Book Description
Sears offered more than 370 designs of kit homes from 1908 -1940, but nationally known Sears house expert Rosemary Thornton has discovered that Sears had 60 best selling designs.
In this new book she writes, "If you learn how to identify these 60 designs, you'll discover about 90% of the Sears homes in your community."
Finding the Houses That Sears Built contains more than 190 graphics and photos, as well as comprehensive, detailed and fascinating information on how to identify these 60 best selling designs.
Each housing style is given two full pages in this 8.5 x 11 inch book. One page shows the house as it originally appeared in the Sears Modern Homes catalog (with house details and floor plans). An opposing page has two high-quality photos of existing Sears homes.
In preparing to write this captivating book, Rose photographed more than 1500 Sears homes in 11 states. Finding The Houses That Sears Built represents more than five years of intensive research, documentation, travel and study.
Finding The Houses That Sears Built includes:
- 60 catalog pictures, reprinted from original Sears Modern Homes catalogs
- More than 100 contemporary photos of Sears Homes (approximately two pictures per housing style)
- 100-word captions, explaining what to look for when studying Sears Homes in the field
- Additional tips and techniques for finding the Sears Homes in your community
- A listing of the next 35 most popular designs
- A user-friendly format, cross referenced and thoughtfully organized
- And the Top 10 and Top 20 best selling Sears homes are specifically identified and highlighted
Customer Reviews:
INTERESTING, EDUCATIONAL, A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR LIBRARY.......2005-03-09
I own and recommend this book, as well as, "The Houses That Sears Built" by Rosemary Thornton. Both books are filled with the author's passion for Sears homes and their historical value. It is rare that you can read and feel someone's passion through their words, at the same time, learn so much and be able to contact her with questions, and receive energetic responses!!! Rose has been a great inspiration for me to move forward on my attempt to regain my old Sears home - now with a wealth of knowledge of the special gem that this home is, I am prepared to join the fight to preserve these wonderful timepieces. Thanks Rose!
This book is the absolute test of reality........2005-01-05
My uncle once lived next door to The Walton. I spotted The Walton by the "oversized front porch and its roof, which extends beyond the home's side wall and it is a slightly different pitch than the main roof." I have also spotted The Magnolia while gazing out my driver's side window with my neck bent sideways in order to see the entire front porch. My favorite Sears home is Model #108, a lost Sears home, and FINDING THE HOUSES THAT SEARS BUILT supplemented my curiosity for Model #108 and the reality of American neighborhoods.
After reading THE HOUSES THAT SEARS BUILT, I came down with sears-rosis, and I tried to find Model #108 while dealing with neighbors, home owners, vehicle parking, and a lonely Thanksgiving. Then, I read the latter FINDING THE HOUSES THAT SEARS BUILT, and the book instructs Sears homes enthusiasts on these issues, including coping with Thanksgiving, and more issues such as legal photography, safety precautions, and authentication. Furthermore, this field guide identifes clipped gables and describes dormers that have gables within hipped roofs. In addition, the book trains the reader's eye in fenestration. Now I can find Sears homes easily and safely.
Like Rosemary Thornton, I am a sesquipedalianist. Thornton uses her idiosyncratic hobby and expertise in Sears homes to write about real history. While doing so, she restores a new historic district underway.
Finding the Houses that Sears Built.......2004-11-26
This is a great book. It has images from the original Sears house catalog with the names of the houses, along with floor plans, and ways to authenticate a Sears home i.e. stamped lumber, shipping label, building permit with photographs of the different ways of identification. I have become so infactuated with the topic that I find myself looking for Sears houses as I drive the highways. This is a wonderful book that shows a lot of research on the topic.
I Found My House!.......2004-11-19
I have just purchased a Sears house and not only is this book helpful in terms of explaining about the Sears kit houses and how to identify them, but my house is in it! It's a neat way to learn about and particiapte in the history of our country.
A Little Detective In Each Of Us.......2004-11-18
What an excellent way to make a drive down your city streets an adventure instead of simply a boreing shuttle from point A to point B! We have identified several Sears Kit Homes in our town and feel like we have uncovered some hidden secret that perhaps only we know about! A well written manual and detailed blueprint for the an active mind. Rose Thornton has certainly put the polish on the face of some great Americana -those Sears kit homes.
Book Description
This is a newly revised and expanded version of The Houses That Sears Built.
This new edition includes more than 20 new photos of existing Sears Homes throughout the country as well as a plethora of recently discovered information.
This major revision also includes reproductions of newly-discovered original documents from the Sears Modern Homes Department as well as compelling interviews with men who worked at the Sears Mill in Cairo, IL. You'll also hear the fascinating stories from Sears Homeowners who actually built their own Sears Kit Home many decades ago!
Want to learn how to identify a Sears Home? This book contains new graphics, photos and easy-to-reference bulleted points that will tell you and show you - step by step - how to identify a Sears Home.
It also includes
four brand new chapters, such as "Chapter 3 - The Amazing Mr. Sears; A Brief Look at The Handsome Genius and His Store," "Chapter 5 - Milling About Sears Homes, A Look Inside the Sears Mill at Cairo, Illinois," "Chapter 8 - Homart Homes, The 'Other' Sears Homes, "Chapter 11 - Those Dandy Houses, Testimonials; Trivia and Reminiscences of Building a Sears Modern Home."
Since the first edition of The Houses That Sears Built was published in Spring 2002, the author has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning News, PBS's History Detectives, A&E's Biography and WGN-TV News, as well as the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Dallas Morning News and more than 50 regional publications. As a result of this publicity, Ms. Thornton has received more than 1,000 emails and letters from readers all over the country, telling stories and sharing precious memories about their own "Sears Modern Homes," and she incorporated many of these stories into this new edition.
This new edition of The Houses That Sears Built is more than a revision - it contains a tremendous amount of new information and trivia and wonderful photos that the Sears Home enthusiast will treasure and enjoy!
About Sears Homes: Between 1908-1940, Sears customers ordered about 75,000 houses out of the Sears Roebuck and Company mail-order catalogs. The houses were shipped by rail to city lots and farms all over the country.
Each "kit home" contained 30,000 pieces, including 750 pounds of nails and 27 gallons of paint and varnish. A 75-page instruction book showed home buyers, step by step, how to assemble those 30,000 pieces of house.
Only 10% (approximately) of the Sears homes in the country have been discovered.
Because of this, our communities' best architectural treasures - our grand collection of Sears homes - are being damaged by remuddling and worse, demolished.
There is tremendous interest in this topic and hopefully, The Houses That Sears Built will spur that interest even further.
When you have finished reading The Houses That Sears Built
you will be your community's expert on Sears homes. You'll learn how to identify Sears homes from the inside, outside and from courthouse documents. You'll learn the interesting details of Sears homes' construction. One chapter is devoted to the $1 million order of Sears homes that was shipped to Carlinville, Schoper and Wood River (Illinois).
Another chapter is devoted to "The Lost Sears Homes." These are Sears homes which appeared only once in obscure Sears Modern Homes catalogs and were not included in "Houses by Mail: A Guide To Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company," by Katherine Cole Stevenson and H. Ward Jandl.
Customer Reviews:
A Fun, Informative and Historical read for all of us.......2007-04-29
This book is fun!
It's an excellent resource for those interested in learning about and identifying Sears' kit homes. Ms. Thornton has traveled the country in search of these remaining houses and she shares her wealth of knowledge regarding these wonderful kit homes. Her energy and passion shine through the pages as she brings us along on her travels.
What also makes this book such a joy to read is it provides fascinating glimpses into real life, down to earth America during the first part of the 20th century. A high school or college history teacher could easily use this book as a springboard and practical resource for discussing and bringing to life the sociological, cultural, and economic trends and mores during this period of American history. Learning about Richard Sears' foresight and marketing strategy by seeing examples of kit home advertisements for and testimonials from kit homeowners is fascinating. It's an interesting way to learn about American culture through a discussion of our homes throughout the heartland. This book, however, does not read like a textbook or technical manual. Ms. Thornton's casual writing style matches the real life of her subject. It reads more like a fun adventure sprinkled with historical facts rather than a not-so-exciting technical document. Thank you, Ms. Rose, for an excellent contribution!
The Houses That Sears Built.......2007-03-12
A nice overview of the Sears kit homes. A nice companion to the various catalogs that have been reprinted by Dover.
Amazingly Informative.......2007-01-16
This is the book to spark your interest in Sears Homes. I am now motivatied to find the homes in my town. Great read.
Deborah & Richard Clower.......2005-11-29
This book should be in every American home... When reading this book you feel as if you are sitting and talking to Rosemary Thornton. I just love it!!
A wonderful book with something in it for everyone........2005-05-29
Author Rosemary Thornton did an excellent job with this book. I expected that the book would be a dull, purely technical treatise on Sears Catalog Homes. To my surprise and delight, this was not the case at all.
The book does excel as a technical reference. What makes it a cut above, though, is how the author describes in detail the social and historical context into which the Sears Homes fit. She reminds the reader of the relative value of the dollar back then along with what it was like to live in the peak of the Sears Home era. She also describes the status of the construction technology of the time, noting for example that some Sears home models were offered without bathrooms since running water and sewer systems were not available in some of the regions in which they were marketed.
Author Thornton also engages the emotions of the reader in her writing. One example that struck me in particular was on page 11 where she wrote, "Imagine someone pressing a handsaw into your hands and pointing you toward 620 pieces of framing lumber!" She also included many personal anecdotes about how she did her research and the humorous and heart warming situations that occurred in doing so.
Yes, this is an excellent technical reference on Sears Catalog homes for sure. Beyond that, though, it is a wonderful read, filled with historical facts about construction in general and how things were done back then. Even though I am a university professor and have taught construction courses for decades, I nonetheless I gained a wealth of new knowledge from this book.
Book Description
Between 1908-1940, Sears customers ordered about 75,000 houses out of the Sears Roebuck and Company mail-order catalogs. The houses were shipped by rail to city lots and farms all over the country.
Each "kit home" contained 30,000 pieces, including 750 pounds of nails and 27 gallons of paint and varnish. A 75-page instruction book showed home buyers, step by step, how to assemble those 30,000 pieces of house.
Today, these houses are a treasured piece of Americana and nationwide interest in Sears homes is great. The Washington Times recently reported (September 13, 2001) that a Sears home in Chevy Chase sold for $816,000.
My research indicates that only 2% (approximately) of the Sears homes in the country have been discovered. More than 70,000 Sears homes remain undiscovered and unknown.
Because of this, our communities' best architectural treasures - our grand collection of Sears homes - are being damaged by remuddling and worse, demolished.
I hope that "The Houses That Sears Built" will educate and enlighten people about these hidden architectrual treasures that lie silently within our cities, just
waiting to be discovered.
There is tremendous interest in this topic and I hope this book will spur that interest even further. In my part of the country (Southwestern Illinois) these wonderful old Sears homes are still being remuddled and demolished.
This must stop.
It is my hope that "The Houses That Sears Built" will inspire folks to
find their community's Sears homes and implement policies and programs to highlight and protect these treasured bits of architectural Americana.
When you have finished reading "The Houses That Sears Built"
you will be your community's expert on Sears homes. You'll learn how to identify Sears homes from the inside, outside and from courthouse documents. You'll learn the interesting details of Sears homes' construction. One chapter is devoted to the $1 million order of Sears homes that was shipped to Carlinville, Schoper and Wood River (Illinois).
Another chapter is devoted to "The Lost Sears Homes." These are Sears homes which appeared only once in obscure Sears Modern Homes catalogs and were not included in "Houses by Mail: A Guide To Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company," by Katherine Cole Stevenson and H. Ward Jandl. ("Houses by Mail" is the definitive field guide for identifying Sears homes and makes a wonderful companion book to "The Houses That Sears Built.")
Customer Reviews:
Something I'll keep on my bedside table for years!.......2006-01-12
I am from London in the UK and until not so long ago have never heard of Sears homes. Searching for authentic historic houseplans on the internet I soon learned about Sears homes. I have never knowingly laid eyes on one but immediately felt it was something I needed to find out more about. Before long I arrived at this book. I ordered it not really knowing what I was going to get and I have loved and treasured this piece of literature ever since. I could not put it down first time around and not the second time around and still flick through it every other day unable to shelve it away in my library.
What I loved most about the book despite the intricately researched contents is the love and passion the author manages to convey already on the very first page. I think this is what grabbed me most, Rosemary's love for these homes immediately 'infected' me. It is written in a light-hearted way (for lack of a better expression)as if she talked to each reader personally. She touches on so many different aspects but at a dose that leaves one with sparks and fireworks inside one's head, buring to turn the page and 'hear' more. The book made me want to book a flight ticket into the heart of Illinois and start searching for these homes myself. Rosemary, one part I particularly loved was your little stories from people or relatives of those who built these houses and lived in them. I wished I could read endless pages of such testimonies as they really injected life into the pictures in your book. It fulled my imagination of the times and circumstances when the houses were built and about the people who built them.
As I mentiond, I have never actually seen a 'live' Sears home and as far as I know we don't have a European counterpart, none of such iconic status anyhow, but my partner and I are researching to have a replica built for us here somewhere in the English country-side (pending planning permission, I suppose). I personally feel that it is most splendid that Americans all over the country recognise their architectural and socio-cultural heritage and start preserving these great homes for all future generations to enjoy in the same way we can or even more. I bet there are hundreds more out there waiting to be discovered and I hope there are plenty of people who will start 'scratching' on the surfaces of their own homes to find out if they are inhabiting one such great treasure. Sears homes, and for that matter all historic homes, have found a great benefactor and ambassador in Rosemary Thornton and as an outsider, if I may say so, I commend the work she has done and I truly hope that she will keep it up for decades to come and inspire many more to join her in her efforts to educate and preserve!
I only wished, Sears would still sell and build these old homes especially now with the internet, we would have ordered one in a jiffy!
Thanks Rosemary for endless inspiration and for spreading so much love and joy over what is basically four walls and a roof!
I can't wait for your next book to come out and if you ever fancy coming to lecture in Europe, be sure to let me know!
My recommendation to everyone, buy it, read it, fall in love with it and read it again and again and again and...!!!
INTERESTING DATA AND A GREAT ADDITION TO ANYONES LIBRARY.......2005-03-08
I had never heard of Sears homes until I found out that a home I had previously lived in, was one! Since that day, I have read and researched these fascinating timepieces and how they fit into our American history. Whether a history buff, architectural/house buff or if you simply love to learn, Rosemary Thornton's love for these homes and their value comes through in her books, teamed with her obvious extensive research, to provide a wonderful read. Any book where you can feel the authors passion, and have it rub off on you, is special. I also own, and recommend, her book "Finding the Houses that Sears Built", which has some of the same information, but more pictures of actual home styles and plans. Both books are worth it! I have officically become a Sears Home advocate!!!! Thanks to Rose!!
I found my house!.......2005-01-01
This was a very helpful book as I was able to find the home I was purchasing in Saranac Lake, NY. It's really exciting to know more about it's history. This is a must-have book if you are interested in learning more about the Sears homes.
The Houses That Sears Built.......2004-11-26
This wonderful book gives you everything you always wanted to know about Sears houses. It has photographs of various models as well as some interior views. It shows ways to indicate if the house is truly a Sears house (and not a Montgomery Ward house)! It tells the cities which had a Sears Modern Homes Sales office (where there is likely to be more Sears houses) and the prices that the houses sold for. Includes testimonials and frequestly asked questions about Sears house. Nice book and interesting reading.
Renewed Interest.......2004-02-14
I just finished reading The Houses That Sears Built. I was unable to put it down. I grew up in a Sears house, but I did not know anything about them until I read this book. It is obvious that the author did her homework while researching the subject.
Book Description
Watercolor Landscape Techniques combines the most popular medium with the most popular subject matter. All the artists have generously shared their individual techniques and visions, along with the crucial turning points in their artistic lives. Featured artists include: Tom Nicholas Vivienne Ripley Joseph Zbukvic Alvaro Castagnet Robert Lovett Greg Allen Lionel Aggett
The book combines practical, step-by-step instruction and illustrations with beautiful gallery paintings. But most important, it captures the essence of 23 diverse, accomplished artists whom readers can learn from and internalize--instant inspiration for any watercolor artist! Contributors hail from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and Austria.
Customer Reviews:
Inspirational and almost overwhelming book on a difficult subject.......2006-09-20
If you are new to watercolor, or a watercolor artist looking for new ideas to shake up your work, this is quite an inspiring book. Landscape painting is a tremendous challenge to begin with, and watercolor can both be an excellent and incredibly difficult medium to attempt in landscape. This book shows how 23 artists with very different styles and methods tackle the subject.
Each chapter presents a different artist's work, including several completed paintings and comments from the artist on his or her approach. "Art in the Making" examples in each chapter then show how each artist creates their images, sometimes in very specific detail including colors used, brushes, papers, and step-by-step illustrations. All images are in full color. The artists' styles range from highly detailed realism to more abstract and spontaneous work. I might not like the work of each person included in this volume, but nearly everyone presents ideas that are worth considering or trying out at some point.
While this book alone may not make someone a world-famous landscape painter, it can certainly help provide inspiration and make a challenging genre more approachable.
Fantastic!.......2006-04-18
I am new to watercolor painting, and I found this book to be the perfect medium between advice and inspiration. Each artist has a page of examples of their paintings, advice about painting (watercolor), and a step by step painting with explanations and photos all along. This book is full of different watercolor styles that are all inspiring. I look through this book for ideas, for a reminder that anyone can paint watercolors, and for style tips. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
This book seeks to broaden the comprehension of the student of Italian Renaissance painting by concentrating not on the works of art themselves, but on the various artistic theories which influenced them or were expressed by them. Taking Alberti's treatises as his starting-point, Anthony Blunt traces the development of artistic theory from Humanism to Mannerism. He discusses the writings of Leonardo, Savonarola, Michelangelo, and Vasari, examines the effect of the Council of Trent on religious art, and chronicles the successful struggle of the painters and sculptors themselves to elevate their status from craftsmen to creative artists.
Average customer rating:
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Giovanni Baglione: Artistic Reputation in Baroque Rome
Maryvelma Smith O'Neil
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Architecture
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Baroque
| Schools, Periods & Styles
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Rococo
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European
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General
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General
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| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
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ASIN: 0521570387 |
Book Description
Giovanni Baglione (c.1566–1643) was one of the most successful painters in seventeenth-century Rome. Now he is among the most despised artists of all time. In 1603 he was the target of scurrilous verses circulated around Rome and, in response, Baglione brought a legendary lawsuit against Caravaggio and other artists. This book seeks to redress this antagonistic position and to view his life, as a painter, draftsman and writer. O’Neil explores Baglione’s world through primary sources, including documents on apprenticeships, workshop arrangements, and collaborations. O’Neil also provides the first diplomatic transcription in English of the court libel documents. What emerges is not only a realistic view of Baglione and his contribution to the history of art, but also an illuminating glimpse into the world of the Roman Baroque. The book contains color plates, over 100 black-and-white pictures, and a checklist of paintings, drawings and documents.
Customer Reviews:
Trouble Times Ten, hilarity times infinity!.......2000-08-27
Lum and co are back, and this time her bratty little cousin Jariten (Japanese for... Bratty Ten) has posted himself to Earth so he can stay with Lum and her Darling. Ten adds a whole new dynamic to Urusei Yatsura, yes he's a skirt-chasing lech just like Ataru and Mendo, but he's only one year old which means that he can get away with it AND that he's not really very good at it. Once again the art and stories are everything we expect from the always wonderful Rumiko Takahashi, and this is another book you must add to the collection.
The Lum Attack.......2000-04-07
All of the stories are so funny. The Return of Lum Urusel Yatsura series are so funny. I got hooked on them when I was reading Inu-Yasha. Lum the princess who wears skimpy tiger cloths...bikini more like it, is family fun to read. But "Darlings" crave for girls does get annoying. The book is great, but I will let you read it so I don't spoil it for you.
Books:
- Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner (Dover Books on Architecture)
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Glass Designs (Wright at a Glance)
- French Touch, The
- Grand Hotels of the Jazz Age: The Architecture of Schultze and Weaver
- Great Camps of the Adirondacks
- Hip Hotels: City, Revised Edition
- Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power Performance and Attitude
- How to Plan, Contract and Build Your Own Home
- Hypnerotomachia Poliphili: The Strife of Love in a Dream
- Iconic Building
Books Index
Books Home
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- A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900
- The Challenge of Effective Speaking
- Made for Each Other: A Symbiosis of Birds and Pines
- On Growth and Form: Fractal and Non-Fractal Patterns in Physics
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The Houses That Sears Built
Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company
Small Houses of the Twenties: The Sears, Roebuck 1926 House Catalog (Dover Pictorial Archives)
Sears House Designs of the Thirties (Dover Books on Architecture)
Sears, Roebuck Home Builder's Catalog: The Complete Illustrated 1910 Edition
