They were Amazon and Walmart combined-the one place to shop for Americans who needed everything-clothes, furniture, tools, jewelry, musical instruments, books, and more! Imagine it's the end of the nineteenth century, and, with one catalog, you can buy everything from beds and tools to clothing and opium. (Yes, opium.) Not to mention ear trumpets, horse buggies, and Bibles. For every recognizable item included in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, plenty of others are guaranteed to confuse or interest 21st century readers-like Bust Cream or Food and Sweet Spirits of Nitre. What was once standard household fare is today a sometimes strange, often funny look at what life was once like for the average American family. Sears, Roebuck & Co. has defined and innovated American retail for years. As the company grew from humble beginnings, its catalog selection exploded to include all sorts of categories and encompassed almost everything imaginable; eventually you could actually buy a house right along with everything you needed to furnish it. Flipping through the pages of seemingly endless items, huge and small, readers will find it impossible not to marvel at such early American ingenuity and determination to allow people in the farthest reaches of a still-growing nation to purchase and receive all the necessities of life and the comforts of home. For antique collectors, historians, costumers, set designers, and anyone just interested in the everyday components of life back in 1897, this facsimile is as entertaining as it is educational.

Proudly promoting itself as "the largest home building organization in the world, " Sears, Roebuck and Company advertised its 1932 products in a handsome catalog that also displayed a full-size replica of Mount Vernon, created from Sears materials for a Paris exposition in 1932. At the heart of the publication were 68 designs for Sears houses, among them such handsome residences as the Belmont, a six-room house with vestibule, breakfast alcove, three bedrooms, and one-and-a-half baths; and the Dover, an English cottage with a massive chimney and unusual roof lines. A useful reference for people interested in preserving homes of this period, this volume will also be welcomed by anyone who relishes a glimpse of America's architectural past. Unabridged republication of"

For thousands of Americans, catalogs such as this were the first step in realizing their dreams. Reproduced from a rare edition, this book features 112 designs for homes of comfort and refinement. External views, floor plans, and other details offer valuable, authentic tips on building and restoration. 400 illustrations.

Excellent reproduction of rare catalog illustrates and describes 86 different types of houses and bungalows still in evidence across America. Over 300 photographs, illustrations and floor plans with full descriptions comprise an invaluable sourcebook for study, authentication or restoration of antique articles or architecture.

Reprinted from a rare original: a huge illustrated selection of early 20th-century building materials and fittings-from roofing and siding to chandeliers and porcelain-enameled bathtubs-complete with original advertising copy, specifications and prices. Hundreds of black-and-white illustrations, plus 8 color plates.