{HISTORY}

Right off the bat, we'll point out the Frankensteinsh dust jacket. It's been repaired, so this is the best that it will ever look, but that's okay, because most often this vintage 1940s-era book cannot be found with its original jacket. And in the art of preservation, we did our best to put the ragged pieces back together using archival papers to form a somewhat cohesive cover. That being said, the interior of this book, and the coverboards themselves are in gorgeous shape.

Published in 1946, the Book of Small Houses contains 56 architecturally designed small houses with accompanying floor plans that run the gamut on style from traditional to farmhouse to midcentury modern.

Designed for the post-war home buyer, who was either starting out or starting over, these economical floor plans were designed with all sorts of goals in mind. Whether you loved to entertain or to garden, whether you lived in a city suburb or on a country plot, whether you had a big family or none at all quite yet, this book helped guide your decision when it came to building a house ideally suited just for you. 

With gorgeous illustrations and full page floor plans for first and second floors, plus landscaping ideas, it is fun to peruse this book and see how each house was laid out according to standard necessities of the era. A team of architects compiled the designs for this book , so it was no flight of precarious fancy or unrealistic dalliance into what may be possible when it came to building each type of home. All the houses are backed by architecturally approved concepts and realistic designs to ensure a beautiful, fully functional house inside and out. A few of the architects who participated in this book are still very well-known today, most notably - Royal Barry Wills - who is considered the father of the 20th century Cape Cod-style house.  

The only thing that is truly perplexing about this book and the bevy of ideas in it,  is deciding which house you'd select.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Published in 1946 

- Contains 138 pages

- Additional highlights include the All- American Home Team poem, the Illustrated Index to a Dissected House, Construction Survey Analysis charts, Distribution of Costs, Spread Sheets, National Construction Standards, the G.I. Bill of Rights, Price Tags for Houses and a detailed glossary of housing building terms.

{CONDITION}

As stated above, this book is in gorgeous vintage condition, except for the issues described surrounding the dustjacket There are two tanned areas on the front and back endpapers, but otherwise, this book is in perfect condition with no major flaws.  Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 8.75" inches (width) x 11.25" inches (length) x .5" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.11lbs

{STYLE IDEA}

Get a sense of what 1940s kitchen life looked like with these era-specific heirlooms...