"It is immodestly hoped that this book will encourage the owners of American homes built in the last century to select colors that are historically proper for the age of the structure and to place those colors to emphasize correctly the rich character and detailing intended by the original builders. If readers seek here technical information on paint chemistry or detailed reports on the microanalysis of specific buildings, they will be disappointed....

"Chicago architect Louis Sullivan provided philosophical impetus, formulated compositional principles and established ornamental models that inspired the Sullivanesque. The Sullivanesque (1890-1930) ranged from the "high art" of Sullivan to a commercial vernacular espoused by builder architects. Sophisticated or primitive, collectively, it was a rare creative flourish in American architecture.