Lost Plantations of the South

I bought this book to understand more about Plantation Architecture. I walked away with a deep appreciation for the underside of American History, the reality which escapes the macro-history of The United States. This book serves all no matter what your perspective on the evolution of North America is or what political persuasion you hail from. There is something deep and important here for everyone, if you have the patience to read and think.

Was great gift for retire teacher. Good material to read. Many good pictures.

I'm an architecture buff and also spent a lot of time in Georgia when I was stationed in the Army. I fell in love with antebellum plantations at that time and am also a Civil War and Revolutionary history buff. The great thing about this book is that it combines both the architectural elements with the history of the specific house.The pictures and diagrams are black and white but it makes little difference in terms of enjoyment. I assume that all the photographs of the houses were originally in black and white to begin with anyway. The descriptions of the homes and plantations are incredibly detailed. The research that was done is extensive and must have taken a very long time on the part of the author. I especially enjoyed the many original house blueprints that are reproduced. I can't imagine where the author found those.The only drawback is that this book will make you sad that many of these houses couldn't be saved. From the descriptions and surviving pictures, these houses were incredible and their like will probably never be built again.

Met all expectations and more!

Wonderful treatise, which could have used more photographic material.

Excellent text and pictures.

Prepare to be shocked, because this book purposefully blends delight and pain. The book and the lost houses it records are hauntingly beautiful. Reading the stories of these great estates that are no more is like reading the biography of a lost family member: The effect of the presentation is both blissful and profoundly saddening.I usually avoid books like this because they upset me. I hate being shown what we could have had, with more care, more insight, more money, more intelligence. Ossian Hall, in Virginia, was intentionally torched as an exercise for the Fairfax County fire department. Seven Oaks, in Louisiana, was one of the grandest plantations on the River Road, which was purposefully bulldozed in 1977 to accommodate a railroad right-of-way. This book upsets me, but that's what it's intended to do.The quality of the work--the photography, graphics, writing, and binding--is top shelf. This is no haphazardly assembled set of archives: It's a beautifully rendered contemplation on the history and fate of stolen art.The book is intended for any interested reader, but its style is not casual. Neither a photo essay nor a "coffee table" book, the author gives the work intentional academic gravity that could put off a casual reader, but will make architectural historians rejoice.

Like product

A wonderful book - very well researched & so fascinating that one reads about all the plantations instead of only the ones of special interest. Very highly recommended.

Dieses Buch gibt einen tollen Überblick über die verlorenen Plantagenhäuser der Südstaaten. Es ist toll gemacht mit vielen Bildern und sogar Grundrissen und die Texte sind gut verständlich. Ich würde es soofort wieder kaufen!