William Morris: Decor and Design

Customer Reviews:

A must-have for William Morris fans.......2002-09-09

Elizabeth Wilhide's superb "William Morris: Decor and Design" will be a real treat for William Morris fans. Wilhide combines dozens of sumptuous color photographs of Morris interiors with an overview of his life, his influences, and his artistic goals. I learned a number of interesting things about his personal background, such as:

- His beautiful wife Jane had a long affair with fellow artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti;
- In addition to his design work, he was such a respected poet that he was offered the poet laureateship of England once Tennyson had died;
- Many of his designs are still in active production today, more than a century after his death.

Morris shunned the effect the Industrial Revolution had had on the arts in England (and elsewhere) and proposed that hand-crafted art, furniture, wallpaper, and so on be the goal of an artists' cooperative he helped to found. He felt that art should be in every home and that it should be useful, beautiful to look at, and durable. This success of the cooperative produced the uncomfortable situation, for Morris, of having art be so beautifully and painstakingly produced by hand that, in the end, only the wealthy could afford it.

The photographs of Morris interiors, wallpaper designs, furniture, and more, are absolutely sumptuous, and Wilhide's well-informed and well-written text helps to expand our understanding of the whole of Morris' life. Highly recommended!

This is a beautiful, must-have interior design book!.......2000-04-21

With its stunning photographs, reproduced in exceptional color, William Morris: Décor & Design is a fine interior design book that belongs on every coffee table. This book will surely win more appreciation for the diverse talents of the great designer when newcomers to Morris see the breadth of his talents presented so beautifully. As a long-time admirer, I have many books about the 19th century designer, poet, fantasist, etc., but this is one of my favorites, as well as one of the most complete books on his design that I have seen. Photographs range from the interiors of houses and public buildings decorated by Morris for clients, to the homes he actually lived in. Insets show details of patterns, from wallpaper to tapestry to upholstery fabric to curtains, as well as pages from his illuminated books and the Morris & Co. catalog. Non-Morris interiors are shown for comparison. A pictorial glossary of his most common patterns completes the book. Further, the biography chapter is a good, comprehensive introduction to Morris, describing his forays into politics and literature, as well as his many efforts in all aspects of design. I recommend this beautifully designed book, a fitting tribute to Morris's own delight in design, to any lover of beauty in art and design.

This is a beautiful, must-have interior design book!.......2000-03-30

With its stunning photographs, reproduced in exceptional color, William Morris: Décor & Design is a fine interior design book that belongs on every coffee table. This book will surely win more appreciation for the diverse talents of the great designer, especially when newcomers to Morris see the breadth of his talents presented so beautifully. As a long-time admirer, I have many books about the 19th century designer, poet, fantasist, etc., but this is one of my favorites, as well as one of the most complete books on his design that I have seen. Photographs range from the colorful interiors of houses and public buildings decorated by Morris for clients, to the homes he actually lived in. Insets show details of his striking patterns, from wallpaper to tapestry to upholstery fabric to curtains, as well as pages from his illuminated books and the Morris & Co. catalog. Non-Morris interiors are shown for comparison. A pictorial glossary of his most common patterns completes the book. Further, the biography chapter is a good, comprehensive introduction to Morris, describing his forays into politics and literature, as well as his many efforts in all aspects of design. I recommend this beautifully designed book, a fitting tribute to Morris's own delight in design, to any lover of beauty in art and design.

This is a beautiful, must-have interior design book!.......2000-03-30

With its stunning photographs, reproduced in exceptional color, William Morris: Décor & Design is a fine interior design book that belongs on every coffee table. This book will surely win more appreciation for the diverse talents of the great designer, especially when newcomers to Morris see the breadth of his talents presented so beautifully. As a long-time admirer, I have many books about the 19th century designer, poet, fantasist, etc., but this is one of my favorites, as well as one of the most complete books on his design that I have seen. Photographs range from the colorful interiors of houses and public buildings decorated by Morris for clients, to the homes he actually lived in. Insets show details of his striking patterns, from wallpaper to tapestry to upholstery fabric to curtains, as well as pages from his illuminated books and the Morris & Co. catalog. Non-Morris interiors are shown for comparison. A pictorial glossary of his most common patterns completes the book. Further, the biography chapter is a good, comprehensive introduction to Morris, describing his forays into politics and literature, as well as his many efforts in all aspects of design. I recommend this beautifully designed book, a fitting tribute to Morris's own delight in design, to any lover of beauty in art and design.

William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home

Average customer rating:

Lovely details
For Lovers of Arts and Crafts Homes

William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home
Pamela Todd
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0811842754

Book Description

Light, airy, rooms...clean-lined wooden furnishings...richly patterned rugs and fabrics in colors inspired by nature. William Morris was the first to champion the styles that remain quintessentially modern today. William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home is both a profile of this innovative tastemaker and a lavishly illustrated guide to decorating with these ever-popular elements. Over 200 photographs capture the Arts and Crafts look, both in Morris's own residences as well as in contemporary homes where the classic Morris aesthetic of simple beauty prevails. Organized by element, chapters on the legendary patterned fabrics and wallpapers he designed, his artisan wooden furniture, curtains and carpets, ceramics and metalwork all serve to illustrate Morris's unique vision. Informative, engaging, and delightful to peruse, William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home captures the beauty and simplicity of these influential designs.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely details.......2006-06-22

If you appreciate anything to do with the Arts & Crafts movement, you'll really like this book -- even if you look only at the pictures. It's separated into sections on exteriors and gardens; interiors (architecture); decorative patterns (wallpapers and woven fabric); furniture; softer elements (curtains, rugs, carpets, etc.); finishing touches (ornament, tiles).

Each has plenty of detail: you see the overall effect (the entire wall of wallpaper) and the specific design (a zoom in on the wallpaper's design). Even if you care about only one element (you're into fabric for instance) you'll get plenty out of this book.

For Lovers of Arts and Crafts Homes.......2006-01-16

William Morris changed people's attitudes towards architecture and interior decoration when Victorian excess was at it's height. I love the use of wood in an Arts and Crafts house. For others who feel this way, this book is a treat. At the back are two useful sections: Where to See Arts and Crafts Homes and a listing of Specialist Supplies for anyone renovating an Arts and Crafts Home.
You might also want to read The William Morris Stained Glass Pattern Book and The Life and Works of William Morris. Take a look also at Craftsman Homes: Architecture and Furnishings of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

Home Buying by the Experts: The Pros Make Your Dream Home a Reality

Average customer rating:

MONEY SAVER!
Completely Helpful!!
Well worth it
Misleading title, uneven book
Great reference

Home Buying by the Experts: The Pros Make Your Dream Home a Reality
Brian Yui , Lori Shaw-Cohen , Robert G. Allen , Stewart Morris Jr. , Michael P. Fergus , Brian Tracy , William Emerson , Robert J. Bruss , and Keith S. Fimian
Manufacturer: Quantum Leaves Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0976152606

Book Description

Real estate experts reveal the inside scoop on home-buying in this essential, easy-to-use guide. Whether you're a first time buyer or seasoned veteran, get practical, step-by-step advice from planning your home purchase to moving into the home of your dreams.

-Discover how to choose the right home and mortgage

-Learn to negotiate for hot properties like a pro

-Use savvy buyers' examples and indispensable checklists

-Make the most of your buying power with alternative mortgages and no-money-down strategies

-Understand contracts and the closing process

Customer Reviews:

MONEY SAVER!.......2006-03-09

My wife and I were nervous about negotiation on our first home purchase, but Home Buying by the Experts gave us the confidence we needed to get a GREAT deal. We also learned some great tax-saving tips!

Completely Helpful!!.......2006-03-04

This book "Home Buying by the Experts" has been completely helpful to me. Taking tips from the experts has been a great source of information as I am in the process of purchasing my first home! Thank you Brian Yui and Lori Shaw-Cohen for making a home buying experience a great one!

Marinel

Well worth it.......2006-03-01

This book is terrific. It helps you navigate your way through buying a home. When you consider how costly errors can be in the entire process, this book is well worth the money.

Misleading title, uneven book.......2006-02-27

"Home Buying by the Experts--The Pros make your dream home a reality" is a very misleading title of what is essentially a 'tips' book. Just like another reviewer mentioned, don't make this the only home buying book that you read. This is strickly supplimental information, not any way a walk-thru of the home buying process.

The information provided is a mixed bag with eight contributors. Each author gives their favorite 'tips' for buying. There are a few good chapters on tax advanges & closing, and a lot of 'fluff' chapters on 'no money down' and 'moving'.

The reason I bought the book was because Bob Bruss had a part in it and he has a great syndicated column in newspapers. His contribution was not enough to make "Home Buying by the Experts" worthwhile. I would advise to skip this one and buy 'Home Buying for Dummies".

Great reference.......2006-02-15

The book is very well organized and extremely well written. It's the nuisance of the process that can make or break your investment and the entire process is accurately and simply defined in the book. Definitely worth the time if you are purchasing a home.

Bill E.

Average customer rating:

Book
The Gardens of William Morris

The Gardens of William Morris
Jill Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon , Penny Hart , and John Simmons
Manufacturer: Stewart Tabori & Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Essays | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

English Gardens | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1556708718

Customer Reviews:

Book.......2007-06-19

Excellent book! Delivered as described. Thank you!

The Gardens of William Morris.......2000-03-05

I loved this book. It demonstrated for me the real "art" of gardening. William Morris was a clever and far sighted man who advocated staying within the parameters of nature and natural beauty when making gardens. He also perpetuated the "garden room" theme which has been enormously popular since the eighteeth century. I refer to this book continuously and strive to design and construct garden rooms in my own garden which are as beautiful.

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The Best of Both Worlds

Faulkner's Mississippi
Willie Morris
Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0848710525

Customer Reviews:

The Best of Both Worlds.......2004-12-13

Faulkner's Mississippi

With excerpts from Sanctuary, The Faulkner Reader, As I Lay Dying, The Unvanquished, Light in August, Essays, Go Down, Moses; Absalom, Absalom!; and the exceptional writing style of editor/novelist Willie Morris, this work reveals the textures of Faulkner's Mississippi--cultural, linguistic, and social--making an exceptional commentary on southern life. Morris accomplishes the task of seizing and capturing the imagination of the reader. This image is heightened by the stark, often haunting photographs of Eggleston which combines the reality of Mississippi's landscape with an almost spiritual journey through Faulkner's mystical Yoknapatawpha County.

Morris, who served as writer-in-residence at the University of Mississippe (Ole Miss), has allowed the reader to visualize a southern way of life which is non-existent in many Mississippi communities. From the smell of corn liquor, fried chicken and hush puppies to the sounds of choral music and the clamour of University students and fall football, the reader is gently nudged from one scene to yet another.

Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha which extends from the Tallahatchie River to the north and the Yocona (patawpha) to the south, leaving its eastern and western boundaries to the readers imagination, encompasses the modern day town of Oxford, a center of intellectual achievement and southern hospitality. Named for the famous English University, this town possesses a remarkable and diverse culture. At it's epicenter stands the Lafayette County Courthouse: an imposing, white structure encircled by wizened oaks. From its deeply shaded benches old men relive past ventures or simply watch the city's comings and goings. A mile west of the Courthouse Square one encounters the youthful vigor of the University of Mississippi. This artfully landscaped campus has, during its history, weathered both Civil War and civil strife. All this and much more are revealed by Eggleston's photographic endeavours.

Although a little expensive, this work is a needed addition for any photographer, historian, or southern culture buff who dreams of a beauty and style which is nearly forgotten but which can be re-lived within the page of Faulkner's Mississippi.

by Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren
COPYRIGHT 1991 Photographic Society of America, Inc.

The Brother Rabbit Kitchen: From the William Morris Collection Exclusive Stencil Designs (The Paintability Series)

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The Brother Rabbit Kitchen: From the William Morris Collection Exclusive Stencil Designs (The Paintability Series)
Jocasta Innes , and Stewart Walton
Manufacturer: Aurum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Painting & Wallpapering | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 185410134X

English Floral Place Cards and Matching Napkin Holders in Full Color: 12 Ready-to-Use Sets (From Stencils and Notepaper to Flowers and Napkin Folding)

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English Floral Place Cards and Matching Napkin Holders in Full Color: 12 Ready-to-Use Sets (From Stencils and Notepaper to Flowers and Napkin Folding)
William Morris
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Lovely collection of dining table accessories includes 2 different richly detailed floral and foliate designs adapted from originals created by famed 19th-century English craftsman and designer. Assemble quickly and easily with scissors and tape.

Eothen: Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East

Average customer rating:

Delightfully entertaining
Inspirational
Sparkling writing from the Turkish Empire
Eothen
I wouldn't recommend this title

Eothen: Traces of Travel Brought Home from the East
Alexander Kinglake
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0192813617

Book Description

While travel writing had already enjoyed a long and honored tradition in England, the publication in 1844 of Alexander Kinglake's Eothen forever changed the genre, and its influence may be traced down the generations from Robert Curzon's Monasteries of the Levant (1849) to Paul Theroux's Great
Railway Bazaar (1975). Eothen--a Greek word meaning "from the east"--is certainly one of the most witty and idiosyncratic of travel books, for Kinglake was not as interested in the art, buildings, or appearance of a particular place than he was in the impression these made on him. And unlike most
other wealthy travelers of his time, Kinglake took especial delight in the exotic and slightly danagerous aspects of his travel.
Avoiding the obligatory ports of call of the English gentleman's Grand Tour, Kinglake followed a circuitous route from Europe to what was then called the Near East--Turkey, the countries of the Holy Land, Egypt. Rarely does he make an effort to describe scenery, and some of the most well-known of
his stops are hardly mentioned at all: Bethlehem he dismisses in thirteen lines, and Baalbec, well, "Come! Baalbec is over; I got 'rather well' out of that." But he devotes a whole chapter to the Sphinx--or rather to his contemplation of the Sphinx--and while he rarely imparts any information
useful to future travelers, he constantly transforms his experience into a lively, reckless, sometimes unfair, sometimes moving, often hilarious artistic interpretation. It was this unusual and captivating style which so intrigued his first readers and made Eothen an enduring bestseller in his
time; it is also what makes it a classic in ours.

Download Description

I went on and came near to those waters of death. They stretched deeply into the southern desert, and before me, and all around, as far away as the eye could follow, blank hills piled high over hills, pale, yellow, and naked, walled up in her tomb for ever the dead and damned Gomorrah. There was no fly that hummed in the forbidden air, but instead a deep stillness; no grass grew from the earth, no weed peered through the void sand; but in mockery of all life there were trees borne down by Jordan in some ancient flood, and these, grotesquely planted upon the forlorn shore, spread out their grim skeleton arms, all scorched and charred to blackness by the heats of the long silent years.

Customer Reviews:

Delightfully entertaining.......2006-02-10

Eothen is a kind of quirky travelogue describing Alexander Kinglake's 1834 tour of the Near East; it was originally published in 1844.

Kinglake, like many an English gentleman (and lady) of his era, is full of prejudices and preconceptions about other cultures and races. He takes "the natural ascendancy of Europeans" as a graven truth, and doesn't scruple at making sweeping generalizations about Arabs, Jews, Turks, Greeks, and everyone else he encounters. The book, for this reason, probably reveals more about Kinglake than it does about the places he travelled. His descriptions of the customs and characters he observes are those of "a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant" outsider, and for that reason must be viewed with skepticism - but they are wonderfully entertaining all the same.

Here is an example of the witty style that makes this book delightful to read:

"Christianity permits, and sanctions, the drinking of wine, and of all the holy brethren in Palestine there are none who hold fast to this gladsome rite so strenuously as the monks of Damascus; not that they are more zealous Christians than the rest of their fellows in the Holy Land, but that they have better wine. Whilst I was at Damascus I had my quarters at the Franciscan convent there, and very soon after my arrival I asked one of the monks to let me know something of the spots that deserved to be seen... "There is nothing in all Damascus," said the good man, "half so well worth seeing as our cellars"; and forthwith he invited me to go, see, and admire the long range of liquid treasure that he and his brethren had laid up for themselves on earth. And these I soon found were not as the treasures of the miser, that lie in unprofitable disuse, for day by day, and hour by hour, the golden juice ascended from the dark recesses of the cellar to the uppermost brains of the friars..."

Highly recommended.

Inspirational.......2003-03-11

If you've ever had a dream to travel outside of your own backyard, this book will give you the push you need to make that decision. Alexander Kinglake takes you through the exotic east by the most interesting modes of transportation. Horseback, Camels, Dromedaries, and fantastic sea vessels. You'll travel through places such as Stanboul, Constantinople, Cyprus, Galilee, Cairo, the Pyramids, and Jerusalem just to name a few.

A brilliant descriptive writer, Kinglake tells you every detail about what he's viewing along the way, along with the emotional side of traveling through history. Standing on a hilltop, possibly the precise spot where Homer did, that inspired his works, Kinglake takes you there with him, describing unchanged landscape and the flood of emotions that will definately touch you. When he arrived at the Holy lands, it left me in tears, and a great yearning to plan my own pilgrimage there.

It amazed me that this man made it through his travels safe and sound. He survived the plague which was rampant at that time. It was frightening to read about, let alone live through it! Which he tells about in depth. The extreme fear everyone lived in. Yet despite all the precautions taken, it still managed to seek you out and take you into it's unimaginable numbers. Day after day, he watched cavalcades of funeral processions pass through the streets, from sunrise to well beyond sunset. How he fooled it, I'll never know. He always seemed to be in contact with plague stricken people, and even thought for a time that he too had fallen victim when symptoms began to appear.

Through this journal you'll learn about the people of this era and before. The Ottomans, Bedouins, Monks, Jews, Catholics, and Christians. Aristocrats, such as Lady Hester, Sheiks, and Pasha's. Most interesting was Kinglake himself. Just who was this man? He tells little about his own background. But as you read, this intelligent, confident, diplomatic Englishman unfolds before you. With a sense of humor few can match!

This book was gifted to me, and sparked the desire to be a part of what Kinglake and others knew about life. Not to let each day pass by caught up in mundane routines, but live each one to the fullest.

Sparkling writing from the Turkish Empire.......2001-07-27

This is a book to be treasured and I read it several times. It is hard to imagine the world Kinglake describes which is virtually extinct now at a time when lions abounded in Eastern Europe, Caliphs and Pashas smoked their pipes through long tubing and Lady Hester Stanhope gets esoteric.

Full of humour, the book is as British as they come with such sensitive nuances about the subject matter including disease, women, customs and issues of religion in the holy land.

I'm still looking for this brand of hero inside and out but don't think he's that common except as a carricature. Did Kinglake's world and attitude really exist?

Eothen.......2000-04-18

Once asked how he learned to write so well, Winston Churchill growled, "Kinglake." That was Alexander Kinglake whose main works were this slim travelogue reporting on his tour as a young man through the Levant and a huge history of the Crimean war which occupied most of his life. Eothen is a wonderfully engaging tale of a traveler and the people he encounters in what was at the time a formidable journey. We are fortunate that it is back in print, bibliophiles treasure the early, leather-bound editions.

I wouldn't recommend this title.......1999-11-27

The author is apparently an anti-Catholic and his hate for the Church shines forth. He portrays monks as lazy, alcoholic social outcasts. Since he so thoroughly misrepresents Catholics, I can't trust his accuracy in any of the rest of this book. Of course, there will always be those who don't truly seek the truth in good faith, but who work to undermine Christ's Great High Priestly Prayer for Unity.

Average customer rating:

Kelmscott: An illustrated guide,
Arthur Richard Dufty
Manufacturer: Society of Antiquaries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CCO2E

Little journeys to the homes of English authors : William Morris

Average customer rating:

Little journeys to the homes of English authors : William Morris
Elbert Hubbard
Manufacturer: Roycrofters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00086NPQ2

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