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Unabridged Dover (1975) republication of the first (1886) edition, originally titled L'Architecture Américaine, by André, Daly, Fils et Cie, Paris. New introduction by Arnold Lewis and notes by Keith Morgan. 120 plates. List of plates. viii + 152pp. 9 x 12 inches. Paperbound. ISBN 0-486-23177-1.
.In its 120 unusually fine photographs this book is a rare, contemporary look at architecture in America in the 1870's and 1880's. It surveys a wide range of notable and curious examples of buildings and interiors, concentrating on the architecture and architects on New York, Boston, and Chicago. Originally published in Europe in 1886, it was one of the earliest and most diversified studies of American architecture in the nineteenth century, and perhaps the first recognition in Europe of the new forces emerging in American architecture.
Three areas of architure are covered, with 40 photographs in each:
- Public Buildings — such as the U. S. Capitol, the Connecticut State Capitol, various commercial buildings like the Mills Building in New York and the J. B. Mallers Building in Chicago (the two tallest office building in those two cities at the time), and Henry Richardson's Trinity Church in Boston and Austin Hall (the Law School) at Harvard University;
- City Residences — featuring three Vanderbilts' residences in New York, including the well-known William K. Vanderbilt Residence designed by Richard M. Hunt; and
- Suburban Residences — including beach “cottages,” private residences in the suburbs of large cities, and villas like “Vinland” in Newport and “Chatwold” in Bar Harbor.
Some of the structures are still standing today, but many more have since been destroyed, making this book practically the only picturial record of their existence.
A new introduction by Arnold Lewis, Professor of Art History at the College of Wooster, gives an extensive description of the book's initial publication and impact, while Keith Morgan has supplied detailed notes to almost all of the plates. Architects and students of architecture will find this book invaluable for its firsthand depiction of the state of the art during a very formative period.
Cover design by Edmund V. Gillon, Jr.
(The above commentary is provided by Dover Publications, Inc.)
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