Biltmore Estate

Images of America: North Carolina

by Ellen Erwin Rickman

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, has captured the fascination of people everywhere for over 100 years. Created in the 1890s by George Washington Vanderbilt, a member of one of America's wealthiest families, the estate combined a 250-room French Renaissance-style chateau with 125,000 acres of gardens, forests, and working farms. Biltmore House served as Vanderbilt's primary residence for almost 20 years. After Mr. Vanderbilt's death in 1914, life at Biltmore continued for his wife Edith and daughter Cornelia. In 1930, Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil and her husband, Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil, opened Biltmore House--the largest private home in the United States--to the public, firmly establishing the Asheville area as a major tourist destination.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Photography, Biography

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2005

Reviews

[Melisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Images of America books are fascinating, and this is one of the best I've seen.

It's very comprehensive in its details about not only the estate itself, but also the people who built it and lived there, the Vanderbilts. There are photos ranging from when it was just a patch of land and an idea, all the way through construction and its completion.

I really loved how the book addresses the facts of the house, its owners and its workers. It gave great design details but humanized it as well.

5 stars from me!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides an excellent overview of the family history of George W. Vanderbilt surrounding the creation of Biltmore House. Lots of portraits of the family help grasp the Vanderbilt family tree. Next, the book describes the creation of the amazing Biltmore House, gardens, and farm. George also graciously gave to the Asheville community by building Biltmore Village where residents could live, shop, and worship at the All Souls’ Church. Pictures of the family and guests enjoying life at the estate offer a glimpse into their unimaginable reality. The book concludes with the birth of Cornelia, her life growing up at Biltmore, her wedding at the All Souls’ Church, and the birth of her two children. This book is filled with rich history of a most interesting family.

[Linda Strawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say except that I love all things Biltmore. Pictures and history of this beautiful house and the people who made it possible. Can't go wrong.

[Kelley Ackermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

We always buy these books as souvenirs when we travel to new places! This was one of my favorites this far! So many awesome stories and photos that really share the entire history of The Biltmore and the Vanderbilt family that built it.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this pictorial history of the Biltmore. It made the history come to life in a simply glance. It dove into details about the building of the estate and gave an more emotional understanding of the family. Through the pictures and captions I came to love The Biltmore and the Vanderbilts.

It's a fantastic companion book to a visit to the grounds.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I've visited Biltmore Estate several times over the years, I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of Biltmore and grounds under construction.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictorial history book. well laid out and very nice selection of images. Recommended

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. My only complaint is there are overlapping photos with the other book "Images Of America Biltmore Gardens and Grounds."

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the pictures had gone in direct order. It would have been easier to chart the timeline of the house. Instead, they were separated by category, like family, and Cornelia, and so the pictures would jump around in time which I didn’t like.

I also wish the pictures had been colorized to bring more life to them.

I was glad that there were so many captions that way it wasn’t just looking at pictures, but had some meat and information to it. There were interesting facts, such as George buying land in Charles McNamee’s name to prevent land prices from soaring. And horses delivering milk wore rubber shoes so their footsteps wouldn’t wake residents in the early morning hours.

It’s so tragic the buildings and things that were destroyed and no longer exist.

I wish there had been so many more pictures because I could have gone on looking at them. More, more!

[John Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does exactly what I wanted it to do. It provides the history of the Biltmore Estate in a series of pictures. Having just visited Biltmore, where I bought the book, it was much easier to follow where the pictures were taken, although I think a nice addition would have been a map showing where Biltmore Village was relative to the main house. It was very enjoyable and a good souvenir.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, I visited the Biltmore Estate as a tourist, and I was in awe! This book highlights photographs of the Biltmore being built and the people who lived there, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It doesn't quite capture the grandeur of the place, but it whets your appetite for more.

[Bob Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Research in anticipation to trip to Asheville, NC later this year.

[Mic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biltmore Estate history is always fascinating.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great pictorial history of the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilt family.

[Jrobert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for learning a bit about the history of the Biltmore in Asheville NC prior to visiting.

[Bonnie Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been to Biltmore many times and really enjoyed looking through the photos of the building of the estate and photos of the Biltmore family and friends in the rooms I've been in. This history includes many photos, not a huge amount of detail and is a nice addition to information you would find on tours of the estate, rather than a replacement for the tours.

[Craig Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captures some of the early construction photos of the Biltmore Estate. The pictures are really fascinating as they show construction techniques, the scale of the project as well as the vision one needed for this undertaking.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful companion volume to peruse alongside "Lady on the Hill," which expands significantly on the images and text contained here. I was particularly interested in the pictures of the Vanderbilt family members and the shots of the interior of the house.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Images of America

Small-scale coffee-table picture book of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Fawning captions detract from the photographs, which cover the Vanderbilts and the building of their "house."

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series- quick light reading, lots of pictures. More informative than the Biltmore tour itself.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Images of America books. This will be a favorite! This has photos of the family, the land before the Biltmore was built, work in progress, of the workers....just a wonderful collection

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book for anyone interested in the history of the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilts. Tons of photographs.

[Sofie Couch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the historical perspective through many fabulous old photos. Great reference book for writing historical, American aristocracy.

[Lee]

This book is good for background on the construction.

[Robert Beatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book. A "Must Have" for fans of Biltmore Estate.