Author Description

For almost 20 years, Sears, Roebuck and Company purveyed the materials for complete prefabricated houses, providing thousands of Americans with attractive and comfortable low-cost dwellings. Many of these homes are still a common feature in cities and towns across America. The present volume, a meticulous reproduction of a rare Sears, Roebuck catalog of 1926, provides a thorough, accurate record of the company's "Honor Bilt Modern Homes." Over 300 photographs and illustrations, with full descriptions, offer views of 86 different houses and cottages of widely varying sizes and designs. Readers may recognize familiar architectural styles in designs such as the cozy six-room "Homewood" bungalow or the elegant "Lexington," a nine-room, green-shuttered colonial. Also shown are several room interiors for each of 14 homes, along with photographs and plans for nine garages and a hunter's cabin. In addition to visual documentation, the catalog provides extensive, detailed construction information, ranging from the grade of exterior siding to the type of wood used for flooring, windows, and trim. An invaluable primary source illustrated for anyone engaged in the study, authentication, or restoration of antique homes or furnishings, this period catalog will also be of special value to architectural and social historians, Americana enthusiasts, and general readers.