Designed for the 1940s family with a "limited budget but unlimited good taste;" this fascinating volume presents 56 floor plans and elevations of lovely small homes that originally cost less than $15;000 to build. Each home; bearing the honorable designation of House-of-the-Month by the eras Monthly Small House Club; Inc.; was designed to give prospective homeowners an exceptionally well-planned house that was also a sound investment. From Cape Cods to Colonials; Small Houses of the Forties offers an eden of illustrations of cozy; charming domiciles; complete with color combinations; charts; and diagrams. This complete republication of a now-rare volume is also filled with vintage dollars-and-sense information for the postwar homebuyer; including mortgage guidance; amortization schedules; valuations; and construction costs of the times.A nostalgic flashback to a simpler American dream of white picket fences; this entertaining and valuable reference will delight architecture enthusiasts; plan collectors; restorers; and historians alike.
#500193 in eBooks 2012-03-15 2012-03-15File Name: B00A62YF1C
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Just therehellip;1.5 starsBy B. WilfongTo begin; the title and subtitle of this book ldquo;Strippers; Showgirls; and Sharks: A very opinionated history of the Broadway musicals that did not win the Tony Awardrdquo; is a bit misleading. I picked it up expecting some in-depth discussion and history on the three shows alluded to in the title. Nope. Those three shows might comprise 5% of the book. Instead of an in-depth history and examination of those iconic musicals; we get about as much information on them as one could find with a cursory Internet search.The tone of the text is very informal; almost gossipy in nature. I did not mind that aspect as much as other readers apparently have. What I did mind was that the author; Peter Filichia; assumes a familiarity with everything he is talking about; giving almost no background information. Ironically he then goes on to give entire plot synopses of every show he talks about. And it is dull. Adding to the irritation is that Mr. Filichia seems to have never heard of the concept of the lsquo;transitionrsquo; in witting. One device that Mr. Filichia overuses is allusion. He drops lyrics form countless musicals into his text. It is cute and clever at first; and then just really annoying.A praise I have for the book is chapter four of the text. It focuses on shows that lost the Best Musical Tony but had long profitable runs on the Great White Way. There are some interesting points made in this chapter. Another issue I had was that the author insisted on inserting his ideas on how to make each show he talks about better. Especially since his ideas are mainly juvenile and mostly bad. However; the subtitle does say lsquo;opinionatedrsquo; so it is to be expected.ldquo;Strippers; Showgirls; and Sharksrdquo; ends abruptly; with no conclusion to speak of. And by the time I got therehellip;I did not care.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. As Detailed as ChaucerBy skipkoenigSTRIPPERS; SHOWGIRLS; and SHARKS is a page-turner that I am still re-reading. When I do put it down; I find myself humming "Being Good Isnt Good Enough" from HALLELUJAH; BABY! for that seems to be Peter Filichias philosophy. STRIPPERS is the third book of an indispensable trilogy that tells the complete Broadway story [from the late 1950s--Mr. Filichia only writes when he was on the scene] with the same attention to detail that Chaucer used in THE CANTERBURY TALES. As Chaucer did; Mr. Filichia uses each detail to build to a conclusion. Does he include new material on FOLLIES? Does he answer the MACK MABEL story? Liz Smith said that this book is "dynamite" and "history in the making." Id add that STRIPPERS is the hat-trick.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Peter never disappoints.By TomEnrouteOf course the title of Peter Filichias new book refers to the three greatest mistakes in Tony Awards History. Now considered three of the greatest musicals of all time; they were victims of the many cultural and economic forces that influence Tony voters. I could argue that he should have fit urinals somewhere into the title; but thats another book. I devoured this book in under 24 hours and wished for more. I dont always agree with Peters opinions here or on his weekly Masterworks columns; but I know they are based on great knowledge and experience and always well thought out. If you listen to the weekly Broadway Radio podcasts you know that Peter always far outshines the other two panelists. All that experience is packed into this great book that is a must read for any fan of Broadway history.