolina. The land previously known as the city of Rocky Mount and Nash and Edgecombe Counties became a series of islands surrounded by raging water. Once the waters receded, the vastness of the destruction became evident. Stories of heroism, love, and caring were being shared but not recorded.

Book Description

In 1987, when veteran school administrator Thomas E. Truitt took the post of district superintendent in Florence, South Carolina, he assumed leadership of a public school system in denial of its racial disharmony. More than three decades after Brown v. Board of Education, Florence District One had never implemented an integration plan that met federal approval; rather the district had skirted the intent of the federal mandate by employing "freedom of choice" and traditional attendance zones. In the 1990s a single issue—the need to replace an aging, predominantly black elementary school—brought to the fore the local population's anguished attitudes about race and education. Brick Walls recounts in wrenching detail how legacies of discrimination and injustice combined to divide a community along racial lines.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2000-03-28

Reflections of South Carolina gives an excellent glimpse into all that is South Carolina. Photographs range from the beautiful beaches along the coast to college campuses and the biggest cities to the smallest counties throughout the state. The photographs by Robert Clark are exquisite and make you feel as if you are a part of them. You do not have to be a South Carolina native - I'm not!- to appeciate this book. Makes a wonderful gift to anyone who loves this state.

South Carolina Reflections (South Carolina Littlebooks)

Average customer rating:

A Stunning Summary

South Carolina Reflections (South Carolina Littlebooks)

Manufacturer: Westcliffe Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1565792998

Customer Reviews:

A Stunning Summary.......1999-10-27

Tom Blagden is an incredibly gifted photographer who has graced us with yet another special little piece of South Carolina magic. Each photograph is more beautiful than the last. He captures images that make me wish I could get up with the sun, and go to bed when the moon is high in the sky....

The Bell Tower and Beyond: Reflections on Learning and Living

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The Bell Tower and Beyond: Reflections on Learning and Living
David E. Shi
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

College Guides | Education | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Book Description

When David Emory Shi, a leading historian and writer, left the classrooms of Davidson College for the president's office of Furman University in 1994, he took with him his interest in the past, in people, and in the process of becoming educated. Determined to elude the academic ivory tower and the swamp of administration, Shi continued his study of the connections between past and present, self and society. He also became a popular speaker on topics of public interest as well as a newspaper columnist and radio commentator with a loyal following throughout the country. Shi's miscellany of speeches and columns, collected in this volume, display both his desire to link academe to the real world and his infectious enthusiasm for liberal learning.

Shi's meditations reflect his ever-widening circle of interests--from Martin Luther King Jr., the Marquis de Lafayette, and the artist Cecilia Beaux to Transcendentalism and nineteenth-century reform. Shi offers innovative interpretations on topics ranging from the fate of books in the digital age and America's conflicted fascination with the simple life to George Washington's rules for civility and the Montgomery bus boycott.

Customer Reviews:

Reflecting on Reflections: Photographs of North Carolina.......2000-08-24

I bought this book for a friend that lives in Europe. I feel that George Humphries captures the beauty of North Carolina not only through pictures but also through words. There are a variety of poets and authors known around the world quoted in this book and that adds to its universal appeal. It makes a great gift for those who have never been to the state and also for those who are lucky enough to live here.

Reflecting on Reflections: Photographs of North Carolina.......2000-08-24

REFLECTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. Text by Tom Polland

Average customer rating:

REFLECTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA. Text by Tom Polland
Robert C. (photographer). Clark
Manufacturer: Univ. of South Carolina Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PWB8JU

Rhythms Reflections and Lines on the Back of a Menu: Writing by South Carolina Teachers/1988

Average customer rating:

Rhythms Reflections and Lines on the Back of a Menu: Writing by South Carolina Teachers/1988
Libby Bernardin
Manufacturer: Bench Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

In this groundbreaking new study, Whicker and Moore address an issue of critical importance to the future economic and political stability of the United States: how can this nation become more competitive in international markets. Drawing upon economic theory, political philosophy, and specific policy expertise, the authors organize their work around two principle themes: that just as the role of government in a changing world is evolutionary, policies must evolve to reflect shifting economic realities, and that previously hostile attitudes among U.S. management, labor, and government must be replaced by cooperation in order to ensure effective, long-term competitiveness abroad.

Making America Competitive: Policies for a Global Future

Average customer rating:

Making America Competitive: Policies for a Global Future
Marcia Lynn Whicker
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORGC3S

Average customer rating:
Merchant's Edge: A Complete Guide to Grain Merchandising
Sherry Lorton , and Donald White
Manufacturer: Stipes Pub Llc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1588741257

Book Description

A resource guide for starting your buisness. Includes current state, and federal staart-up information, contacts, statistics, and legislation.

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