Harbor Hill: Portrait of a House (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780393732160)

The mansion along with its magnificent furnishings, art, gardens, and the owners' striving, hubris, and ultimate failure are the dramatis personae of this saga. Stanford White, the architect, wrote, "with the exception of Biltmore, I do not think there will be an estate equal to it in the country." An extravagant product of the desire for social acceptance, the portrait encompasses western mining and old versus new wealth, religious differences and the building of a church, art collecting, and the many people, from the architects, builders, and workers to the servants and staff who ran the house and gardens. Harbor Hill's story includes elements of farce and tragedy; in a sense it is an American portrait.

Author: Richard Guy Wilson
ISBN-10: 0393732169
ISBN-13: 9780393732160
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English
Published: 03/17/2008
Pages: 264
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.66lbs
Size: 12.14h x 9.28w x 0.85d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2008 pg. 283