Review
------
'A treasure ... best of all are the authors personal asides on
builders and those who inspired them'
'The true fascination resides in the less well-known interiors'
'The true fascination resides in the less well-known interiors'
'This magnificent book, with illustrations of breathtaking
beauty specially taken by Fritz von der Schulenburg, is the
fullest account ever written of its absorbing subject. It will
come as a revelation, even to those who think they are familiar
with London . . . The book is . . . not only about architecture,
but about people, whose social, artistic and political ambitions,
and manner of living, are vividly brought to life . . . We are
familiar with the depressing list of great houses demolished in
the 20th century, from Devonshire House to Londonderry House, but
this book can surely cheer us up during the recession with its
visions of surviving splendour.’
'This lavishly illustrated compendium suggest that the age of
elegance endures'
'This sumptuously illustrated volume...extends its reach both
sociologically and chronologically... James Stourton's text is
very readable, deftly mingling the architectural history and the
social, and on the whole reliable, and it is completemented by
Fritz von der Schulenburg's specially taken photographs'
'Writing in a deceptively simple style, Stourton concentrates on
architects and artists, on awners and occupants. Idiosyncratic
and amusing, he makes you see everything in a new light'
'the deft weaving of architectural, social and contemporary
history will reveal unexpected pleasures'
'A fascinating and witty tour of some of London's most elegant
(and most secret) houses and the people who built them'
'Stourton writes elegantly and absorbingly about both architects
and owners'
'A treasure ... best of all are the authors personal asides on
builders and those who inspired them'
'This is a truly magnificent book. The wonderful text tells the
story of the architects, owners and occupants, restoration,
adaptation and change. And the photographs are exceptional.'
"This is a truly magnificent book. The wonderful text tells the
story of the architects, owners and occupants, restoration,
adaptation and change. And the photographs are exceptional."
(Good Book Guide)
"A treasure ... Best of all are the authors personal asides on
builders and those who inspired them" (Economist)
"Stourton writes elegantly and absorbingly about both architects
and owners" (Marcus Binney The Times)
"The deft weaving of architectural, social and contemporary
history will reveal unexpected pleasures" (Art Quarterly)
"Writing in a deceptively simple style, Stourton concentrates on
architects and artists, on awners and occupants. Idiosyncratic
and amusing, he makes you see everything in a new light." (The
)
"This magnificent book, with illustrations of breathtaking beauty
specially taken by Fritz von der Schulenburg, is the fullest
account ever written of its absorbing subject. It will come as a
revelation, even to those who think they are familiar with London
. . . The book is . . . not only about architecture, but about
people, whose social, artistic and political ambitions, and
manner of living, are vividly brought to life . . . We are
familiar with the depressing list of great houses demolished in
the 20th century, from Devonshire House to Londonderry House, but
this book can surely cheer us up during the recession with its
visions of surviving splendour." (David Watkin Country Life)
“This sumptuously illustrated volume...extends its reach both
sociologically and chronologically... James Stourton's text is
very readable, deftly mingling the architectural history and the
social, and on the whole reliable, and it is completemented by
Fritz von der Schulenburg's specially taken photographs.”
(Historic House)
About the Author
----------------
During a photographic career that has spanned over 35 years,
FRITZ VON DER SCHULENBURG has achieved international accl. His
photographs have been published in numerous interior design and
architectural magazines, including The World of Interiors, House
& Garden and Architectural Digest. He has also published several
volumes of his own work. These include: Neoclassicism in the
North, The English Garden Room, Romantic Scotland, Empire, and
Living by Design.
JAMES STOURTON, formerly chairman of Sotheby's UK, is now working
full-time on the authorised biography of Kenneth Clark. His
previous books include Great Collectors of our Time: Art
Collecting since 1945 and The British as Collectors: A History of
British Art Collecting from the Tudors to the Present. He writes
regularly for various national papers and magazines.
