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Dollhouse Book Reviews


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I just bought this book and I love it! I was a bit (to say the least) leary to buy a French book on dollhouses considering my vocabulary of about 30 words.

Reading it is going quite well—with my few words, the many very good pictures and drawings, and the Google French translator site, I am really enjoying myself.

This book is chock-full of ideas—her ideas and implementations are extraordinary.

Even if you want just to look at the pictures, this is a beautiful book.

I bought the book from the Canada Amazon (USD ~$45) site as the US site did not stock the book.

Love it .. love it B) :wave: B) :p love it

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Making Character Dolls’ Houses in 1/12” Scale by Brian Nickolls

This is terrific book – great pictures and drawings, very well-written instructions, and filled with great ideas that you can use in other houses.

He has plans for the buildings and the staircases and the doors, windows, and anything else you might need. He includes a “what you should have in your workshop” chapter.

The plans for the five buildings include a working water mill, forge, cider barn, an inn, and Georgian. Even if you don’t want to build, this is a great book for ideas and just reading for enjoyment.

This is a British book and may be out of print. I bought it from Amazon used-book dealer as an almost new (turns out it is new) “used” book for about $4! Well worth it!

:thumb:

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Thank you for recommending Making Character Dollhouses by Brian Nickolls. I went straight to amazon and ordered it. It came today. It's a great book with lots of details! You can't beat $4 for a hardback book!

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  • 5 weeks later...

Surfaces : Visual Research for Artists, Architects, and Designers by Judy A. Juracek

Close-up reference photos of wood, stone, brick, etc. Really helpful for working with PaperClay! She also wrote Natural Surfaces, Architectural Surfaces, and Soft Surfaces.

Universal Millwork Catalog, 1927: Over 500 Designs for Doors, Windows, Stairways, Cabinets and Other Woodwork by Dover Publications

If you're building a cottage or bungalow, this reproduction of an actual catalog has great examples of kitchen cabinets, etc.

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The book about the White House done in 1/12 scale is a fun read and full of great eye candy. Just the logistics of moving that display! And they did it fifty times :-)

The White House in Miniature: Based on the White House Replica by John, Jan, and the Zweifel Family

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Miniature Food Masterclass by Angie Scarr is nice little book for polymer clay work and Dolls'House Inspirations by Jean Nisbett is another nice little book for house ideas she has alot nice books these 2 I like to carry onto plane-bus etc there small but one book I love that is something if you have a young child that is really into dollhouses is The Enchanted Dolls' House by Robyn Johnson this book is so magical and cute it is one even adult would like!

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I haven't seen it here (but I was merely skimming the posts), but I really like The Big Book of the Doll's House by Jean Nisbett. She covers historical periods from Tudor through Modern and gives some wonderful tips and tutorials. The book is full of colorful eyecandy and inspiration! The only complaint I have is that the book ends! LOL :-D I probably have read it at least 3 times to get ideas and when I am working on different projects.

I have other books in my collection, but I need to look through some of them again to accurately review them. :-D

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  • 5 months later...

The only version I've seeen or been able to put my paws on is an abridged version released as a child's book; promise of excellent info in the adult, unabridged version.

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I no longer have my copy, so I don't remember much about it except I was expecting there to be more content, and then when I read the intro I realized mine was an abridgement. Mrs Jacobs was thorough and knowledgeable, and even the abridgement was interesting, but in my case it piqued my interest far more than assuaged it.

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Thank Holly, this doesn't appear to be an abridged version, nor does it look like a child's book. "A World of Doll Houses” ©1965 " Published by Gramercy. Hardcover, 144 pages.

If I do end up getting it, I'll update this post with my thoughts :)

I borrowed it through interlibrary loan when you mentioned it, and it arrived today minus the dust jacket. It's a small book, 5 3/4 x 8 1/2" (about 5/8" thick). A black and white picture on about every other page and a write up on the history of dollhouses. I've just flipped through it, so I can't comment on the content. If you can get it cheap, it's a cute little book. :)

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  • 4 months later...

The Big Book of the Dolls' House by Jean Nisbett

Just my opinion of course...but I found this book to be a Big Book of Disappointment. I have a somewhat extensive dollhouse related library of books and this is my second to least favorite. I'll review my least favorite another time.

First of all, the book is big, as in tall and thick, but the pages are narrow, which means the pictures are small. There are way too many modern scenes for my taste and the how to's are so brief and non descriptive that I don't see how anyone could actually make anything from them. This book has no rhyme or reason and I don't even understand the point of it, its just random pictures of roombox interiors mostly and artisan furniture. Its only redeeming quality is the few pages in the back that have photos of really neat Tudor houses, but they are only small pictures that don't satisfy.

Heres a quote; "A conservatory can be filled with flowers and fruit and garden furniture too. " That is the basic nature of the advice given throughout the book. Its written by a British author in 2005 I believe..but to me after reading it, I would have sworn it was written in the 80s.

If you can get it in the $1 range it might b worth picking up. There are much better books out there.

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