AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



August, 1 9 1 3 



Selected List of Books on 



Building and 

 Estimating 



The New Building; Estimator. A practical 

 guide to estimating the cost of labor and 

 material in building construction, from 

 excavation to finish; with various practical 

 examples of work presented in detail and 

 with labor figured chiefly in hours and 

 quantities. A handbook for architects, 

 builders, contractors, appraisers, engineers, 

 superintendents and draftsmen. Eleventh 

 edition, revised and enlarged. By William 

 Arthur. 5x7 inches. Full flexible leather. 

 729 pages. Illustrated. $3.00 



This is a modern and exhaustive working guide 

 for all who figure the cost of building construction 

 either in detail or approximately. It gives the 

 actual time, labor and material required on every 

 operation in all classes of residential and munici- 

 pal work as recorded and checked by the author 

 and other ^ experts on thousands of jobs, finished 

 under various conditions, in different sections of 

 the country. Special stress is laid on those items 

 that are affected by varying conditions and the 

 reasons for the difference, as found by experience 

 are given. 



The Contractors' and Builders' Handbook. 

 By "William Arthur. 4% x 7 34 inches. 

 Flexible cloth. 378 pages. $2.00 



A new work by the author of "The New Building 

 Estimator." The first section deals with the con- 

 tractor as a business man ; the second with the 

 contractor as a constructor, which is not a trained 

 architect by any means, and the third with the 

 contractor as a citizen and taxpayer. It is a work 

 of exceptional value to all interested in buikl.ing 

 .construction, the subjects treated being considered 

 to be of most value to the contractor in his vari- 

 ous spheres. 



Estimating; the Cost of Building's. With im- 

 portant chapters on estimating the cost of 

 building alterations, and on system in the 

 execution of building contracts. A sys- 

 tematic treatise on factors of cost and 

 superintendence, with working citations. 

 By Arthur W. Joslin. 5x7 inches. Cloth. 

 205 pages. 25 illustrations. $1.00 



Estimating: Frame and Brick Houses, Barns, 

 Stables, Factories and Outbuildings. Eighth 

 edition, enlarged, amended and modern- 

 ized. By Fred T. Hodgson. 5x7 inches. 

 Cloth. 252 pages. 31 illustrations. $1.00 

 Containing a detailed estimate of a $5,000 house 

 and additions. Detailed estimates of kitchen, 

 dining-room, parlor, den, hall, bedrooms, conserva- 

 tory, basement, bathroom, closets, etc., all figured 

 out and measured by the quickest and simplest 

 methods. Also showing how to estimate by cubing, 

 by the square of floors or walls, and by the 

 process of comparison; with hints and practical 

 suggestions for taking measurements and making 

 tenders for work. 



The Estimator's Price Book and Pocket Com- 

 panion. A guide to prices of all kinds of 

 building materials; with handy rules, 

 tables and information for the estimator 

 ?L L K Hicks - 3 % x 6M inches. Cloth. 

 184^ pages. _ $1.00 



_ Gives full information concerning materials used 

 in ordinary buildings, the quantities required, etc. 

 It presents the average market prices of such 

 material together with many useful tables, of value 

 for reference. 



Builders' Guide. Comprising an easy, practi- 

 cal system of estimating material and 

 tabor, for carpenters, contractors and 

 builders. A comprehensive guide to those 

 engaged in the various branches of the 

 building trades. By I. P. Hicks. 5x7 

 inches. Cloth. 166 pages. 114 illustra- 

 tions. $1.00 

 Presents a system of simple and practical appli- 

 cation for estimating materials and labor chiefly 

 as applied to suburban residential work. One of 

 the most serviceable books for contractors and 

 builders,_ as well as for carpenters, who will find it 

 to contain also a very complete treatment on fram- 

 ing roofs of all descriptions. 



The Architect's and Builder's Pocket Book. 

 A handbook for architects, structural engi- 

 neers, builders and draughtsmen. By Frank 

 fv, K L d <? er - Fifteenth edition, revised 

 4% x 7 inches. Full flexible morocco 1703 

 pages. 1000 illustrations. $5.00 



A _ valuable book of reference for everything 

 relating to the construction and equipment of 

 buildings. 



Building Construction and Superintendence. 



By F. E. Kidder. 3 volumes. 7 x 9% 

 inches. Oloth. '■*■»"» 



Part I — Masons' Work. Revised and en- 

 l™ 8 ^ by Th omas Nolan. 966 pages 

 628 illustrations. $G.OO 



Pa r r * "• — Carpenters' Work. 544 pases 

 525 illustrations. $4.0*0 



Pa ™ , IIT - — T "»ssed Roofs and Roof Trusses 

 294 pages. 306 illustrations. $3.00 



AVe forward these books postpaid to anv 

 address in the world upon receipt of the 

 advertised price. 



MUNN & CO., Inc. 



PUBLISHERS 



361 BROADWAY 

 NEW YORK, N. Y. 



a date, $50,000. "Receyyel of the History 

 of Troy," printed by William Caxton, the 

 first book in the English language, 

 $40,000. First edition of Chancers Cante- 

 bury Tales, 1478, $20,000. First edition 

 of Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte D'Ar- 

 thur," $20,000. "Book of the General 

 Laws of Massachusetts," 1648, first book 

 of laws printed in America, $20,000. 

 Bay Psalm Book, 1640 first book printed 

 in America, $10,000. First edition of 

 Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis," $10,- 

 000. Psalter of 1459, the best copy of 

 which is in the Morgan collection, 

 $10,000. 



L. R. S. : The small bronze object you 

 submit is an ancient roman arrangement 

 for suspending a lamp from an apart- 

 ment. It is not a tripod, although the 

 three sections are like three tripod legs. 

 The rings in which these terminate were 

 threaded with the cords which held the 

 lamp or lamps. The ring at the top is 

 missing. 



H. P. R.: The coin of the date March 

 28, 1811, which you submit is a silver 

 tesstoon of Columbia, issued upon the oc- 

 casion of the deliverance of Popayan by 

 Antonio Baraya from the Spanish rule. 

 It is described (No. 8219) by Jules 

 Fonrobert in "Catalogue of Coins of 

 Central and South America," published 

 by Adolph Weyl, Berlin, 1878. It would 

 bring between three and four dollars at 

 auction. 



M. C. M.: The pale buff colored paste 

 of the pound of the plate you describe 

 and the richness and purity of its glaze 

 immediately suggests that it is a genuine 

 example of the majolica of Castel Dur- 

 ante. Subject pieces do not appear to 

 have been so abundantly painted at 

 Castel Durante as at the neighboring fab- 

 riques, and such pieces to which the 

 lustre enrichment has been added are 

 still less frequent. Therefore your tazza, 

 if genuine would appear to be of decided 

 value. If you care to forward it for ex- 

 amination the Editor will be pleased to 

 submit a further opinion. 



D. M. Q.: The coin about which you ask 

 is the testone d'Argento of Galcas Marie 

 Sforza, Milan, 1468-1476, ascribed to 

 Leonardo da Vinci as its artist. It is 

 fully described by Christian Jurgensen 

 Thomson in his "Description Des 

 Monnaies du Moyen-Age," published in 

 1873. An unusually fine gold zecchino of 

 Peter Gradenigo, Doge of Venice (1289 

 A. D.) recently sold for $4.90, at the Will- 

 iam Appleton sale, in New York. A half 

 zecchino (gold) brought $3.00 at the 

 same sale, while $10.00 was paid for a 

 gold doppetta of 1814 (Ferdinand III, 

 Naples and Sicily) such as you enquire 

 about. 



L. R. C. : From a passage in Coryate's 

 Crudities, it has been imagined that its 

 author, the strange traveler of that 

 name, was the first to introduce the use 

 of the fork into England, in the begin- 

 ning of the seventeenth century. He says 

 that he observed its use in Italy only "be- 

 cause the Italian cannot by any means 

 endure to have his dish touched with 

 fingers, seeing all men's fingers are not 

 alike clean." These "little forks" were 

 usually made of iron or steel, but oc- 

 casionally also of silver. Coryate thought 

 good to imitate the Italian fashion. De- 

 spite Coryate's claim to attention, forks 

 were in use by the Anglo-Saxons 

 throughout the middle ages. 



N. P. R. : The portrait of the Prince 

 Consort never appeared upon the postage 

 stamps of Great Britain. In the early 

 days of postage, shortly after their in- 

 vention and introduction (England, 1810) 

 an "essay," as a proof of a projected pos- 

 tal issue is called was prepared and a 

 die engraved with a portrait of the Prince 

 Consort. The Editor has a fine copy of 

 this in his collection, but he doubts if 

 ever the Prince Consort essay was seri- 

 ously considered for issue and believes 

 this was engraved out of compliment to 

 Prince Albert. 



G. T. W.: In regard to the Reynold's 

 portrait, we would say if you will let us 

 know the exact size of the painting, its 

 condition and whether a full length or 

 bust portrait, we will be able to tell you 

 more definitely regarding its value as 

 that would depend upon the print and its 

 quality. 



J. G. C. : The ancient Roman glass pen- 

 dant you submit is interesting. Possibly 

 the representation of an animal in dis- 

 cernible relief is not that of a lion but of 

 a dog, which hypothesis is suggested by 

 the proximity of the star above the dog's 

 head. The great heat of the month of 

 July led to a superstition among the 

 Romans ; they conceived that this pre- 

 eminent warmth was connected in some 

 way with the rising and setting of the 

 star Canicula — the Little Dog — in co- 

 incidence with the sun. They accord- 

 ingly conferred the name of "Dog-Days" 

 upon the period between the 3d of July 

 and the 11th of August. (Horace makes 

 allusion to this in his address to the 

 Blandusian Fountain.) The utter base- 

 lessness of the Roman superstition has 

 well been shown by the ordinary process 

 of nature, for Canicula does not now rise 

 in coincidence with the sun until the end 

 of August, while, of course, the days be- 

 tween the 3d of July and the 11th of 

 August are what they have ever been. 

 The force of the Roman superstition is 

 thus brought home to us by such a stray 

 object as the little antique Roman bead 

 you submit. 



N. E. W. : The reference to Walpole's 

 silver owls is an obscure one, but the 

 Editor ventures to believe that the "silver 

 owls" in question were not, as you sug- 

 gest, old crests, but were the pair of 

 curious silver owls inventoried with 

 Walpole's effects as being the ones seated 

 on perches formed into whistles, which 

 were blown by the master when he 

 wished to call the servants to him. These 

 famous owls were quaint specimens of 

 the workmanship of the early part of the 

 seventeenth century. They figured in 

 the Strawberry Hill sale in 1842 and 

 brought a price above their weight in 

 gold. The Editor believes these must 

 be the silver owls about which you seek 

 information. 



W. P. B. : There is no authentic por- 

 trait of John Hart, signer of the Decla- 

 ration of Independence existing. 



J. E. L. : It is possible to obtain a 

 genuine specimen of an engraved hema- 

 tite seal of the Babylonian period for 

 twelve or fifteen dollars, but such objects 

 are becoming more difficult to obtain 

 every year. They should be purchased 

 only from reliable dealers. 



C. B. : A fine specimen of John Howard 

 Payne's autograph (an autograph letter 

 signed) is worth from ten to twenty dol- 



