Buck Books

Every career counselor knows it's pretty easy to figure out why you didn't like your last job. It's not that hard to figure out what you want. But implementing a plan...that's tough.

The first part of the book is quite good, especially assessing the myths of mid-career. I applaud their recognition of the reality of age discrimination.

But dealing with change post-analysis is more problematic. For instance, the authors note that you may have to work a day job to make room for your passion. It's not that easy. Your day job can leave you exhausted and drained, so you don't have energy or motivation to pursue your dream afterward.

Some suggestions seem surprisingly simplistic. Bored? Enhance your job or find things to do outside the job.

Some sections (such as the few paragraphs on relocation and coaching) are just too brief to be useful. They point out that relocation can give you a "fresh start," but it's much more complicated. Putting together a new social network takes time.

What bothered me most (and raised doubts about the book) was the brief example on page 48. "Sally" had become so suspicious of age discrimination she over-reacted. That's plausible: I had a client like that.

But then Sally's friend got a job teaching advertising at a local university, which "quickly became a tenure track position." If this story is real, it's not at all typical. In most universities, adjuncts and visiting professors are not considered for permanent positions, even if they're more qualified than other candidates. And few people get "quickly" hired into the tenure track: you have to be considered by a committee and the process takes forever.

A powerful dean or department head could make it happen but then you've got other problems.

So far I haven't found anything better than Herminia Ibarra's Working Identity. This book adds a few ideas, but needs a stronger message to get on my recommendation list.

I have been a veterinarian for over thirty years. In the last four years, I had become bored and restless. I knew I had another ten years in me, but I also knew it couldn't be as a vet. I had financed what was a dream to me at the time, a new animal hospital. I was trapped. Out of desperation, I picked up "Mid-Life Doldrums." I was stunned as I watched myself come alive. I turned each page only to find myself living there inside. All the feelings and emotions described were mine and I found that others experience the same pain, restlessness, and confusion when their carreer no longer fits. This book put me back on a straight path. I see the world in a whole new way. In January, I closed my office door for the last time and have discovered my new career. I am working with a magnificent herd of 50 horses who belong to Cirque du soleil - Cavalia, the acrobatic-equine ballet that travels all over the world. I still wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't discovered this book! It calmed me down and got me focused.
Saira Jensen DVM

If you are suffering from a wealth of free time thanks to early retirement, or you are wildly successful at your current career and are looking for the next thing, this book is for you.

Since it is written by two successful career counselors based in New York City, the real-life examples they use to motivate the reader are of people who can afford to hire a career counselor in New York City even while unemployed.

"Richard, a highly successful human resources executive for a top corporation, had over 200 employees reporting to him and a high-level executive role that allowed him to take on strategic and planning responsibilities. Despite a great salary and other perks, Richard was bored." (pg. 93)

"Having spent 25 years in managerial financial positions for large corporations, Lee enjoyed his career without loving it...He found great satisfaction in being able to provide for his family on the good salary he received. He also relished the global travel..."(pg 113)

"Carol originally came to New York to pursue a dance career and achieved a great deal of success, becoming a soloist in the American Ballet Theater..."(pg. 168)

"For many years Kim enjoyed a dynamic public relations career in London, working for a number of agencies and then opening her own shop with a partner..." (pg 155)

Example after example of people who have already achieved great success and find it tedious. We should all be so lucky to have a career which allows us to experience the boredom of global travel.

Along with these examples comes advice you can find anywhere. The authors suggest readers look into teaching, or figure out what they are passionate about and do that, or try turning their hobbies into new careers. They spend a lot of time discussing the concept of working for a non-profit. Probably because to the people they counsel the idea of making an average wage seems scary.

Again, this book is for people who have already been extremely successful at a career.

I spent 25 years working my way up the human resources ladder. Three years after finally becoming Vice President-HR at a leading financial services firm , I realized that I was totally bored and lethargic. I knew my business cold and had hired a staff of managers so competent that I was left with little to challenge me. Being a product of an organization culture, I had little imagination. Charley and Marcia gave me the courage and showed me the way to a new opportunity. I opened my own consultancy specializing in employee benefits programs for small businesses and have truly never been happier - I'm my own boss and making more money than I ever had before

I retired from a sucessful career as a mortgage banker and looked forward to golf, bridge, and unlimited quality time with the grandchildren. It was great for awhile and my husband, who had retired into a hobby - making and selling duck decoys- and I travelled around the country. But, it wasn't enough. I found I had too much time on my hands and yearned to be busy again. "Escape..." made me realize that life isn't just one career and that's it. I followed the precepts espoused in the book and began to envision myself as a co-ordinator of volunteer services at a local hospital. I started to do volunteer work and gradually made myself indispensible to the director of volunteers. Now I work directly for her (with a respectable salary) three days a week and my family and I couldn't be happier. Thank you Charley and Marcia.

A few reviewers have blasted this book for a couple of verses that contain ideas no longer acceptable in our society- like the Dad getting the good tortillas and the Mother the burnt ones. I agree that this is something to consider. I want to add, though, that my Mother read to me from this book when I was a child and it in no way ingrained these ideas into my young mind. As a young girl, in fact, this was one of my favorite books. Many of the other verses in Tortillas para mama are so beautiful that I think it would be a shame not to recommend it. There is one about the moon eating prickly pears (ahi viene la luna comiendo tuna) and another about a mother being an angel that I can recite to this day. If you are concerned about the questionable lines (and I reiterate that there are only a couple!), I would suggest you either leave those poems out when you read or else talk to your children about what those lines mean and how things have changed since they were written. It might end up being very constructive!

I was born and raised in Central America and was searching for books that I could read to my daughter, that I could relate too. This book hit the spot! I love it because I have been able to share with my daughter rhymes that I heard my grandmother and mother say to me, that I had forgotten. My daughter is now 7 and we have memorized them and enjoy reciting them to each other in Spanish. There is one rhyme that is a little harsh, however, one must remember that these rhymes have been passed down from one generation to another, just like the Mother Goose rhymes,and unfortunately, this one particular rhyme gets lost in translation and sounds horrible in English. The Spanish language is a beautiful language and very rarely do the words translate into English very well, so please don't take it to seriously. So if you are looking to share your culture with your child or learn about another culture, this book should do the job.The bottom line is...we love it!

It seems like many people reviewing this book have been offended by a few lines and are upset that the rhymes and songs in this book don't live up to our modern cultural expectations. One has to expect that folk songs and rhymes coming from a different time and culture are going to contain ideas that simply are not politically correct. However offensive to us, these traditional verses give us insight into the culture of that time and can provide a springboard for conversation about important issues. If you do not feel that your child is ready for this type of conversation, simply leave out the verses that offend you. I really think that there are only about two or three lines in the entire book that might cause offense.
Additionally, we have so many nursery rhymes and folk tales that we learned in our own childhood that do not align with our modern values and yet didn't seem to cause lifelong damage for most of us(think "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" or any of the Uncle Remus stories).
Questionable lines aside, this book is beautifully illustrated and includes engaging rhymes that will help your child build vocabulary and phonemic awareness.

I am an education student and a parent, I purchased this book for a school project on multi-cultural literature. When I received it I was horrified at some of the poems!!! Many of the poems in this book demean women. One poem entitled "Chiquita Bonita" says that if a girl gets her clothing dirty her mother will beat her, another poem "Little Tortillas" says that the good tortillas go to papa and the burnt ones go to mama. I am all for the concept of introducing small children to many cultures and having two languages in one book but there are many books out their that do it much better than this one. (May I suggest Salsa by Lillian Colon-Vila and Roberta Collier-Morales)

Tortillas Para Mama presents a very negative view of Hispanic culture and I am not quite sure how it ever got published reading it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I won't be reading this book to my daughter. The idea of beating a child for getting her dress dirty is not one I want to impart to my child. Very sad!

I get the him/he issue, but to honest and grammatically correct for whatever reason him/he is considered gender neuatral in this situation. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it just is. Odd, I know, but really imagine a sentence that went he/him or she/her and so on nd so one, just placating and ruining our piece.

Now as to why it "he" was chosen over "her" is not known to me, I am a guy and we probabaly got to choose and wrote it in the dictionary directly before the run, it is such a guy thing.

But, the book had lots of solid material and as usual Buck Houghton delivers what he says he will. From TV to movies to lectures and articles, all of of his work is faithful to the craft, business, and the desire.

The title of this book explains exactly the content of it. It deliveres what it promises.

Houghton eschews all talk of money in his book, but these days, a producer's priority is getting funding for his film. Of course, it was easy for him to disregard financial matters -- he was primarily a TV producer, with a big studio backing his moves. Beyond the Twilight Zone, his credits were immaterial. Hence, his advice is largely inapplicable to independent producers and students of film -- the likely readers of this book.

This book is also dry to the point of going full-Sahara. As just one example, he describes a sound-editing room in tedious detail for no apparent reason. When you consider the fact that today's sound-editing rooms bear no resemblance to the rooms Houghton used on the Twilight Zone, then it's all just wasted ink.

And as if this book wasn't enough of a chore to read, it contains numerous typos. Pathetic.

If you want to get an inside-look at making movies, you would be better served by renting your favorite DVD's and listening to the commentaries. Then supplement that by reading John J. Lee's reference book, "The Producer's Business Handbook."

What A Producer Does is, well, a bit dry. It's packed with good information, enlightening the reader on the dozens of issues involved in making a film that most of us never even think about. For that, it's worth reading - but not for the writing itself, which is very dry and not all that engaging.

The information was sometimes enlightening and eye-opening, and the reading brisk and easy, but it completely lacked depth and did little to touch on the ART of the producer. The book's message can be summed up as follows: "Hire a bunch of good people and stay out of the way. Oh, and make sure they stay under budget."

Not a bad book by any measure, but it's very textbook-like in nature. If that's what you want, a big thumbs up. Otherwise, grab this only if you spot a good deal.

Of all the books I've read on filmmaking, lighting for film, etc., Buck Houghton's is the most pleasant and interesting! This book is concise, non-critical, and informative. I really appreciated the stories he told from his years in "The Twilight Zone," plus other anecdotes and examples he sprinkled throughout the book. As noted earlier, it's not just good for film students; anyone who has ever watched the credits after a movie and wondered, "What does a Foley operator do?" "What's a gaffer?" should read this book. You won't ever take good movies, or those involved in the making of, for granted again.

Being a black executive in a white man's world is what Bert is used to. After all, isn't that what black folks are trained to do? Thinking he has everything he's ever wanted in life right in the palm of his hand, Bert starts to rely on his own common sense, forgetting that the "real world" is never that nice.  
Nice - Daddy Big Bucks is what they call him; the local shoe-shine man who just happens to be a tightwad and close associate of the CEO. Using his street smarts and shoe-shine business, he makes sure to get and effectively pass along all the company's pertinent information.  At the same time, he has everyone thinking he's just what he appears to be. We all know looks can be deceiving, but how deceiving can a shoe-shine man be?  
Not taking Daddy Big Bucks seriously is Bert's major mistake. As he begins to open up and "pay" Bucks, he becomes privy to the most important advice ever given: Be your own boss. Assuming that Bucks is a senile old man, he finally realizes that old sense usually turns out to be the best sense of all.  
This novel was very short, but not a quick read.  Although I understood where the author was trying to go with this, it still turned out to be confusing. The ending needs a lot of work; I felt I had been left hanging. Stylistically, the story was good, but overall, neither the story's concept, nor the moral was portrayed very well.
Reviewed by T. Belinda Williams for Loose Leaves Book Review

What an interesting story. The writing was smooth, which made the story flow right along. I read this book in one day. The story centers around the main character named Hiawatha Jackson better known as Daddy Big Bucks. At first glance you take Daddy to be just a shoe shine person....but looks can be deceiving and in the case of Daddy they are completely wrong. For a three dollar deluxe shoe shine Daddy Big Bucks would give the managers his thoughts and knowledge of the various economic trends, stock market and people in general. In this story Daddy Big Bucks teaches us how we can achieve our own American Dream, by owning our own business or by rising to the top in the corporate world. As Daddy points out in the story just because you made it to the top of the corporate ladder and the only African American at the top; doesn't mean you get to stay on top. You find that there are some winner and losers in this story.

Reviewed by Jocelyn Lawson for www.avid-readers.com

While Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X disagreed on the process, in the 1960's both leaders worked with the same goal in mind-equality for Black people.

In Daddy Big Bucks by Robert Waite, the argument is expanded into the 1980's corporate world when an academically trained Black executive suddenly becomes aware of shoeshine man, Hiawatha Jackson, who for a three dollar "deluxe" shine would enlighten managers on economic trends from his supposedly humble perspective.

Daddy Big Bucks offers two opposing views on how African Americans can achieve the American Dream through either entrepreneurship or climbing the corporate ladder. One side wins at the close of the story, which ends with a comic twist.

Wish this book was available 20 years ago when I started an investment banking firm.

This is an enjoyable fast read that jabs its serious messages across in a humorous way. The self made man is a very real traditional American figure with countless examples from every ethnic background, most often having interesting and ironic adventures along the way. This is one is special because it also examines many aspects of contemporary black experience in an unusual way through Daddy's story. It has a lot of straightforward wisdom about how anyone can make it and could inspire a lot of youths who may think they have no honest chances through their own efforts. Daddy is funny, sometimes outrageous but also challenging and thought provoking. The story moves right along and I hope the author writes a sequel.

Far be it from me to suggest that those who claim this book is not difficult to read must work for the U of C Press but, of the many thousands of books I have read and consulted, this is the first I've ever seen that required a magnifying glass for me to be able to read it. Even with a strong magnifying glass I still find it extremely difficult to make out some of the words, especially the Greek.

I can't think what made the U of C Press take the 1515 pages of the original edition of this book, reduce them to microscopic size, and cram 4 of these reduced pages on each single page of this cheaply produced (though not cheaply priced) glued spine paperback. Is there a world shortage of paper I haven't heard about?

If Hackett Publishing Company can give us a clothbound 1808-page 'Complete Works of Plato' (ISBN 0872203492), a book in a clear and legible typeface which is not a mere reprint and which is sewn in the traditional manner so that it opens flat, and do all this for little more than the price of this U of C paperback - what's wrong with the U of C Press?

Unlike Hackett Publishing they didn't have to pay anything for editing, typesetting, proof-reading, etc., since all they've done is to run off extremely poor reduced copies of a book first published almost sixty years ago. All they really had to pay for was the paper.

Content-wise the book is interesting enough and deserves 5 stars, but since the format is atrocious and an insult to readers and the world of learning I have given it only 1 star and I will be returning my copy to Amazon today for a refund.

If you are the sentimental and absent-minded masochistically inclined proud owner of a powerful magnifying glass which used to belong to your grandfather before he went blind and that you carry with you at all times since you'd hate to lose or misplace it you may conceivably find a use for this book.

As for those who do not fall into this category:

CAVEAT EMPTOR - "Let the buyer beware".

I'll defer to others on the value of the content of Buck. But the paperback edition from Chicago is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. They've shrunk the pages such that four pages of Buck fit on each printed page (8.5 x 11) of this facsimile reprint. The margins are altogether too crowded, and reading in columns is strange. Some italic print is almost too small to be legible. Do your best to locate an older used copy of Buck (even if it is more expensive) before settling for this edition.

I wouldn't dream of dissuading anyone with an interest in IE lingustics from buying a copy of this fascinating tome, but at the same time would point out that it has some glaring errors, mainly due to its age:

I see another reader complaining about underrepresentation of non-European IE languages. He's not bad on Sanskrit, but point taken on Iranian (which he seems to regard as a minor dialect of Sanskrit). Hittite and Tocharian, Albanian and Armenian are underrepresented too. At the same time, some Western languages are underrepresented, such as Portuguese and Catalan. Maybe not a problem where forms are cognate with Spanish/French/Italian, but it is when they aren't.

My main problem with Buck, however, is that he by and large ignores connections with other language families, assuming that everything can be explained within IE. This sometimes pushes him into absurd assertions - he can't find an Old Irish word for dancing, so he claims that there was no dancing in Ancient Ireland.

Granted, this work was written at the end of the 1940s, before the work on long-distance comparisons of Brunner, Ilyich-Svitych, Greenberg, Bomhard et al. Not a defect in itself, but his etymologies can no longer be taken at face value.

You can pick this book up and flip to any page at random and learn something that will make you go "huh!". I recommend this book for anybody at all interested in language or thought, either just getting into linguistics or a tenured professor.

The entries are from basic vocabulary, grouped by topic (food, familial relations, etc.), though there's an alphabetical index in the back. For each entry, Mr. Buck gives the word (sometimes a couple different words) in Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Latin, the Romance languages, the Celtic languages, the main Germanic languages (incl. Old, Middle, and Modern English), Balto-Slavic, and usually Indo-Iranian (occasionally Armenian).

But the cool thing is that then he gives an always-enlightening discussion below on how they are related, what ideas lie behind different word-choices, how they've changed, and so forth. This discussion is usu. about 2-3 times the length of the list and is the best part.

This book used to be a big hefty lieberry book, but the University of Chicago has reprinted it into a handy paperback, with four of the old pages on each new one. One reviewer said you'd need a magnifying glass, but I have terrible vision and I can read it just fine.

It's a great book to read on the toilet, or whenever you're just sittin' around waitin' for somethin' to happen. You'll learn something every time you read it, and at this price it's one of the best book-deals you'll get anywhere.

I have been able to have only a cursory glance, so far, but the remarkable contents of this book have enabled me to confirm a theory on which I am working, relating to the palaeopyschology of links between natural phenomena and the emergence of belief in divinities. I look forward to having a much more detailed browse. The size of the font in this reduced facsimile is indeed small. I have poor eyesight, with thick multifocal lenses in my spectacles, but have little trouble reading the book.

Since writing the above, I've used the book often in searches for IE cognates, particularly Sanksrit, and have found it very useful.

Brian Barratt...

This book was my bible last year when i decided i wanted to build my first pc. I was tired of my video/audio integrated Dell that couldn't play any modern games or do more than two of three things at a time. With the tips and instructions in this book i built a gaming powerhouse and it works. My first time built went so well that I've been building others and am seriously leaning towards going to school for computers..something I've never done. Some things in it might be dated now but the basic foundation for most pc's hasn't changed that much in the years I've been using them.

Simply too dated. There are better articles on the internet that are both free and current.

This is a very informative book on all aspects of building a PC. For a first time builder, or a novice person looking to round out their computer building skills, this book is the best. With plenty of pictures, and easy to follow directions, this guy does it all. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn!

This is an excellent overview of the process of building a PC, but it lacks sufficient detail to be a stand-alone cookbook. (I used it in conjunction with Robert and Barbara Thompson's "Building the Perfect PC." The two books together are a good combination.)

This was one of the 'how to' books I bought for my husband for his birthday. He had been remarking how he was tempted to build his own computer! Just last night he said he was ready to put his newly built computer in a permanent place - thanks due to several times referring to these books and got the answers he needed! He was glad to cross compare what one book said and how another might reword the same topic. Bottom line: A Computer Was Built!

I would like to give 3.5 stars. Good stories and thoughts, but...
seems a bit "all over the place". But, reading this book
is definitely a pleasure.

What an inspiration Jack Buck is to all of St. Louis. Wouldn't we all like to be remembered as a truly happy person, just a nice guy? That is who and what Jack Buck was. We are richer for having known him in our lives, and thankful he shared this essay with all of us. Jack Buck loved St. Louis, but that love is returned 100 fold to Jack Buck. He's a winner!

What an inspiration Jack Buck is to all of St. Louis. Wouldn't we all like to be remembered as a truly happy person, just a nice guy? That is who and what Jack Buck was. We are richer for having known him in our lives, and thankful he shared this essay with all of us. Jack Buck loved St. Louis, but that love is returned 100 fold to Jack Buck. He's a winner!

If you want to read about the St. Louis Cardinals any book written by either Jack Buck or Bob Broeg is sure to provide you with solid reporting. Buck has been announcing for the Cardinals since the mid-1950's and spent many of those years with another hall-of-famer named Harry Caray. Jack provides the reader with insights into his army career prior to entering baseball, his many years as an announcer for KMOX radio in St. Louis, and those glorious years with the Cardinals of the 1960's and 1980's. He also provides us with his opinions on the changes that have taken place in both baseball and the world from what it used to be. You don't have to be a Cardinals' fan to enjoy this book. If you enjoy baseball history, reading a book written by the much-respected Jack Buck is an enviable treat.

Picking up the autobiography of legendary baseball announcer Jack Buck, you'd think you're in for a light summer read full of good-natured homilies, humorous anecdotes, and "I was there" accounts of great games and players. That doesn't set the bar very high but would make for a good baseball book. "That's A Winner" doesn't deliver on even these modest expectations. First, Buck himself doesn't come across as a very likeable guy. Free with his back-handed criticisms, judgmental of others, once slamming the door in the face of a desperate pregnant woman, and generally keeping his head down as the inveterate corporate guy trying to keep his job. Second, he doesn't really have much to offer. Less than half the book is about baseball, so the reader has to wade through chapters on Buck's youth aboard a boat, in World War II, going to school, reciting names of family and friends as though reading a phone book. There are futile discussions of Castro and the death penalty and Vietnam, issues to which Buck brings no insight and that merely serve to distract the reader looking for some sports. Third, when the baseball finally comes, it's feeble and fleeting. A few thoughts on drugs use in the late 1970s, praise for Whitey Herzog and Ozzie Smith, and that's about it. For a guy who's been around some of the greatest players in the history of the game and become famous for his steady deep-voiced announcing, Buck has written a book that manages to suck the life out of the games and players. No stories, no funny anecdotes, nothing to interest a fan. If you're researching Buck's life and need to know about his military service, this is the book for you. If you want to pass a weekend with a good baseball book, pick up Roger Angell instead.

I have been fortunate enough to see several of Buck Brannaman's clinics. and I know he is the most gifted horseman I know. However, I did not realize how much positive impact he has had on people's personal lives as well. This book tells the stories of several people whose lives have been changed by their involvement with Buck and his impact on their horses and their own way of thinking. It is very clever in the way Buck quietly introduces each story and still gives you a great lesson in horsemanship.
If you want to understand more about yourself and your relationship to your horse, this book is a MUST! I also loved his first book, The Faraway Horse. It taught me a lot about horses and I've been riding for 40 years.

it was interesting for the most part.not what t was looking for.i was wanting more detail training.but enjoyed the different stories about other peoples horses!

Well written with feeling. A fast read. Enjoyable but nothing deep or of substantial substance.

I have seen Buck in person and after seeing many self proclaimed "horse whisperers" knew he was something special. His writing is no different and both his books are not only a must read for people with horses, but anyone who wants a good story.

Please read my review for Buck's book "The Faraway Horses," and read that book before you read "Believe." I can't say enough good things about Buck-- his way has truly changed my life. This book has the added dimension of having every other chapter be a true account from individuals whose lives have been changed and affected for the better by learning about Buck's way. Highly recommend.

As an avid hunter and cook I found this book particularly amusing from start to finish. Buck does a great job writing and illustrating and I keep it out when entertaining, with dogeared pages, so that my guests can see the recipes I am using. Makes for some lively conversations.

A very cute parody of over-serious recipe books. The
illustrations are the tip-off.

Enjoyed the book. Makes a very good gift to friends that are cooks.

We had purchased this book prior for a friend for Christmas. My sons have turned into avid hunters. I thought they would enjoy receiving this for Christmas. It is a humorous book about (of course) Road Kill. This would also be a great book for someone who has just started driving and, like my children, had deer accidents. It gives exact details how to hit them with your vehicle to save you the trouble of loading them. Like it says "No wonder Game Wardens Children are the best fed in the school." Hope you enjoy as much as the people we have given to.

Why was this book published? Its just wrong and horrible and... what the hell? its stupid! You're all stupid! I can't believe there are people who buy this book. The animal was Hit. By. A. Car. You don't eat it. You Dont. And anyone who can afford this book can afford some ground freaking beef at a supermarket.

I am probably a little biased, because I bought this book because my inlaws house is featured in it. However, it's a lovely addition to a collection for someone interested in historic (and scenic) older houses in this area.

I found it nice but inadequate, since actually useful information was small part of the lot, from an architectural point of view.

This is a very pretty book and very well photographed. The choice of houses, however, left something to be desired and the writeups on the houses themselves were thin and more akin to a puffy decorator magazine than any kind of detailed study. The book also had utterly no floorplan sketches for any of the homes, which is really almost mandatory for an architecture book. Some of the houses selected were not of any particular merit nor were they even old. Most of the write-ups on the various houses had almost nothing to say about the architectural detail and history nor any kind of regional or sub-regional analysis. Some photos were selected obviously because they were "pretty" but had utterly nothing to do with Pennsylvania -- the New England chest on the back cover is a good example. It's a nice book to flip through but don't expect great depth.

I have always thought the stone used on houses in the Philadelphia area was beautiful; it's warm and elegant. This book has crisp images and well researched, interesting text on these wonderful homes. If you have any interest in this subject then I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.

This book contains a wonderful pictorial view of stone houses, better than I've ever seen. It includes all forms of construction and gives very informative descriptions of each style. The history related here is invaluable to the reader, as it takes you back in time. The pictures are full color and very articulately done. I found the colors presented in the homes helpful to me in restoring our stone house, built in the 1830's. This book is more than a "coffee table" book, it's a history lesson.