This reprint of "Woodwards National Architect of 1869" is the earliest example of its kind Ive seen Dover bring out yet. Like all the Dover paperbacks, its technically excellent, well bound, printed on sturdy paper, and clearly reproduced. What makes it valuable to me is the era it focuses on. There are plenty of plan books dating from the mid-70s onward, but these transitional years arent so well covered. The only thing that keeps me from ranking it at four stars is that it is somewhat "lumbered" (pun intended) with carpenters and masons specs explaining how the houses are to be built--something most historians and architecture mavens arent likely to find very useful. This means it includes only 20 designs, plus a rich assortment of architectural details in the back of the book. For the most part these are what we would call "middle-class" houses--not too big, not too small--plus an icehouse, a boathouse, a scholhouse, and a tidy family stable, and wouldnt seem out of place in any community, East or West, in the land. This is a book that would be useful to the researcher as well as the casual lover of Victorian architecture.
This is one of the better Victorian pattern books reprinted by Dover. It consists of 100 plates covering designs from small homes to a large brick mansion, and several auxilliary building designs. The book also includes several example contracts for finishing some of the homes; with carpenters, masons, and plumbers specifications. The designs themselves are fairly detailed; with cross sections, interior, and exterior details. One of the best features is the superimposed cross sections on fretwork details; showing how many of these complicated peices are constructed from simple boards. If you are intrested in Victorian buildings, for whatever reason, I suggest buying this book. Although not exstensive the the number of designs covered, only twenty, it offers one a good source of information. This book is far more detailed than the later Woodwards also reissued by Dover, and most later pattern books. If you enjoy the books by Vaux or Downing you should find this a nice addition to your library.
