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A Field Guide to American Houses
The guide that enables you to identify, and place in their historic and architectural contexts, the houses you see in your neighborhood or in your travels across America. 17th century to the present. Book was reprinted in 2006
525 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
293 people are currently reading
2634 people want to read
About the author
Virginia McAlester
7 books14 followersVirginia Savage McAlester is an American author, architectural historian, preservationist, and political activist. She is best known for her book A Field Guide to American Houses, a standard guide to American home styles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
February 7, 2017
Someday, I might like to own a house. And if I own a house, I want to be able to say with some certainty what style it is. So with those Very Important Dreams in hand, I purchased my very own copy of A Field Guide to American Houses.
The behemoth that arrived on my doorstep was intimidating: 800-odd pages, black-and-white photographs, and so very many houses. And I read. And I peered at the pictures. And I began to understand the development and evolution of housing in America. How the stately houses in the south, all sprawl and living porch, faded into the snug two-story shingle-style houses of the north. How to use window panes to date a house. How technology made housing easier, and faster, and less unique.
My one wish--and perhaps this is completely out of line with the scope of the book--is that there could have been some examination and discussion about interior architecture and how that was evolving along with the exterior. There's some very brief touches on it: the use of a central receiving hall disappearing from early Colonial and Federal styles, only to reappear with the Millennium Mansion; how back elevations changed with the normalization of refrigerators and washing/drying machines; how 'living spaces' were defined by the activities therein (bedroom vs. formal living rooms vs. rec room).
Overall: highly recommended for anyone who wants a broad and dirty rundown of American domestic architecture.
The behemoth that arrived on my doorstep was intimidating: 800-odd pages, black-and-white photographs, and so very many houses. And I read. And I peered at the pictures. And I began to understand the development and evolution of housing in America. How the stately houses in the south, all sprawl and living porch, faded into the snug two-story shingle-style houses of the north. How to use window panes to date a house. How technology made housing easier, and faster, and less unique.
My one wish--and perhaps this is completely out of line with the scope of the book--is that there could have been some examination and discussion about interior architecture and how that was evolving along with the exterior. There's some very brief touches on it: the use of a central receiving hall disappearing from early Colonial and Federal styles, only to reappear with the Millennium Mansion; how back elevations changed with the normalization of refrigerators and washing/drying machines; how 'living spaces' were defined by the activities therein (bedroom vs. formal living rooms vs. rec room).
Overall: highly recommended for anyone who wants a broad and dirty rundown of American domestic architecture.
January 28, 2018
Ok, I admit it. I cherish a sick pride in having read each of the 850 pages in Virginia McAlester's magnum opus.
Unfortunately, I still can't tell the difference between many of these house styles, even with the author's patient guidance. Italianate or Italian Renaissance? Classical revival vs. Greek revival vs. Neoclassical? And please, I need help with mullions, muntins and lintels - aren't those small shellfish, not parts of windows?
Even after slowly digesting this book over the course of four years, I'm lucky if I can spot an architecture gimme, like half-timbering or a Tudor gable.
However, eating all these architectural veggies has its payoff: the dessert course, aka the chapter on McMansions. After following the author on a tour of thousands of houses, you learn enough to snark along with her. "Look at that Millenium Mansion. What a beauty. Multiple cascading hipped roofs?! You gotta be kidding me!!"
Unfortunately, I still can't tell the difference between many of these house styles, even with the author's patient guidance. Italianate or Italian Renaissance? Classical revival vs. Greek revival vs. Neoclassical? And please, I need help with mullions, muntins and lintels - aren't those small shellfish, not parts of windows?
Even after slowly digesting this book over the course of four years, I'm lucky if I can spot an architecture gimme, like half-timbering or a Tudor gable.
However, eating all these architectural veggies has its payoff: the dessert course, aka the chapter on McMansions. After following the author on a tour of thousands of houses, you learn enough to snark along with her. "Look at that Millenium Mansion. What a beauty. Multiple cascading hipped roofs?! You gotta be kidding me!!"
September 23, 2018
Why, in the middle Twentieth Century, did American neighborhoods and suburbs swell with tracts full of "ranch houses" that obviously never got near the Bar L? Can you identify the styles that replaced the Ranch? Is there really a difference between "Victorian" and "Queen Anne" home styles, be they standalone or town (row) houses? If people speak of the "Italianate influence" in a 19th Century house, what do they mean?
Here's a great way to load up on these terms and how housing styles look, in quite an entertaining way: In any of its iterations, Virginia McAlester's A FIELD GUIDE TO AMERICAN HOUSES is a welcome staple. Find out about the various styles of U.S. architecture, from Colonial to Modernist and beyond, and elaborations both fancy and vernacular. Representative photographs make this an irresistible -- and foundational -- volume to have, be the reader a student of U.S. history, a devotee of architecture, someone who'd like to commission a home, or even a budding real-estate agent needing to know where all these "styles" came from. Buy the hardbound version if you can afford it; it will last. But make sure Virginia McAlester is the author or co-author.
Here's a great way to load up on these terms and how housing styles look, in quite an entertaining way: In any of its iterations, Virginia McAlester's A FIELD GUIDE TO AMERICAN HOUSES is a welcome staple. Find out about the various styles of U.S. architecture, from Colonial to Modernist and beyond, and elaborations both fancy and vernacular. Representative photographs make this an irresistible -- and foundational -- volume to have, be the reader a student of U.S. history, a devotee of architecture, someone who'd like to commission a home, or even a budding real-estate agent needing to know where all these "styles" came from. Buy the hardbound version if you can afford it; it will last. But make sure Virginia McAlester is the author or co-author.
Drawing: Oklahoma bungalow aka "Oriental Peak":
"American Rambler" a/k/a "Ranch" style home:
May 31, 2014
Reposted from my blog review: http://www.evolvingenglishteacher.blo...
My response to "A Field Guide to American Houses" is that of a lay person. However, the guide is the definitive reference book for architectural students. A lay person such as myself doesn't read the guide with the close reading strategies of an English teacher; rather, I read the book, and will continue reading it, through the lens of "place" and its rhetoric function in American homes and American literature.
The guide is a visual and textual mapping of American home designs from the 1700s to the present. Simply, by referencing the guide, both professionals and lay people such as myself can place our homes and those of our communities, states, and nation in their historical and geographic contexts.
I became keenly interested in the rhetorical function of home and architecture years ago, but my interest really came to life when I discovered a resource about the representation of homes in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I still have a printout of the document in my filing cabinet but can't seem to locate it on the internet now. The juxtaposition of geography and the structures of homes in UTC resonated with me.
Other books have informed my interest in homes as rhetoric: "Rebecca," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "My Antonia," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," "The Great Gatsby," "The Fountainhead," "A Raisin in the Sun," are among these. Even some YA has piqued my interest in the rhetoric of home, most recently "Reality Boy" by A.S. King. Of course, gothic literature, such as Poe's short stories, most notably "The Fall of the House of Usher," succeed in no small part because of their grounding in this place we call home. Of course, I'd be remise in not mentioning Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."
I mention these texts because "A Field Guide to American Houses" is a resource that I'll use in constructing lesson plans, particularly those texts that rely so much on place. From elevation design and influence to the way homes are grouped geographically to how designed is influenced by economics and war, "A Field Guide to American Houses" is chalk full of information I'd thought little about.
Even the New Millennium Mansion (McMansion) in its obnoxious existence on too small lots took on new meaning as I read about its origins and its response to economic conditions. These homes, says McAlester, are part of the New Traditional Architectural movement that has at times been critiqued as "derivative." McAlester defends the movement as having unique features and its creators: They understand classical principles and architectural styele well enough to subtly alter or rearrange elements to create New Traditional home designs, not copies--houses instantly familiar yet subtly different from the homes that inspired them. Architectural historian Vincent Scully describes this as a 'conversation across the generations.'" (725)
Thinking about home design as "conversational" makes me think about how these topics can become conversations in my classroom. Additionally, the NCTE 2014 convention theme "Story as the Landscape of Knowing" resonates with me as I think about landscape as place, home as places where we create stories, and design that grounds us in a sense of nostalgic longing for the past as we simultaneously look to the future.
Throughout the book one finds images of homes in a variety of geographical locations. Thus, looking at the home styles in states where I've lived became a fascinating scavenger hunt. The images of homes sent me searching for information so that my reading took a non-linear trek, as though I was journeying across the blue highways marked by squiggly lines on maps. Idaho, unfortunately, is woefully underrepresented in the book, probably because it has had no real influence on home design, unlike Illinois and California.
If I were to criticize the book in any way, it would be in its absence of color photography. I imagine the utilitarian purpose (to inform) of the guide justifies the inclusion of only black and white photographs. Still, our cultural and architectural heritage is quite colorful, and "A Field Guide to American Houses" is a fun way to learn about the vernacular of our homes.
My response to "A Field Guide to American Houses" is that of a lay person. However, the guide is the definitive reference book for architectural students. A lay person such as myself doesn't read the guide with the close reading strategies of an English teacher; rather, I read the book, and will continue reading it, through the lens of "place" and its rhetoric function in American homes and American literature.
The guide is a visual and textual mapping of American home designs from the 1700s to the present. Simply, by referencing the guide, both professionals and lay people such as myself can place our homes and those of our communities, states, and nation in their historical and geographic contexts.
I became keenly interested in the rhetorical function of home and architecture years ago, but my interest really came to life when I discovered a resource about the representation of homes in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I still have a printout of the document in my filing cabinet but can't seem to locate it on the internet now. The juxtaposition of geography and the structures of homes in UTC resonated with me.
Other books have informed my interest in homes as rhetoric: "Rebecca," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "My Antonia," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," "The Great Gatsby," "The Fountainhead," "A Raisin in the Sun," are among these. Even some YA has piqued my interest in the rhetoric of home, most recently "Reality Boy" by A.S. King. Of course, gothic literature, such as Poe's short stories, most notably "The Fall of the House of Usher," succeed in no small part because of their grounding in this place we call home. Of course, I'd be remise in not mentioning Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily."
I mention these texts because "A Field Guide to American Houses" is a resource that I'll use in constructing lesson plans, particularly those texts that rely so much on place. From elevation design and influence to the way homes are grouped geographically to how designed is influenced by economics and war, "A Field Guide to American Houses" is chalk full of information I'd thought little about.
Even the New Millennium Mansion (McMansion) in its obnoxious existence on too small lots took on new meaning as I read about its origins and its response to economic conditions. These homes, says McAlester, are part of the New Traditional Architectural movement that has at times been critiqued as "derivative." McAlester defends the movement as having unique features and its creators: They understand classical principles and architectural styele well enough to subtly alter or rearrange elements to create New Traditional home designs, not copies--houses instantly familiar yet subtly different from the homes that inspired them. Architectural historian Vincent Scully describes this as a 'conversation across the generations.'" (725)
Thinking about home design as "conversational" makes me think about how these topics can become conversations in my classroom. Additionally, the NCTE 2014 convention theme "Story as the Landscape of Knowing" resonates with me as I think about landscape as place, home as places where we create stories, and design that grounds us in a sense of nostalgic longing for the past as we simultaneously look to the future.
Throughout the book one finds images of homes in a variety of geographical locations. Thus, looking at the home styles in states where I've lived became a fascinating scavenger hunt. The images of homes sent me searching for information so that my reading took a non-linear trek, as though I was journeying across the blue highways marked by squiggly lines on maps. Idaho, unfortunately, is woefully underrepresented in the book, probably because it has had no real influence on home design, unlike Illinois and California.
If I were to criticize the book in any way, it would be in its absence of color photography. I imagine the utilitarian purpose (to inform) of the guide justifies the inclusion of only black and white photographs. Still, our cultural and architectural heritage is quite colorful, and "A Field Guide to American Houses" is a fun way to learn about the vernacular of our homes.
December 27, 2011
I marked this as "read," but this is a book that I enjoy savoring in small bites. I'm so sad I lost my copy :(
December 8, 2024
I thought I was the only house geek.....but now I know I'm not alone. There are others, and look, now we have a book to encourage our obsessions. I have always wondered how my old house would be classified; I now know that I own a gable-front and wing Folk Victorian. This is even better than my Victorian Houses Coloring Book!
This book travels with me on a road trip. Every time I see one of the houses listed in this book, I put a checkmark next to it in the index.
This book travels with me on a road trip. Every time I see one of the houses listed in this book, I put a checkmark next to it in the index.
August 21, 2014
Virginia and Lee McAlester’s A Field Guide to American Houses is a very useful tool for understanding (both in describing and dating) common American houses. For many people, houses seem to be so common that they are not worth describing or thinking twice about, but I think when houses are observed with a more critical eye, they can reveal a wealth of information about the people who built, bought, and lived in them. They are documents from which history can be extracted. With similarly held beliefs but only a minimum of interpretation, the McAlesters set out to chronicle and period-ize the diverse (though often overlooked as less than diverse) range of American houses. Although this book has since been criticized for its heavy focus on style—focusing chiefly on reading housing exteriors and largely ignoring their interior variations and relations—it does well to introduce a working framework for grouping houses built in similar style and period together in order to better understand why and how they came to be built when they were.
The book begins with a generic look at style, form, and structure and furthermore provides a pictorial key and glossary that illustrates many of the slight variations among basic house forms and materials. It then moves on to talk about folk houses (Native American, pre-railroad, and national varieties) before moving into the bulk of the subject matter: American house styles from the 17th century onward. With broad overview headers—Colonial Houses (1600-1820), Romantic houses (1820-1880), Victorian Houses (1860-1900), Eclectic Houses (1880-1940), and American houses Since 1940—the authors group the houses built in those time periods into styles and then through a combination of illustrations, descriptions, and photographic examples, explain what the identifying features are for each housing type with a fairly impressive attempt to address both its common varieties and where they are most commonly found in American regions. This book is a treasure for anyone trying to improve their historic preservation vocabulary or sharpen up on their house style/periodization skills.
The book begins with a generic look at style, form, and structure and furthermore provides a pictorial key and glossary that illustrates many of the slight variations among basic house forms and materials. It then moves on to talk about folk houses (Native American, pre-railroad, and national varieties) before moving into the bulk of the subject matter: American house styles from the 17th century onward. With broad overview headers—Colonial Houses (1600-1820), Romantic houses (1820-1880), Victorian Houses (1860-1900), Eclectic Houses (1880-1940), and American houses Since 1940—the authors group the houses built in those time periods into styles and then through a combination of illustrations, descriptions, and photographic examples, explain what the identifying features are for each housing type with a fairly impressive attempt to address both its common varieties and where they are most commonly found in American regions. This book is a treasure for anyone trying to improve their historic preservation vocabulary or sharpen up on their house style/periodization skills.
May 25, 2014
Excellent reference source for tracking changes in architectural styles by region and time. Pictures from across the country document influences and combinations. It is amazing how many of the styles easily transferred from Chicago to Texas to Oklahoma to Pasadena. Each pilaster identified. So glad to have found this. It is a good source to keep going back to until you have the differences between "Gothic" and "Prairie" firmly in mind. Not so useful for 1980 and after, but starts with earliest American structures.
April 13, 2019
Very similar to The Houses We Live In: An Identification Guide to the History and Style of American Domestic Architecture with less color photos, more line drawings and more stress on ordinary homes. It's hard to choose between the both of them!
August 20, 2016
This book is an endlessly fascinating dream (for anyone who is even mildly interested in domestic architecture). I pored over its excellent collection of photographs and line drawings for hours. I kind of want to buy it now. For what purpose, I am not sure, but I feel like I need to own it.
February 24, 2008
A great book if you like arm chair architecture.
January 7, 2009
Though the section I needed most, Dutch Colonial styles, is shorter than I would like, it still proves useful as a handy everyday reference.
July 29, 2011
One of the best field guides for Human Geography projects. I have often assigned this work to my students or suggested it for projects in historic architecture.
July 31, 2007
awesome architectural reference for house geeks
November 20, 2017
I read this book years ago and still refer to it. I moved to Tulsa Ok from Ohio in the late 70's into a neighborhood that was built in the early 1900's. My home was an old stone Tudor build in 1924. The oil boom here in the early teens and 20's gave rise to a city that hosts fabulous Art Deco buildings downtown, and a mix of everything from arts and craft cottages to neo-classical mansions to adobe ranches. Frank Lloyd Wright designed an office building and residences in this area. A boom town with eclectic architecture to match. If you like to take a walk and look up and around when you do, you need this book.
May 8, 2019
5++ stars!
Often, when I read descriptions of houses I just couldn't paint the pictures in my head. This book provides that visual and explanation, plus history lessons of the style. I absolutely love this book. Perhaps the only complaint I have is the photographs. It was black and white, possibly it's recycles from the older edition, but illustrations were great. The book wasn't in full color, some printed with green. The paper was glossy. Overall, it's excellent book.
Often, when I read descriptions of houses I just couldn't paint the pictures in my head. This book provides that visual and explanation, plus history lessons of the style. I absolutely love this book. Perhaps the only complaint I have is the photographs. It was black and white, possibly it's recycles from the older edition, but illustrations were great. The book wasn't in full color, some printed with green. The paper was glossy. Overall, it's excellent book.
January 16, 2023
A comprehensive but very accessible and useful guide to American houses from the Revolution up through the mid 20th century. It's fascinating to see ideas that go back to the classical, medieval, and renaissance periods reverberating through exterior architecture over time and technology and building techniques advance. My only criticism is that the pictures could have been laid out better & more intuitively labeled.
September 23, 2024
i really love this book but i do wish that the whole thing was in full color. next edition? please?
if i remember correctly, there is criticism of redlining for its negative effects on HOUSES. not people. there is no discussion at all about negative effects of redlining on people. and that's not what the book is about, so whatever, but maybe just a little mention? maybe they could change that too in the next edition.
if i remember correctly, there is criticism of redlining for its negative effects on HOUSES. not people. there is no discussion at all about negative effects of redlining on people. and that's not what the book is about, so whatever, but maybe just a little mention? maybe they could change that too in the next edition.
December 27, 2019
This is THE book about American residential architecture. The newer edition is better because it includes later styles but this version is still valuable so pick it up if you see it at a used bookstore.
February 25, 2021
If I was the type of person who enjoyed books scattered around and left open, I would do that with this. Different styles of houses are described with words, simple drawings and photographs. Not the kind of book that is read once and put away. This begs to be read slowly and frequently.
December 2, 2022
I hike all over the United States and love to travel. Have enjoyed vintage and unique houses since I was a boy. This is an excellent historical book to inform the reader of what they are looking at and a time frame of when it was probably built.
Strongly recommended.
Strongly recommended.
March 8, 2017
An incredible resource for identifying architectural features of homes.
May 27, 2017
An incredibly useful, accessible guide to American architecture. Bonus: the book even includes examples from Kansas.
September 9, 2017
Absolutely indispensable for when you want to just walk around and look at some houses and talk about them.
January 19, 2018
Great point of reference. Would probably have to re-read at least a dozen times before I could categorize American home architecture properly.
May 22, 2018
Part history, part research guide, part field manual. Anyone needing clarification on architectural details for design or historical reasons would have this book on their shelf.
January 26, 2019
A really concise look on residential architectural design - great resource for fellow production designers, it’s very in depth (but easy to resource information at the drop of a hat).
March 4, 2019
Exactly what it says it is: a field guide! Different types of family home architecture are describes, with examples given and distinguishing characteristics listed.
November 23, 2019
Read this 800 page book in a little less than three hours. So helpful. Lots of pictures and illustrations. I learned a lot.
January 12, 2020
Very informative and well written book. Many illustrations and examples given of the different styles of housing over the centuries in America, including the Native Americans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews