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Books and Movies for Lovers of Old Houses

Movies - Victorian Books - Arts & Crafts Books - Misc. Books

The following links will take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase a wide assortment of books and movies that are of special interest to owners and lovers of old houses. If you know of a book or movie that should be listed here, please email us at info@vpa.org and we'll add it to our list.

A percentage of your purchase will go to the VPA to help support this web site.

Movie Titles

Age of Innocence	Manners and morals in New York society in the 1870s - Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Michelle Pfeiffer	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Angels and Insects	Victorian England study of society and insects - Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
The Bostonians	19th-century Boston woman dedicated to the suffrage movement - Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave	DVD	VHS		Book
Finding Neverland	Playright J.M. Barrie finds inspiration for Peter Pan - Johnny Depp,ÝKate Winslet	DVD	VHS	CD
Gone With The Wind	The classic Civil War story of Scarlett O'Hara - Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Howards End	Edwardian England class struggle drama - Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Interview With A Vampire	Great costumes with more than a few blood stains - Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Original Sin	Set in Cuba at the turn of the century - Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie	DVD
The Perfect Husband	Love triangle set in Prague in the 1900s - Tim Roth, Peter Firth, Ana Belén	DVD
Portrait of a Lady	Beautiful sets and costumes help this sad story - Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich	DVD	VHS		Book
Remains Of The Day	The butler falls in love, set in pre-WWII England - Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson	DVD	VHS	<	Book
Room With A View	Young English lady vacations in Italy during early 1900s - Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Somewhere in Time	Time travel back to turn of the century resort. Women will weep. - Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Titanic	Watch great sets and costumes sink to the bottom of the ocean - Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet	DVD	VHS	CD	Book
Wings of the Dove	Love and intrigue set in turn of the century London and Venice. - Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache	DVD	VHS		Book

Victorian Book Titles

1886 Bloomingdales Catalog	Famed merchants' extremely rare catalog depicting about 1,700 products: clothing, housewares, firearms, dry goods, jewelry, more. Invaluable for dating, identifying vintage items. Also, royalty-free graphics for artists, designers.
1895 Montgomery Wards Catalog	Tea gowns, yards of flannel and pillow-case lace, stereoscopes, books of gospel hymns, the New Improved Singer Sewing Machine, side saddles, milk skimmers, straight-edged razors, high-button shoes, spittoonsãsome 25,000 items in all, most illustrated.
1897 Sears Catalog	The Sears catalog reprints are an excellent source for finding accurate depictions of how middle America was furnishing their homes at the turn of the century.
The Aesthetic Movement	A beautiful book that illustrates the Aesthetic Movement's effect on art and architecture.
Creating Authentic Victorian Rooms	Various styles and history of Victorian interior decoration are covered in this book.
Dover Series	Dover publishes an extensive list of books that are mostly reprints of Victorian era publications. They are great resources for finding original artwork and decorating ideas. 390 Traditional Stained Glass Designs 700 Victorian Ornamental Designs 1001 Illuminated Initial Letters 2,100 Victorian Monograms American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs American-Victorian Cottage Homes Authentic Victorian Stencil Designs Bicknell's Victorian Buildings : Floor Plans and Elevations for 45 Houses and Other Structures Cottage Architecture of Victorian America The Grammar of Ornament : All 100 Color Plates from the Folio Edition of the Great Victorian Sourcebook of Historic Design The House Beautiful : An Unabridged Reprint of the Classic Victorian Stylebook Humorous Victorian Spot Illustrations M'Kee Victorian Glass; Five Complete Glass Catalogs from 1859/60 to 1871 The Modern Architect : A Classic Victorian Stylebook and Carpenter's Manual Principles of Victorian Decorative Design Ready-To-Use Victorian Alphabets Ready to Use Victorian Borders Ready-To-Use Victorian Borders on Layout Grids Ready-To-Use Victorian Decorative Initials Ready-To-Use Victorian Women's Fashion Cuts Sloan's Victorian Buildings : Illustrations and Floor Plans for 60 Residences and Other Structures. Sourcebook of Elegant Historic Ornamen The Victorian Cabinet-Maker's Assistant: 418 Original Designs With Descriptions and Details of Construction Victorian Cottage Residences Victorian Cut and Use Stencils Victorian Display Alphabets : 100 Complete Fonts Victorian and Edwardian Fashion : A Photographic Survey Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898 Victorian Frames, Borders, and Cuts from the 1882 Type Catalog of George Bruce's Son and Co. Victorian Goods and Merchandise: 2,300 Illustrations Victorian House Designs in Authentic Full Color A Victorian Housebuilder's Guide : Woodwards National Architect of 1869 Victorian Houses : A Treasury of Lesser Known Examples Victorian Ornamental Carpentry Victorian Patterns and Designs in Full Color Victorian Sourcebook of Medieval Decoration Victorian Spot Illustrations Alphabets and Ornaments Victorian Stencils for Design and Decoration
A Gift to the Street	Black and white photo documents of San Francisco's Victorians. Lots of detail shots.
In The Victorian Style	One of the best Victorian architecture books available, this one concentrates on Victorians in San Francisco, but is applicable to Vics everywhere. Good sections on how San Francisco was developed, and the inner workings of a San Franscisco row house.
Millwork Catalogs	Whether you're looking to reproduce some millwork or just looking for some elaborate Victorian designs for artwork, these three books will help you out. Roberts' Illustrated Millwork Catalog : A Sourcebook of Turn of the Century Architectural Woodwork Turn-Of-The-Century Doors, Windows, and Decorative Millwork : The Mulliner Catalog of 1893 Victorian Woodturnings and Woodwork : The 1893 Blumer & Kuhn Catalog of Premium Millwork
The Opulent Interiors of the Gilded Age	This Dover book is a reprint of a book published in 1883-84 that features photographs of some of the finest interiors of that period. Sadly, as the book notes, many of the houses have been torn down.
Painted Lady Series	Probably the most famous books on Victorian exteriors, the series has expanded into other areas as well. Painted Ladies : San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians America's Painted Ladies : The Ultimate Celebration of Our Victorians Daughters of Painted Ladies : America's Resplendent Victorians The Painted Ladies Revisited : San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians Inside and Out How to Create Your Own Painted Lady The Painted Ladies Guide to Victorian California : B & Bs, Restaurants, Museums, Groups & Suppliers
The Secret Life of Victorian Houses	This book explores the relationship between the Victorian house and the lives of its inhabitants.
Victorian Exterior Decorations How to Paint Your Nineteenth-Century American House Historically	Most people are surprised to find out that Victorians weren't always white, and often the "Painted Lady" look goes overboard. This book shows examples of how to do it right, as well as how to research the original colors of your own house.
The Victorian House Book	Just as the title says, a book about Victorian houses. Well illustrated.
Victorian House Style	A comprehensive and beautifully illustrated guide to all aspects of Victorian design in and around the home, from major architectural features to the smaller details of interior decoration. This book is great inspiration for readers who wish to restore a Victorian house, or simply recreate the intimate splendor of the period. Taking into account the requirements of the modern-day home, this book offers both practical advice and inspiration which will enable readers to strike a balance between Victorian style and 20th-century living.
Victorian Splendor	Beautifully illustrated with color photographs, this is one of several books that features Richard Ruetlinger's amazing house, in fact his bedroom is on the cover of the book.
Victorian Style	North American Victorian architecture and interior design are explored in detail in this essential look at an enduring style. Packed with spectacular original photographs and informative text, this lively book opens a door to the ornate decorative past. It examines the architecture of this eclectic period as it has survived and is interpreted today, and explains through myriad examples how Victorian style can be recreated in every room of the house.

Arts & Crafts Book Titles

American Bungalow Style	Written by the editor of American Bungalow magazine, the book provides a wealth of ideas for decorating your bungalow.
The Bungalow America's Arts and Crafts Home	Written by Paul Duschecher, a long time friend of theVPA, the book includes photographs by Douglas Keister and is a great resource for owners of bungalows.
Inside the Bungalow America's Arts & Crafts Interior	Paul continues his exploration of the bungalow, this time concentrating on the interior. Great section of before and after shots showing the evils of white paint.
In the Arts & Crafts Style	If you still have room on your coffee table after purchasing the above books, here's another one that will provide inspiration for decorating your bungalow or Arts & Crafts home.
Sears, Roebuck Home Builder's Catalog	This reprint covers doors, windows, plumbing and hardware from Sear's 1910 catalog. The webmaster used this as a source for the design for these art glass windows.

Miscellaneous Book Titles

The Naughty Victorian Hand Book	This has nothing to do with home restoration, but it's fun to have out on your parlor table.
The Well Appointed Bath	Reprint of two bathroom catalogs, J.L. Mott Iron Works (1914) and American Standard (c.1935).
The Wright Style	There are a ton of books about Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture. This book provides a very pretty overiew of his residential work as well as how to incorporate the look and feel of FLW in your house.
Working Windows	Thorough and witty book about repairing wood windows. Lots of good drawings make it easy to understand how to disassemble and repair your old windows.

Victorian Preservation Association - P.O. Box 586 - San Jose, CA 95106-0586 - Email:info@vpa.org

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