Historic Houses of Virginia: Great Plantation Houses, Mansions, and Country Places

With all new photography commissioned especially for this book Historic Houses of Virginia beautifully illustrates the interiors, gardens, and grounds of such masterpieces as George Washington's Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, George Mason's Gunston Hall, Colonial Williamsburg's Governor's Palace, and the illustrious Lee family's Stratford Hall, among others. Each of the 20 houses shown is particularly distinguished for its association with a famous American personage, region, or event, and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia State Historic Landmark, or is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elucidating American history from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries, these houses tell the story of their celebrated owners and the customs and values of the time in which they were built. Replete with remarkable photography and cultural insight, Historic Houses of Virginia is unprecedented in its scope.
In addition to its pictoral value, this volume provides insight into American cultural history, illuminating the interrelation between the celebrated owners of these residences and such events as the American Revolution and the Civil War. It also sheds light on the rigorous preservation process that has protected these landmarks from development and, as well, decay. With bibliographical resources, museum information, a map, two thoughtful introductory pieces, and text brimming with architectural and historical perspiquity, Historic Houses of Virginia is unprecedented in its scope.

Kathryn Masson, the author of Rizzoli's Santa Barbara Style, Napa Valley Style, and Sonoma Valley Style, lives in the hunt country of northern Virginia. Calder Loth is senior architectural historian at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Richard Guy Wilson is chair of the department of architectural history at University of Virginia, and author of several books on American architecture. Steven Brooke is the author and photographer of Rizzoli's Seaside Style and Sonoma Valley Style. He lives in Miami.