All about old buildings : the whole preservation catalog /

This is the most complete one-volume reference work in the field of historic preservation. It is a glossary of pictures and quotations in the manner of The Whole Earth Catalogs of the 1970s aimed at the general public rather than professionals. Aptly titled, it is more complete than The Brown Book, ed. by Diane Maddex (1983), a national directory of information about the profession, yet less intensive than The Historic Preservation Yearbook (see below), which addresses professional issues in more sophisticated, extensive text aimed at developers, attorneys, and public administrators. All About Old Buildings is written by one of the leaders of the historic preservation movement in America and published by the flagship of America's private historic preservation movement. The National Trust for Historic Preservation. The editor's choice of material in this book, both textual and pictorial, is exquisite. No sensitive person could read this book and not be convinced of the need for historic preservation as an important part of public and private policy. For undergraduates and general readers.-P. Kaufman, New York Institute of Technology

As stated in the introduction, this is a sourcebook ``both of information and of the inspiration that is so vital for finding creative solutions to save historic buildings.'' Three kinds of information are given in each of the 15 far-ranging chapters: a directory of pertinent associations, federal offices, bookstores, and the like; an abundance of bibliographical references, many of which are annotated; and an amazing variety of excerpts from books and other materials on preservation topics. The excerpts and the nearly 1000 black-and-white photographs truly do provide an inspirational quality to this catalog. Local history, adaptive uses, fund-raising, and education are but a few of the topics covered. Highly recommended for public libraries. Douglas Birdsall, North Dakota State Univ. Lib., Fargo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.