House

Sam Clark uses up half the book before he gets into the nitty-gritty of construction methods. This really IS a book about house DESIGN as well as construction. As such, it's an EXCELLENT book for someone who's starting from scratch to create their own house. The approach is extremely methodical, treating mindsets and goals as elements of the design process equal in importance to elevation drawings.

The illustrations bear particular attention. The (black and white) photographs are well composed, and have high contrast to clearly delineate the features that are supposed to be of interest. The line drawings are rather funky looking (in part because Clark appears not to own a ruler), but nevertheless do a very good job of illustrating what the text is talking about. This is the case for three reasons: (1) they were created by the author, who knew EXACTLY what part of the text needed visual aids; (2) their rulerless nature means that Clark can emphasize particular features rather than focus on strict scale drawings; and (3) each one is sized independently to take up as much space as is required to depict the subject matter, without worrying about "wasting" some page area. The end result is that the text and illustrations fit together well to make a unified whole.

For more detail on the Building part of creating a house, I'd recommend "Do-It-Yourself HOUSEBUILDING" by George Nash. But because Nash's book doesn't come close to Clark's for clarity, I'd first read Clark's book cover-to-cover. Then I'd keep Sam Clark's book open to the same subject area so that you can step back and get a clear overview as you get confused in the details of the Nash book.

This tells you how to design a house for you. Not just a house out of a book, but one that takes your living patterns into account. Don't want a formal living room? Don't put one in! Also reminds you if you want to live in the house a long time, to make room for handicapped access that may be needed later. Design your kitchen and baths the way you live! Have fun! ;-)

I am planning to build my own small house on a very small budget and have been doing some fairly extensive reading on the subject, but I find I constantly return to Sam Clark's book as my main reference for overall design and planning and I expect to refer to it during the building process as well. Whether dealing with general design philosophy, costing, or the actual building process, Clark's writing is always clear, informative, stimulating and unpatronizing and the drawings and illustrations are also clear and user-friendly. The book is layed out in a logical progression which guides you through the planning process. I have never built a house before, but this book alone would give me the confidence to do so. It is not a construction technique manual, in that it won't teach you how to hammer in a nail, but it will teach you how to design and plan a house for your budget and lifestyle.

This book contains big color photographs of interiors; reference guide at the end of the book detailing resources of Arts and Crafts literature and furnishings

This is a user friendly book to have close at hand. If you're like me I am always looking at ways to incorporate colors, designs and arts and crafts style into our 1922 Chalet Arts and Craft's home. I especially appreciate all the colorful pictures and the textiles shown. Paint, stenciling and wallcoverings being modest in cost and are realistic changes that are indeed affordable. Lots of ideas and examples to pull a room together. I refer to the book frequently and I am pleased I bought it.

For newly into the arts and crafts movement and restoring our bungalow, this book concentrates exactly where we needed it to -- the interior. From shots of wonderful restored homes to our favorite section (before and after), this book will become our favorite resource. Excellently focused!

There aren't a lot of "cooking for two" books out there that have really good recipes. This is an exception. Every one of the breads is fantastic, and only makes enough for 1 meal, so the bread is always fresh. We don't need to watch our weight or salt intake, but I use this book so much because the food just tastes so good!

There are too few "light cooking" books designed for just two people, and this is one of the best yet with a wide variety of recipes using fresh herbs and minimal oil. We make extensive use of this book weekly and are pleased with an easy, and permanent, weight loss while eating gourmet food. We would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great food while losing weight.

I just started cooking religiously when I got married, and I never realized how many recipes from very expensive cookbooks could be so undesirable. But.... Not this time! This book is fantastic! The recipes are easy to prepare, with ingredients that are easy to find, and although the food is low-fat, it is delicious. Now, I'm on ........ to find more cookbooks by the same author(s). Buy "Light Cooking"; it will not disappoint.

Mood Indigo, like the song of the same name, is smoky, sensuous, and quite beautiful.

If you love rich colors, you'll love this book.

If you're afraid strong color won't work in your spaces, one look at these rooms will change your mind.

Showcasing interiors using browns, blacks and grays, purples and reds, blues and greens 'Mood Indigo' works with all shades from the strongest, darkest of the hues to the lightest.

There are tips on how to use strong colors, discussions about rooms size, light needs, finishes, textures, a short history of paint, pigments, and color trends.

Color is used not only on walls but in accessories, on fabric, floor coverings, lampshades ... well, just about anything you can think of.

Room designs run the gamut from country to traditional to eclectic to rustic. You'll see color used in hallways and kitchens as well as the more usual bedrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms.

Inspiration abounds. Add the fact that this is a great coffee table book, if nothing else, and you'll be happy you bought it. Everything about this book is quality.

This is a beautiful interior design coffee table book. It is packed with large photos of exquisite interiors that use strong colors including blues, greens, reds, purples, browns, grays and blacks. The wonderful photos are printed on high-quality glossy paper making them appear even more vivid.

In additional to the gorgeous pictures there is also advice on color, texture and light. Color scheme basics are covered with a discussion of tone, shade, balance and the moods each color creates. There are also suggestions for sources of inspiration for each color in nature, history and various cultures.

The interiors shown are simply fantastic and filled with rich, dark colors. There are no large rooms of empty white here. I loved a relaxing bathroom with shades of plum and a cabinet decorated with multiple hues of green, blue and yellow. I also enjoyed a Japanese style bedroom with red walls, a wood chest and a huge hanging white kimono. A dark blue living room with nude outlines on the wall and an artistic cozy brown couch is another of my favorites.

I really appreciated a great list of suppliers and helpful index included in the back. This is a great book of useful ideas as well as being a wonderful display piece or gift.

This book was exactly what I've been looking for. Lots of color without being garish. If you want some ideas on home decorating, and you are weary of the tried and tired neutral schemes, but don't want to feel like you are living in a day-glo home or a Fisher Price retail outlet, I definitly recomend this book. It's also not just about paint, but also mentions flooring, trim, wallpapering, accesories and furniture.

This book is divided into three sections - before the move, during the move, and after the move. Each section contains practical advice for children from packing to things to do on the way to making new friends. The book's interactive design will help children personalize it.

My husband and I just moved from Florida to Arizona with our five children. The children LOVED this book--and we got some helpful hints as well! Thank you Ms. Davis for making our move so much smoother!

I am the wife of a Marine. Our family moves every three to four years. Thank goodness this book was written. I encourage any military family to buy this book!

How can one book have so much useful information? This book does an amazing job of covering all the bases of color. I like the history of color, how color heals, why we like certain colors better than others, the psychology of color...well, like I said, the book covers all the bases. And as a bonus, it includes many useful decorating tips. It is also a georgous book to just have sitting out on a cocktail table.

I was looking for help in deciding what colors to use for decorating my new home. I chanced upon this book and found a treasure. This is truly a great book on color. It helped me see why I like certain colors and how to put those colors to best use. I love it. I'm very glad I bought it and have reommended it to many of my friends.

This book is really great. It takes you through origins of color right to present day uses including very helpful design tips. I liked it a lot and recommend it highly.

As a fan of the Little House books, I've read Laura's stories many times. But before she wrote them, she wrote for the newspapers about farm life. This gives such an exciting peak at her adult life, her "what happened next" years, that any true fan should read it.

This is a collection of newspaper articles Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about life in the Ozarks. Many of the articles are full insights into life that still apply today. She wrote about farmer's wives being equal in importance to their husbands, the frustration of dealing with "new technology" (in her case a new washing machine), and many other day to day activities on the farm.

Laura Ingalls' writing for adults, through a newspaper column she did weekly from 1911-1925, is highly amusing, and very thought-provoking for those of us living now in Psychobabble, Let It All Hang Out, Complain and Whine and Blame and Brood California.

Her advice is to simply refrain from even commenting on one's troubles, and avoid thinking about the negative things, the things one can't do anything about.

Try to be positive, try to see that work is necessary, and don't avoid one's job and chores, or you make yourself more miserable.

ARe these the commonsense things that today's adults or children ever hear, outside of a church sermon or Reader's Digest?

It reminds me of my early days in Germany, when slowly the meaning of the old folksongs began to penetrate as I learned the German vocabulary. I'd heard them, hummed with them, and played the kazoo and danced to them; but when I finally understood the lyrics, I realized what a completely different time and place they came from. They encourage people to stand up and enjoy their lives, the chance to walk in the flowers of springtime, to make friends, to have a drink with colleagues or family, to see one's beloved again, and to rejoice that God made you at all.

When I met older Germans, they seemed often to still embody such positive efforts and mentality, in contrast to the American-like cynicism of the young.

This will strike you - assuming you are an adult reading this - when you read Laura Ingalls' columns. I don't know what children would think, but I think they'd like them. They're straight and honest and true, just as she advises us to be.

The author is a very good writer, and obviously knowledgeable and passionate about her subject -- I do like this book very much (finished it in 2 days!). But how could Heywood-Wakefield, the great producer of streamlined modern most noted for its blonde 1950s furniture, not be mentioned? I don't get it...

Peace -

Brad

Not that it ever really went away, but it appears that the GEN-X crowd is interesting in filling their lofts, condos, etc. with a touch of class and history. Those in the design know have always favored the elements of design that existed in the 50's and 60's, like they say good design is truly timeless. It would have been nice to see more coverage on DUNBAR and Edward Wormley.

This is a great book - buy it!

Simply beautiful. Absolutely darling photos. Fabulous work.

The haunting of the Borley Rectory is perhaps the most famous ghost story of all.This book is a wonderful book. But how much of what described here is actually true? Harry Price was an unpopular man-even his supporters disliked him.After his death there was a re-appraisal of this case and it was largely discredited. As Price himself notes in his book, much of the evidence provided by the Foysters was dicey-Ms. Foyster could have faked it. The actual rectory itself burned to the ground,an event often described as "possibly supernatural." In fact, it was deliberately set afire by the last owner for the insurance money (his own sons admit it.) Since no trace of the building has been left, "parapsychologists" have decided that the whole area is haunted now. They claim that the village church is haunted. I believe in "ghosts" and haunted houses,but there is a great deal of evidence against this specific case which is being ignored because the story is so compelling and well told.This story isn't as one sided as you would imagine from the reviews of this book.

Still..How much is really true!? First of all, this must be the absolute #1 Ghost/Paranormal Investigation of all time! Written in very "good spirits", humor, and British wry wit, it's the rare book that you'll without question read to the end!! Featuring a ghostly headless horseman,nun, carriages, unexplained flying household objects, eerie noises, wine turning into ink, locking of doors,mysterious written messages, etc. this must be the original "ghostbusters" story, and the author is surely one heck of a writer and paranormal investigator...Oddly, just about all the characters involved seem a bit unruffled by these bizarre unexplained activities, but that could be the famed stiff upper lip amusement of the Brits...Really a super impressive book, but not completely convincing, though I admit I'm a skeptic in any case. Possible "human" explanations could be dreams, wish fulfillment, human error, weather changes,wind (noises) faulty/shaky building construction, certain participants "playing games" on the others, an ill woman often unaccountable during these curious goings on, superstitions, faulty sensory perception (like seeing pictures in clouds), even the financial motivation to write a book, though Mr. Price is surely a terrific, thorough writer!..This book may give you the creeps,but my simple advice is to buy it here (used), and you will be amazed. Let you the reader decide...This book has even made me rethink a few things, though I remain essentially a skeptic...

Harry Price, a talented writer, discovered the haunting of Borley Rectory. As a journalist might, he collected all the available evidences in and around Borley Rectory: interviews, witnesses, statements, photographs, histories, poltergeist literature, experiment, and sceancing. The approach of his book, "The Most Haunted House in England" is systematic. It reads as a court case with testimony and vigour. He took care not to pronounce himself a Spiritualist, in the case that his credibility might be put in question. He tried to be as disinterested as possible, but the culmination of evidence convinced him through and through. His style of writing is wonderfully simple but strong.

In my view, the preternatual is an obvious reality, especially as the evidence is showing. I have read close to a dozen books on poltergeists, all which cement the grounds for belief in them. Thankfully my 'gut feeling' of them being real was a reliable one.

Skepticism of the paranormal tends to dogmatism, as with religion. You see, modern science has decided, already, that ghost and poltergeists cannot be. But an intelligent student can see that poltergeists are common and well documented. In parapsychology circles the Poltergeist is the most convincing phenomena, which the possible exception of telepathy. There are too many witnesses, from all social groups, and coming from every country and every age. It would take a real fool, like Frank Podmore or Bertrand Russell, to deny the Poltergeist.

I recommend this book among the classics in preternatural literature. It has more weight than the available crap of today.

Being an architect already, I found that the book was an excellent introduction, even for me, to the various alternative building techniques emerging. It gave the author's honest opinion about many of the techniques, which was very appreciated. Don't expect it to be a precise how-to guide for any of the methods. It is an excellent overview, though, that can help you evaluate which building techniques you would like to explore further. The references at the end are vast and helpful.

However, I found that for a book about the "Natural House", it often suggested many un-green building materials (OSB, polypropylene bags). Sometimes their "ungreeness" was mentioned, sometimes not.

This book would go far in helping a person seriously considering alternative housing options. Numerous popular and reliable methods for homebuilding are described in detail. The reader is provided with a clear understanding of exactly what efforts, materials, costs and skills will be required.

In addition to these utilitarian functions, this is a spectacularly informative and enjoyable book. I am in no position to seriously consider housing of this sort but I read this book cover to cover and enjoyed it all. This is a fascinating and engaging topic and the author is a remarkably skilled writer. Recommended for any curious person.

If you're interested in building a natural home (cob, rammed earth, straw-bale, earthship, whatever), this is your primer. The author has done his homework and presents the description, pros/cons and pitfalls of each type of construction. He is very honest about just how "do-it-yourself" each type can be, and how much it will cost you. He also covers passive and active solar design, natural water capture and other alternative technologies to go with your natural home. This is an excellent overview on all these subjects.

The best thing about this book is that he refers you to other sources for more detail - books, videos, newsletters and organizations that will support you, give you a workshop or just give you more detailed information than belonged in this primer book.

I highly recommend this as the first book you read on the subject. Once you know which type of house you are interested in, you can pick up some of the other books he suggests on that building type.