Houghton Hall: Portrait of An English Country House Hardcover – October 21, 2014

The book is beautifully published by Rizzoli. I purchased it second hand, and the seller carefully packaged it for shipping. It arrived in excellent condition, and I really cannot detect any issues with it. The contents cover the lifetime of the home, with excellent photographs to capture the minds eye. I look forward to reading it more in-depth, but I wanted to put up a review to acknowledge to the sellers that I greatly appreciate the care with which they packaged and shipped it to me.

A superb book

This is one of the finest Rizzoli books I've bought in several years. Even thought it was printed in China - the paper and print quality are excellent. The photography is outstanding and the pictures look like something out of a fairy tale. The green bedroom with the shell bed is magnificent. Ignore the critiques from readers griping about how they think the book should have been arranged/produced. The bottom line is that the exterior and interior shots chosen for the book are just about perfect. The team working on this book truly understands and appreciates Houghton Hall and has presented it in the best possible way.Note: There was a quality control problem with this book. The first edition had a binding flaw near the end of the book. Amazon sent me a second, sealed copy. It had the exact same flaw - the pages were coming out of the book and hanging on by a thread. I e-mailed Rizzoli to report it. I'm waiting to hear from them. This is the first Rizzoli book in 30 years I've bought with a binding problem. Perhaps they need to pay a bit more and have their books printed in Italy, like they originally did?!

Beautiful photos and amazing story!

If Houghton Hall is a country house, I wonder what the town house looks like. Yes, this is a wonderful book to enjoy and add to your knowledge of England. The pictures are fine and interesting. What a lovely home Houghton Hall is for those fortunate enough to live there. These people really build homes to last, that's for sure. It shows in the book, too. You will have this fine volume in your library for many years if you get the hard back version. Thank you Mr. Cholmondeley for giving us a look inside such a lovely place.

If only every book could be as well made as this one. The subject is layered and the text explains the political, historical and design aspects of the house and the family who built it clearly. The photography is outstanding and the archival photos are sensitively chosen. The paper is heavy and the color reproduction is gorgeous. The publisher could have doubled the price and it would still be a bargain. If only this could be the start of a series on the great houses of Britain done by the same team!

The first half of the book written by Andrew Moore is more about the paintings in the house and its early inhabitants, the Walpoles. The book does not really become interesting until the second half when the present owner, the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley narrates the history of the house from the latter half of the 19th Century to the present date which includes its renovation, modernization and opening to the public. The book is well bound, and well printed for the most part and lavishly illustrated.As a photographer specializing in interiors I have a problem with the composition of several of the interior images. I also feel the rooms on the main floor should have been printed in a specific order and identified on a floor plan which this book lacks. So when we see interior images in this book we have no frame of reference of the original purpose of the room, its present purpose and its location in the house. Also few images of the non-tour rooms of the house are shown and this is often where the real charm of country houses lies, the attics, back stairs, service corridors, servants rooms, etc. Several of the photographs are not printed properly and this causes them to look as if the images are out of focus. Finally, there are quite a few images in the book that are superfluous, an example being repeated images of the main facade of the house. These are the reasons the book does not get five stars as it should have. Quite frankly I am a bit disappointed.Review by Walter O. Koenig

Beautiful book. Any Downton Abbey fan would love it (although it has nothing to do with the series) -- it IS about English Aristocrats and they way lived. Wish I was a time traveler -- would definitely love to see them for real!

UNA HISTORIA QUE PODRÍA HABER SIDO LA DE MULTITUD DE GRANDES CASAS DE LA ÉPOCA.VISION EN PRIFUNDIDAD DE LA VIDAD COTIDIANA EN ESTA MANSIÓN.

Having visited Houghton Hall last spring, it is a delight to have found a publication that reflects the beauty and history of sucha magnificent English country house and its surrounding gardens.

This is a stunning publication written by the owner and updated to include photo's and details of the paintings returned from Russia on temporary loan to re-hang in the original rooms. For anyone who missed the exhibition this book is a must. For those who have not had the opportunity to visit this wonderful house or who hope to do so in the future this is a book to treasure.

A superb book very well produced. Its a pity that the pictures loaned from the Hermitage on temporary display were not fully presented. Rather they were shown in situ, often sideways on in terms of perspective. Nevertheless, the book captures the experience of the Hall both visually and textually.

Grandad was very happy with this book