Robert O'Byrne

This beautiful book, written by Robert O'Byrne and featuring many photographs by Simon Brown, is definitely not a guide on how to decorate your own home, although it might inspire the reader and provide for some ideas. Instead, it introduces us to a number of different houses in various regions of England (among them Cornwall, Dorset, Northumberland and London). It presents fourteen different homes - all of them historic, some of them stately, some of them farm houses, some very eccentric, some rather solemn.
As already described, there are many photographs and the historical background is explained in detail. Very often this goes hand in hand with an explanation of the area's history, such as the influence of the dissolution of the monasteries (meaning that many religious buildings were converted to secular residences) or the ups and downs of different trades such as wool or mining. The book also shows what kind of renovations and conversions were done on the buildings and what the present owners still hope to do.
It was wonderful to dream myself away for a couple of hours a day, to revel in the marvelous pictures and to travel at least on paper for a short while.… (mehr)

With its literary history and Georgian architecture, its modern art galleries and classic pubs, Dublin has become both an international tourist destination and a place for stylish, sophisticated lifestyles. This book explores a city that both embodies urban life in a previous century and represents European style in the new millennium. Dublin's social tradition is represented in the hotels and parks, shops and racecourses - all alive with the resurgent excitement of the city. The book also explores the city's relationship with the literary life, from Jonathan Swift to Roddy Doyle - not to mention Shaw, Yeats, Wilde, Joyce, O'Casey and Beckett. It is completed by listings of places to stay and eat and a guide to the sights of the city.… (mehr)