"Daughters of Painted Ladies" is a beautiful tribute to restored Victorian houses from throughout the United States. Full-color photographs by Douglas Keister are complemented by the commentaries of Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen.

The book focuses on what the authors call the "Colorist Movement" in historic house restoration. In other words, every one of the homes pictured has been painted "in three or more contrasting colors" that "bring out the decorative ruffles and flourishes" of each structure. So if your idea of a Victorian home is a dull, gloomy old mansion in a state of disrepair, be prepared to have that stereotype blown away. These "painted ladies" are some of the most vibrant and beautiful homes I have ever seen.

The book captures many different Victorian era styles: Italianate, Second Empire, Steamboat Gothic, Queen Anne, Octagon, Stick, and Victorian eclectic. And don't miss the special appearance by "Lucy," the elephant-shaped house built by James Lafferty. The colorist approach to these homes truly accentuates the varied vocabulary of Victorian architecture, with its towers, covered verandas, neoclassical pillars, oriel windows, decorated verge boards, and other fanciful details.

The book concludes with some helpful tips and resources for those interested in creating their own painted lady. If you are a lover of Victorian era architecture, buy this spectacular book and prepare to indulge in a decadent symphony of visual splendor.

After I read and enjoyed this beautiful book I painted my home in Victorian style and soon many houses in Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Argentina, also change the "white walls, black roof" they ever were.Thanks! Virgini

If ever you want to be inspired, transformed, bowled over or "wowwed" by the possibilities of an old house... Read the Pomada/Larsen series. The pictures are breathtakenly beautiful and the text is quite informative. Lots of 'pearls of wisdom' there. Before you buy that victorian, read this book for some informative information. After you buy--keep reading (like a litany) to keep the vision alive amidst the rubble and asbestos. You won't be sorry ---you will be renewed. These books were like falling in love, or the collector's itch---The fever is maddening but the end result is Oh so sweet. Get them all!! (5 titles still available)

My husband and I bought this book to get ideas about color schemes to paint our Italiante Victorian home. WOW! Are there ideas here! This book is page after page of gorgeous photos of Victorian homes all over the country. I'll be honest and say that I've read little to none of the text, but I have spent literally hours looking at the pictures. It is also one of the most frequently looked at books by guests in our house. People just love to look at the pictures and "ooh" and "ahh" at the beautiful homes.

We liked it so much we bought "Daughters of the Painted Ladies" too!

What a thrill it was to find a book that was dedicated to one of the most appealing houses ever built.. the Victorians. I learned so much from reading this text and each time I look through the pictures, I find another feature in these grand houses to focus on. There is so much to learn that I only concentrate on one aspect of the house at a time. I want to get all of the texts before we start to apply the first of SEVEN colors that we have chosen for our 'Painted Lady'!

Each picture is more gorgeous than the next! On a more serious note, there is practical information on architecture and authentic Victorian painting techniques. I learned a lot about how to identify the type of building style, and got my fix for Painted Ladies more than satisfied. This is a comprehensive, informative, beautiful book, and I recommend it highly.

Please! Resaurants are to children what fire is to the Scarecrow! I found this book extremely disappointing because more than half of it focuses on dining and museums both of which most children I know would loath to enter. It listed places like Greens Restaurant (an excellent choice but not for kids) and Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Both of these would be sheer torture for the average 4 to 9 year old. I really can't understand how the publisher allowed this book to be released as guide for children's activities. The author takes the trouble to list such overexposed restaurants as the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood (a guide for teenagers maybe?) and misses many of the authentic pleasures for kids in Northern California. There are a few good children's activities listed like the Hershey Chocolate Factory in Oakdale but the bulk of the book is strictly for adults. I want my money back!

My children really enjoyed visiting about 270 places out of the over 300 places identified in this book. The age range for each visit was given, so we were able to pick and choose appropriate places to visit. The phone numbers and the dates/times the places are open are invaluable. The places are listed in geographic order, so you can visit the places pretty much in order.

Unfortunately, it has been over four years since the book was updated, so much of the information is outdated. We are looking forward eagerly for the next edition.

I received this over 3 years ago as an anniversay gift from my wife. Our son was 4 months old at the time. Since then, we have put this guide to great use. On weekdays, my wife and son use it. On weekends my son and I use it for guy-bonding adventures. Sometimes all three of us get to the same fun place together, particularly on vacation.

The book will become part of our family history as we scribble our son's date 1st visited in the margin next to each entry.

Yes, it's due for revision. We hope 2001 will bring an update for those so inclined to want one. We'll hang onto our copy and keep scrawling in our own updates and corrections.

We've been to six of the destinations on the Top 11 Places list in the front. That list is handy to give us a goal to get ourselves to every place on that list.

My son's personal favorites include SF Exploratorium, Six Flags Marine World, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Jack London State Historic Park, Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park. There are also gems of little museums that I have enjoyed bringing him along to enjoy, such as the Silverado Museum in St Helena which pays tribute to Robert Louis Stevenson. Without this book, we would never have found such a rich variety of fun places to share with our son.

Get it and "365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child," by Steve & Ruth Bennett. Your children will thank you much later for the time you spent being with them!