Bungalows Garner Attention With New Books, Magazine

Victorian homes with their gingerbread architecture and eccentric accoutrements have been the topic of sumptuous coffeetable books for years and, more recently, even spawned several magazines devoted to their decor and lifestyles. Now, the less lavish bungalow houses that followed Victorians in America’s architectural history are coming into their own with the publication of two excellent books and a magazine devoted exclusively to the topic.

“The Bungalow: America’s Arts & Crafts Home” by Paul Duchscherer (Penguin Studio, $27.95) offers a 37-page introduction that not only puts the bungalow into historical perspective but includes discussions of how this new style was marketed to the American public through the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog as early as 1909; information on how bungalows were originally furnished and decorated; and ongoing preservation efforts.

The many styles bungalows took, from Swiss Chalet to English Tudor to Prairie, are also examined by Duchscherer. “The Bungalow” is well illustrated with reproductions from magazines and catalogs of the early 1900s and with the photography of Douglas Keister focusing on bungalows today.

“American Bungalow Style” by Robert Winter (Simon & Schuster, $40) is a larger book, 224 pages vs. 152, and covers more territory by including Alexander Vertikoff’s photographs of homes all across the United States.

“American Bungalow Style” is published in cooperation with American Bungalow Magazine, a quarterly publication with a subscription rate of $24.95 a year. For information about the magazine: P.O. Box 756, Sierra Madre, CA 91025-0756; (800) 350-3363.