Christmas At America S Landmark Houses

Here is Christmas decorating, history, architecture, and interior design wrapped in one sparkling package. Three-hundred and sixty-three gorgeous, inspiring images provide leisurely looks at historic house interiors magically decorated for Christmas. Begin with the Foreword by Christopher Radko, famed re-creator of vintage Christmas ornaments. Tour historic holiday homes from Filoli to Colonial Williamsburg, and look inside San Antonio's most beautiful house--the Spanish Governor's Palace. Marvel that a typical ranch-style house was home to two future US presidents, a first lady, and two governors. Visit the honeymoon home of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Enjoy the modest dwelling of Canadian WW I flying ace Billy Bishop, and tour the "castle" of Model A creator Edsel Ford. Some houses' Christmas décorations are period correct; others are joyfully au courant.

Two new projects and new photography update this book that wraps Christmas decorating, history, architecture, and interior design into one sparkling package

History is brought to life in many historic houses, especially at Christmas time, when special decorations help to welcome the social season and visiting guests. In this revised second edition, learn history and local customs through engaging text and over 420 color photos. Costumed guides interpret Christmas traditions in some of the thirty specially decorated houses that are featured from across America. Both magnificent estates and simple residences offer a variety of styles, tastes, and ideas to inspire your own celebrations. See preserved buildings with illuminated gardens, inviting dining halls, and stunning interiors. Enjoy the many efforts on display here that help to make the Christmas season a magical time of sharing, caring, and gratitude.

This carefully crafted ebook: "BLEAK HOUSE (Historical Thriller Based on True Events)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. At the centre of Bleak House is the long-running legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, inspired by a real-life Chancery case, which came about because someone wrote several conflicting wills, which than led to numerous family feuds, schemes and murder. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.

The beauty of Christmas is displayed through decorated historic homes from around the country. From Virginia to Texas, tour 27 houses and see how history comes alive in a festive way during the holiday season. Learn the traditions of President Lyndon Baines Johnson's family with a trip to "The Texas White House," revisit colonial America with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, and get decorating tips from professional designers. With more than 300 color images, historic homes ranging from magnificent estates to simple residences offer a variety of styles, tastes, and ideas to inspire your own celebrations. Homemakers, decorators, historians, or anybody who loves the magic of Christmas will appreciate the engaging text and wonderfully decorated interiors.

Many historic houses that open to the public in England and Wales - particularly those owned by the National Trust - preserve their contents rather than restore them to a particular period. The former owners of these houses often retained objects from various periods and this layering of history produces interiors that look aged and patinated. Although the reason for this preservation and lack of fashionable renewable can be attributed to declining economic fortunes in the twentieth century, there are many examples of families practising this method of homemaking over a much longer period. Taking National Trust properties as its central focus, this book examines three interlocking themes to examine the role of historic textiles. Firstly it looks at houses with preserved contents together with the reasons for individual families choosing this lifestyle; secondly the role of the National Trust as both guardian and interpreter of these houses and their collections; and finally, and most importantly, the influence of textiles to contribute to the appearance of interiors, and their physical attributes that carry historical resonances of the past. The importance of preserved textiles in establishing the visual character of historic houses is a neglected area and therefore the prominence given to textiles in this project constitutes an original contribution to the study of these houses. Drawing upon a range of primary sources, including literature produced by the National Trust for their sites, and documentary sources for the families and their houses (such as diaries, letters and household accounts), the study takes a broad approach that will be of interest to all those with an interest in material culture, heritage, collecting studies and cultural history.

Describes and includes photographs of the exteriors and interiors of American presidential homes, and notes the locations and visiting hours of those that are open to the public