An Identification of Books on Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Related Fields, Historically Used in Nova Scotia (Pre 1900)
- (L to R) Downing’s Cottage Residences, Downing’s Country Houses, Benjamin’s Architecture.
This list has been compiled over many years and is obviously not exhaustive – as it never really can be – it is a work in progress. These books have a value as an authentic historical and architectural reference library for the study of built heritage in Nova Scotia. These books shaped our landscape in particular ways both direct and via a modifying filter (of local interpretation). Climate, changing fashion, accessibility of materials, and traditions (from a broad range of backgrounds) also played their part. Most of these texts can easily be tracked down in digital form through archive.org and other internet resources. This list provides a starting place. What is the value of a resource like this? Manifold, including:
- the potential for identification of specific house plans used in this province (and the associated designer or architect)
- insight into period building technologies
- insight into the use or recommended use of period building materials, hardware, and mechanical systems
- insight into historic building trades and specific practices/techniques employed within the various trades
- descriptions of rooms, room usage, room layout, interrelationships among rooms, and interior household traffic patterns of all inhabitants including domestics
- insight into how grounds were laid out with respect to various outbuildings, lawns, fences, gardens, drives, orchards, and home industry
- insight into social or period influences on building design and how buildings were used
In a general sense, the reason why identifying the printed material associated with our architectural history is important is that it provides a means of understanding the broad influences that impacted our building heritage in this province.
In a growing number of cases a direct line has been drawn between individuals, landscapes or buildings, and specific information contained in a book on this list. For example, connecting the dots between A, a fresco painter; and B, his work; and C, an instructional text provide terrific insight. The opportunities for understanding and interpretation following such a proof are multiplied. In the same way, linking a nearly-forgotten, amateur landscape architect with an instructional book because of specific design elements evident in both the park he designed and the book in question allows one to make further observations based on the short but logical leap that the man must have read the entire book. In short, such linkages provide the historian a valuable lens through which site interpretation can be enriched.
In the interest of retaining some degree of proprietary knowledge, Vineberg & Fulton has withheld the sources that identify how each text found its way onto this list. The sources comprise historic catalogues of library holdings, private collections, documented bookplates, museum collections, and historic newspaper advertisements, articles, announcements, and reviews. Over half of the books in this list have their use in Nova Scotia confirmed by multiple sources.
Architecture |
A New display of the beauties of England ; or, A desc. of the most elegant , 1776 |
An Account of Architects and Architecture, John Evelyn |
A Treatise on Forming, Improving, and Managing Country Residences by John C. Loudon, 1806 |
Appleton’s Cyclopedia of Drawing; for the Mechanic, Architect, Engineer and Surveyor, W. E. Worthen |
Architectural Designs for Rustic Cottages, William F. Pocock, 1807 |
Architectural Instructor, containing a History of Architecture from the earliest ages, Minard Lafever |
Atwood’s Country and Suburban Houses, Daniel T. Atwood, 1871 |
Barnard’s School Architecture |
Burns’ Architectural Drawing Book |
City Architecture, or Designs for Dwelling House, Stores, Hotels, &c., by M. Field |
Downing’s Cottage Residences and Cottage Grounds, a series of designs for Rural Cottages and Villas |
Encyclopedia of Architecture, J. C. Loudon |
Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture, J. C. Loudon |
Examples of Gothic Architecture, Augustus Pugin |
Half a Dozen Hints on Picturesque Domestic Architecture, Thomas F. Hunt, 1841 |
History and Rudiments of Architecture |
History of Architecture from the Earliest Times, Louisa C. Tuthill, 1848 |
Hussey’s Home Building |
Lakey’s Village and Country Houses |
Mansion, and the Cottage by J. Wheeler |
The Englishman’s House, From a Cottage to a Mansion, Charles J. Richardson, 1871 |
The Principles of Architecture, Peter Nicholson, 1809 |
Rural Architecture, Lewis F. Allen, 1852 |
Rural Essays, Downing |
Sloan’s Constructive Architecture; a guide to the practical Builder and Mechanic, Samuel Sloan, 1859 |
The Architect or Practical House Carpenter, Asher Benjamin, 1830 |
The Economic Cottage Builder, or Cottages for men of small means, Chas. P. Dwyer |
The House, – a Pocket Manual of Rural Architecture, &c. |
The Palace of Architecture, George Wightwick, 1840 |
The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture by Matthew H. Bloxam, 1844 |
The Seven Lamps of Architecture, John Ruskin, 1889 |
The Theory and Practice of Warming and Ventilating Public Buildings, Dwelling Houses and Conservatories, 1825 |
The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture, Augustus Pugin, 1841 |
Town and Country Mansions, W. Young, 1879 |
Villas and Cottages - a series of Designs prepared for execution by C. Vaux, 300 Engravings |
Woodward’s Country Homes, Geo. E. & F. W. Woodward, 1865 |
Gardens & Gardening |
A Tour Round My Garden |
Abercrombie’s Practical Gardener |
Alphabet of Gardening, James Rennie |
American Home Garden – Rules for the Culture of Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers, and Shrubbery, Alexander Watson |
American Home Gardener, by Alexander Watson |
American Rose Culturist |
American Weeds and Useful Plants |
Barry’s Fruit Garden |
Breck’s New Book of Flowers |
Brill’s Farm-Gardening and Seed-Growing |
Buist’s Family Kitchen Gardener |
Buist’s Flower Garden Directory |
Choice Garden Flowers, their cultivation and General Treatment in all Seasons |
Chorlton’s Grape-Grower’s Guide, William Chorlton |
Complete Kitchen and Fruit Gardener |
Every Lady her own Flower Gardener |
Everyman His Own Gardener by Thomas Mawe, 1782 |
Fuller’s Grape Culturist |
Fuller’s Small Fruit Culturist |
Fuller’s Illustrated Strawberry Culturist |
Fruit Gardening for the Many |
Gardening For Ladies, Mrs. Loudon |
Gardening For Profit, Peter Henderson |
Hand Book for Gardens, Peter Henderson |
Henderson’s Gardening for Pleasure |
Henderson’s Practical Floriculture |
How Plants Grow |
Mohr on the Grape Vine |
The Ladies’ Flower Garden, Mrs. Loudon, 1840 |
My Vineyard at Lakeview |
Our Garden Friends and Foes, Rev. J. G. Wood |
Pardee on Strawberry Culture |
Parsons on the Rose |
Plain and Pleasant Talk about Fruits, Flowers and Farming – by Henry Ward Beecher |
Quinn’s Money in the Garden |
Rivers’s Miniature Fruit Garden |
Roe’s Manual on the Culture of Small Fruits |
Roe’s Play and Profit in My Garden |
Schenk’s Gardener’s Text Book |
The Apple Culturist, with Illustrations, by S. E. Todd |
The American Kitchen Gardener by William Cobbett, 1819 |
The Complete Florist, or Flower Gardener |
The Garden – a Pocket Manual of Practical Horticulture, &c. |
The Gardener’s and Botanist’s Dictionary by Philip Miller, 1807 |
The Hand-book to the Flower Garden and Greenhouse, by Glenny |
The Culture of Fruits and Vegetables, by Glenny |
The Properties of Flowers and Plants, by Glenny |
The Suburban Horticulturalist, John C. Loudon, 1842 |
Vick’s Floral Guide by James Vick |
Window Gardening – E. S. Rand |
Window Gardening: the culture of Flowers, and ornamental plants for door use and…, Harry T. Williams |
Technical Reference |
A Handbook of Formulae, Tables, and Memoranda for Architectural Surveyors, John T. Hurst |
A Familiar Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Perspective by Joseph Priestley, 1770 |
A Treatise on Masonry Construction, Ira O. Baker, 1890 |
Drawing For Carpenters and Joiners |
Drawings For Stone Masons |
Gardner’s Carriage Painter’s Manual |
Gardner’s How to Paint |
Leuchar’s How to Build Hot Houses |
The Paper-hanger’s Companion, James Arrowsmith, 1852 |
Phin’s Lightning Rods and Their Construction |
Home for all, or the Gravel Walk, and Octagon mode of Building |
Rudiments of the Art of Building |
The Art of Building, edited by John Bullock |
The Carpenter’s and Builder’s Guide, P. W. Plummer |
Waring’s Earth Closets and Earth Sewerage |
Waring’s Sanitary Condition in City and Country Houses |
Waring’s Sanitary Drainage of Houses and Towns |
Waring’s Village Improvements and Village Farms |
Landscape Architecture |
Beautifying Country Homes: A Handbook of Landscape Gardening, Jacob Weidenmann, 1870 |
Cleveland’s Landscape Architecture |
Downing’s Landscape Gardening |
Downing’s Rural Essays |
Elliott’s Hand Book of Practical Landscape Gardening |
Gilpin’s Essays on the Picturesque |
Helmsley’s Hardy Trees, Shrubs and Plants |
How to lay out a Garden; intended as a General Guide in choosing, forming and imp. Estates – by Edward Kempt |
Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Agriculture |
Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Gardening |
On Planting and Rural Ornament by William Marshall, 1803 |
Parks and Pleasure Grounds; or, Practical Notes on Country Residences… by Charles H. J. Smith, 1852 |
Remarks on Forest Scenery, and Other Woodland Views by William Gilpin, 1808 |
The New American Gardener Containing Practical Directions on the Culture of Fruits… Thomas Green, 1837 |
Household Management |
A Treatise on Domestic Economy, 1848, C. E. Beecher |
Beeton’s Book of Household Management |
Skillful Housewife |
Home Economics, 1898, Maria Parloa |
Housekeeper and Health Keeper, Catharine E. Beecher |
Housekeeping Made Easy, by Mrs. Ellis |
Mrs. Cornelius’s Young Housekeeper’s Friend |
Mrs. Parkes’s Domestic Duties (pub 1829) |
The Complete Home by Mrs. Julia McNair Wright, 1883 |
The Housewife, how to economise and conduct a House |
The Lady’s County Companion, 1852, Jane Loudon |
Practical Housekeeper by Mrs. Pedley |
The Young Housekeeper’s Friend – by Mrs. Cornelius |
The Economical Housekeeper and Family Receipt Book |
Other Books on Design |
Art Hints, Architecture, Sculpture &c, by Jarves |
Burns’ Illustrated Drawing Book |
Burns’ Ornamental Drawing Book |
The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing-Book, 1802, by Thomas Sheraton |
Nicholson’s Practice of Drawing |
Rural & Farm Management |
Allen’s (R. L. & L. F.) New American Farm Book |
Agricola Letters |
Contributions Toward Improvement of Agriculture in Nova Scotia, Sir J. William Dawson, Halifax, 1856 2nd Ed. |
The Farmer’s and House-keeper’s Manual (pub. Halifax?) |
The Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs for 1859, by J. J. Thomas |
The New England Farmer |
Register of Rural Economy and Rural Taste, by J. J. Thomas |
Silva: or, A Discourse of Forest Trees, John Evelyn, 1801 |
Stewart’s Irrigation for the Farm, Garden, and Orchard |
Small Farms, How they ought to be managed, by Martin Doyle |
The Farm – a Pocket Manual of Practical Agriculture, &c. |
What I know of farming, Horace Greeley |
Young’s Letters on Agriculture |