Real LI

“Great Houses of New England” by Roderic H. Blackburn (Rizzoli, $55): Lush estates, tall ceilings, grand staircases and intricately designed entranceways and fireplace surrounds are among the many elements of the grand old homes featured in this hefty book. Colorful photos and text detailing the history of many homes take us on a tour of such estates as the Harrison Gray Otis brick home in Boston, Edith Wharton’s home and gardens, known as The Mount, in Lenox, Mass., Hill-Stead in Farmington, owned by Alfred Pope, and the MacPheadris-Warner house in Portsmouth, N.H. Many reflect the great wealth of their shipping magnate, merchant or banker owners; others, maintained with history in mind, tell us something about how their inhabitants lived in the time leading up to or just after the American Revolution. The Jeremiah Lee home built in 1767 in Marblehead, Mass., reflects the owners’ desire to imitate the look of English mansions. The 1881 home of Isaac Bell Jr. in Newport, R.I., copies the style of the American Colonial era. In Stratford, Vt., the Justin S. Morrill homestead, built in 1848, shows a rural Gothic Revival look. Many rooms use a great deal of oak or stone for structural or decorative purposes. The author includes a timetable of English and American architectural periods, from Tudor to Hanover, and styles, from Elizabethan to Art Moderne.

- PAM ROBINSON