Monday, August 4, 2014





Here is the first book review for you: Out of five stars, I give it just three (3).


Book Reviewed:  America's Doll House: The Miniature World of Faith Bradford (Paperback)

Sorry, but I was disappointed with this book & can't recommend it!!,

Dollhouse miniatures are a fascination in my household. I had to say that outright in order for my review to be evenly weighed. I ordered this book with great anticipation because I had heard good things about it, "great example of dollhouse miniatures," "a must read". The book is okay. It is nothing fancy. There are lots of other books on dollhouse miniatures that delve into the subject more thoroughly and make the subject worth reading about. Though, the dollhouse of the title is a nice house, it is nothing special to warrant such a book. There are, even back then when Bradford made her donation, other nicer, better dollhouses. At just 127 pages, including references, credits and acknowledgments, this book leaves a great deal to be desired. It is nowhere worth the cover price of $24.95, nor the much cheaper Amazon price of $14 I paid.

Faith Bradford is purported to have been a librarian that donated her unique dollhouse of 23 rooms, that she designed and decorated, to the Smithsonian Museum. In fact, she was recently retired from the Library of Congress, where in fact, she was more of an archivist than a librarian, and who no doubt had contacts to get her dollhouse into the Smithsonian, so her effort was really no big achievement.

The dollhouse she donated, never really made it to the museum, as it was no longer presentable, but the miniatures inside did, into a replica that the Museum paid for and had made for her in order to accept her dollhouse donation.

This book had promise, especially since it was written by the Smithsonian Curator, but it lost a great deal in execution. There are color photos along with black and white. There should have been a large overleaf, perhaps, one oversized color page of the whole house in order for the reader to delve into it. There is not. There is just one color photo of 8x10, which ones needs a magnifying glass to view the innards of the house. There is mention of another more modern house that Bradford also donated, but no digging into either. There is also a bit of history about the Smithsonian that wastes space.
Overall, this was a disappointing purchase and unless you are a serious miniaturist, whom enjoys keeping varied books on the subject on your book shelf, I can not recommend this one. See if you can locate it in your library instead and spend your money on a better book.
Product Details:
  • Paperback: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press (October 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1568989741
  • ISBN-13: 978-1568989747

Until next review, stay safe. Smile! Show compassion to others. Be nice to one another. Read a book and pass it on, review it. Cheers!
Regards,
S.J. Francis
In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family."  Coming in 2015 from Black Opal Books.
My Black Opal Books Author Page:
View My ShoutOut:  http://bit.ly/1r3oynM
A Book Review 4 U: abookreview4u.blogspot.com
A Consumer's View: aconsumersview.blogspot.com
OnefortheAnimals:    onefortheanimals.blogspot.com
 
 
 
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