The Victorian Express

By David Watersun and Kristin Holmes

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898025680
• ISBN13: 9780898025682
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Beautiful Amer Pub Co
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 3.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 1.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Good Book for Your Victorian Collection

This review is intended to help readers learn about this book, as descriptive information is hard to find anywhere. I took a risk and bought the book anyway. "The Victorian Express" is published by Beautiful America Publishing of Oregon, so if you have seen the books "Northwest Victorians" or "California Victorians" by Ken Naversen you will have an idea of the format and quality. The primary difference is that "Victorian Express" is larger, but has fewer pictures and a lot more text than those books. (But there is at least one photo on almost every one of its 280 pages). The photos are primarily exterior views of different styles of Victorian architecture. A significant percentage of the photos are of buildings that have been featured in other Victorian architecture books but often provide a different view. There are numerous close-up photos of architectual details as well. The text is fairly interesting. It gives the author's take on the overall influence of the Victorian era in America - not just architecture, but also culture, history, inventions, etc. The opening lines from the introduction describe the book well: "During the Victorian Era, Americans rode along the fast track of history, steaming along as a nation fueled by ambition, pulled by destiny, and steered by leaders who promised light at the end of each tunnel. The passengers are gone, but many of the places they called home remain alive with the history and architecture of their lives. As we share their heritage with you through words and photographs, we invite you to experience a vicarious adventure across Victorian America - we call this literary journey The Victorian Express. What is The Victorian Express? It is the retrospective examination of a diverse and fascinating period in American history.... " My review in brief is this: It is a good book for your collection on architecture of the Victorian era. I enjoyed the different perspective provided by devoting different chapters to specific towns known for their Victorian history. Being from the Pacific Northwest I wish they had included a town from this area, but you can't have everything. The book quality and publishing is excellent - although with any softcover book nearing 20 years old there may be some age-related wear. In short, find it at a good price and buy it.