The Architecture of Historic Nantucket

Jacket notes: "Nantucket Island, famous home port of the great, global whaling fleet of the 18th to mid-19th centuries, has been inhabited for some 9.000 years, and this book sketches its history, reviews the settlement and buildup of the migrant European culture, and concentrates on the ample array of architecture surviving from the last quarter of the 17th century onward. With the collapse of the market for whale oil around 1850, Nantucket lost the industry which provided its major source of wealth, and new building came to an abrupt standstill. As a result, the old town of Nantucket has remained more or less intact - one of the best preserved communities in the United States and a living architectural museum with about 800 buildings dating from before the time of the Civil War. The book is divided into three major sections, each considering Nantucket from a different angle. Part One gives a history of the island, analyzes and discusses the various architectural styles, and points out significant existing examples. Part Two treats Nantucket Town street by street, and can be used as a walking tour guide. The streets are described historically and physically, each followed by notes on individual landmarks aligning it, including known facts concerning their period, builder, original architectural features and subsequent alterations. Part Three contains appendices classifying all of the historic buildings according to their styles and characteristics. This section also includes a comprehensive bibliography of relevant books, albums, photograph collections, and articles on Nantucket architecture; and there is a glossary of architectural terms."