Oops! I thought that I had reviewed this book when I rated it but I must have forgotten. I really am the ultimate fan of octagon houses. Yes, I know you think you are, Bob and Ellen, but I actually went out and bought one! That counts for something.

If you collect books on architecture, esp. 19th century, this is a must have. I believe that I have all of the octagon house books that have been published but the older ones are not very useful as guide books since they are so out-of-date. This one also has photos and is good to carry on trips. No, please don't ask me to access the web site in the car.

I was stunned to see the amount of work that has gone into this book. I tip my hat to Ellen. The number of photos she has collected is just awesome. While I wish that some of the photos could have been larger, doing that would have both made the book too expensive and also not just a coffee table book but, in fact, an actual coffee table. Better it should be small enough to carry around.

Finally, documenting the remaining octagon houses is important because they are disappearing at a disturbing rate. Even the people who are interested in living in a Victorian home or restoring an old house will pass on living in an octagon house. There are unique issues (you can take my word for it) not the least of which is explaining to a kitchen designer that the room he will be working in is indeed a triangle and telling the wallpaper store that your living room has 6 walls, 5 doors and three windows. ( )