The Victorian House Book
by Robin Guild
This beautifully presented book is the best first book for the owner of a Victorian or Edwardian house. As you pull it from the shelf, it appears to be a coffee table book. However once you delve beneath the numerous inspirational photos, there is a mass of detail on the historical context, the design styles and also the care and maintenance of such buildings.
Beginning with the exterior features of Victorian houses, the book includes some photos and text showing how British houses compare with those in the USA. (There is a US version of the book which takes an American perspective.) The chapters shed light on fixtures and fittings, how colour, paint, wallpaper and fabrics were used in the main rooms of the Victorian home, and then further chapters look at the other rooms in the house and then take the reader into the garden. The final chapter, entitled ‘Keeping Faith With The Past’, gives essential advice which is technical in nature but easy to read. This chapter will help the house owner to deal with builders who may not always have an understanding of Victorian buildings.
The book includes a unique set of drawing of mouldings and architectural details which reflect the diversity we find in our own homes; suppliers were generally local and whilst they were influenced both by tradition and fashions, the products they made and sold varied geographically.
For the Victorian house owner, a major challenge is to arrive at a style for décor which is both contemporary yet sympathetic to the original design. Now in a further honed and updated fourth edition, this book is the best available for bringing together magazine-quality glossy photos of real homes with the practical advice on how to do it yourself.
The US edition is available from Firefly Books. Orders may be placed through the following numbers:
United States Customers
Toll Free Telephone: 800-387-5085
Toll Free Fax: 800-565-6034
E-mail: service@fireflybooks.com
Canadian Customers
Toll Free Telephone: 800-387-6192
Phone: (416) 499-8412
Toll Free Fax: 800-450-0391
Fax: (416) 499-8313
E-mail: service@fireflybooks.com