Classic America: The Federal Style and Beyond

Given as gift; friend is enjoying this book very much. Highly recommends it to people who want decorate in the federal style.

It has been some years since I looked at my copy of Classic America and again I'm in awe of the well-informed text. This is a marvelous book and it fills me with love for my country. We had such high ideals which were expressed in design as well as words.

Another reviewer complains that the newer Universe edition has had its text edited down. This is true. The Universe just compresses the text into fewer pages, and cuts out a few paragraphs. The book's value is in the photos--all are in this edition.. The quality of the printing job for the Universe not quite as good as that of the earlier Rizzoli. This does reflect itself in slightly less grand photos, but of course, it is also much cheaper.

Wendell Garrett has done students of interior design and architecture a very great service with this modestly priced history of America's Federal style. His concise and accurate text is amply matched by Paul Rocheleau's handsome photographs.There is so much to learn, even for amateur students of American architectural history. We hear about Palladio, Robert Adam, Christopher Wren and others who influenced the American Federal style, but we also learn what was going on in the American colonies in a religious, economic, and legal sense--all of which helped to affect the shape and style of American architectural and decorative tastes.One of the most interesting things is learning how American craftsmen, builders and architects (many of whom were slaves) were influenced by the latest European styles. American styles in everything, from dress to furniture to homes, tended to be more plainspoken and stripped down to the bare essentials than were their European counterparts.This is an absolutely fascinating read, and a visual treat for anyone who is even remotely interested in the American Federal style.