The House in Good Taste is a classic and iconic book in the field of interior design. It was written by Elsie de Wolfe, who is often described as the first lady of interior decoration. She rejected the dark interior color schemes of Victorian interiors and instead opted for a black and white color scheme with clean lines and simple ornamentation. She was close friends with architect Stanford White and worked for clients like the Vanderbilt family....

Candace Wheeler is often referred to as the "mother of interior design." Her book Household Art contains chapters on interior decoration, furniture and decorative arts. 

This manual offers advice to those wanting to build a bungalow. 

Modern Homes is a catalog that advertises kit houses designed by the Lyon & Billard Company. The catalog contains many house styles fashionable in 1920, including bungalows, four square styles, Colonial Revival houses and half-timber houses. This book has over 80 photographs and floor plans of houses, many of which are in color.

Dated December 10, 1748, this letter touches on the positive effects of drinking tea in a social setting. Interestingly, it was written by famous Christian theologian John Wesley.

Robin Hood c. 1561-9 is the oldest text contained within the anthology and one of the older complete manuscripts within the Robin Hood canon. He is alluded to in text dating back to the 13th century, but here, in a manuscript found and reproduced by the British Library, is a complete play dedicated to the English folk hero. Although the text requires close examination, and often times a Middle English dictionary, it is an important document and glimpse...

The Craftsman is a magazine published in the early 20th century by designer Gustav Stickley. The magazine contains articles and photographs on anything related to the American Craftsman style. 

Seen here is a catalog produced by the Henry Bosch Company, containing suggested combinations of designs and the corresponding ordering information. Some designs within the catalog show furnished rooms equipped with the designs, offering viewers a better impression of the décor's effect on a room.

Thousands of books on interior design have come and gone since the 1897 publication of this pioneering manual, but The Decoration of Houses remains, thanks to the insightful and inspiring advice of its co-authors. Before she became the Pulitzer Prize—winning author of “The Age of Innocence”, Edith Wharton was a society matron, remodeling a summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. With the able assistance of architect Ogden Codman, Jr., Wharton...

First printed in London, The Compleat Housewife became the first cookbook to be printed in the United States in Virginia in 1742. It contains a wonderful recipe for chocolate almonds involving orange-flower water and gum-dragant (sap from the bush of Astragalus Gummifer).