Product Description

A delightful look at America's past. From 1908 to 1940 some 100,000 people purchased their ready-to-assemble homes from Sear's mail order. Presented here are approximately 450 models sold by Sears together with a description, a picture, floor plans, prices and locations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #193580 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 364 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780471143949
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Between 1908 and 1940 Sears sold over 100,000 nearly completed houses across the country, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest. Some 500 models were available, and the company sought to make ordering them "as easy as ordering an automobile, radio or piece of furniture." The houses, which had on average 30,000 pieces and cost between $650 and 2500, were usually shipped by rail and often were assembled by Sears employees. This volume reproduces copy from the original Sears house catalogues. There is, for example, the "Matoka," a two-bedroom bungalow that was popular during World War I. The "Rockhurst" had three possible exterior designs. The "Winthrop" was based on classic New England styles. This book offers a nostalgic and informative look at the tastes of Americans in the years before World War II. There are 800 illustrations, an informative introduction, a bibliography and an index.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Between 1908 and 1940, Sears, Roebuck offered ready-to-assemble houses from special catalogs. Over 100,000 of these dwellings were constructed across America. The authors have re-created the look of the catalogs in this heavily illustrated guide to 447 models. Each entry includes, among other information, promotional copy from the original catalog, house details and features, price, and a short list of cities where examples can be found. The book is organized as an identification guide, with sections arranged by roof design. A lengthy introduction chronicles the evolution of the catalogs and explores the reasons for Sears's success in helping Americans select, finance, and build low-cost homes of good quality. Recommended. Douglas Birdsall, North Dakota State Univ. Lib., Fargo
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
A delightful look at America's past. From 1908 to 1940 some 100,000 people purchased their ready-to-assemble homes from Sear's mail order. Presented here are approximately 450 models sold by Sears together with a description, a picture, floor plans, prices and locations.

Customer Reviews

Informative, entertaining & educational look at Sears kits
A "must have" for the Sears home owner! Not only did I find my house in this exhaustive resource, I found many of my neighbors' as well! This is a great read for anybody interested in kit houses of the past. If you know somebody with a Sears house, this would make an excellent, unusal gift for the upcoming holidays.

If Only the Pictures Were Bigger...
...I'd give it five stars. This book is a treasure trove for old-house mavens, especially those interested in early 20th-Century domestic vernacular architecture. Houses of all sizes and styles are included, most with full floor plans--which, unfortunately, you often need a magnifying glass to view clearly--and all with an illustration showing the exterior, as well as the dates sold, price, and other useful information. Many of the writeups also show interior suggestions. A very useful book.

Wanted a bit more
I was happy to see all the different style and enjoyed all the photos. BUT I really wanted to see the house size and the floor plans they were so small you could not really make out what size the rooms were. I wanted to see the sq. footage of each home. I also would have like to see what each floor plan size was. So if each page had been the floor plan so you could read it I would have enjoyed it more. What was hard is all the info was there just so small could not make out what numbers were.I think all the info in the book was good I guess I just wanted a little bit more out of it.