This book accurately traces the development and origin of the American Bungalow. Lancaster's essay is informative and thorough. This is a good source book for those wishing to discover and know the evolution of this building type. This is not a 'style book' or a good book for decorating ideas, as the photos are not very clear and there are limited interior shots

"Victorian Houses: A Treasury of Lesser-Known Examples" brings together 116 richly detailed black-and-white photographs of Victorian houses. This is an eclectic collection in terms of architectural style: Italianate, Second Empire, Carpenter's Gothic, "steamboat," octagon, and other elements can be found throughout the book. The houses come from towns throughout the northwestern United States, as well as from Canada.

Most of the photographs are by Edmund V. Gillon, and his excellent work is accompanied by the commentaries of Clay Lancaster. Although Lancaster's insights are informative and frequently entertaining, he often uses a disparaging tone which is unnecessary, and which some might find arrogant.

Throughout the book Lancaster uses phrases such as "a strange conglomeration" (plate 5), "a tight clutter of naive elements" (plate 16), "dull proportions" (plate 53), and "[m]ore gross than odd" (plate 92) in discussing various houses. I think it would have been better to simply have described the stylistic classifications of the architectural elements, and left value judgments to each individual reader.

Despite my dissatisfaction with some of the commentaries, I find "Victorian Houses" to be an excellent book. It is a superb record of and tribute to a remarkable period in North American home architecture. Mansard roofs, abundant verandas, ornate iron cresting, elegant pillars, towers, cupolas--all this and more can be found in here. If you love Victorian houses, you will definitely want this book.