Daughters of Painted Ladies: America's Resplendent Victorians

Painted Ladies, the authors' 1978 homage to San Francisco's multicolored Victorian houses, inspired many homeowners elsewhere to forsake traditional gray or white housepaint in favor of a more colorful pallette. In this sequel, Pomada and Larsen show examples of Victorian houses across America, the criterion of inclusion being the use of at least three contrasting shades of paint (some use more than 30). As the authors rightly point out, no two of the houses are exactly alike. They range from tastfully exuberant (the Octagon House in Irvington, N.Y.) to sedately tonal (a Queen Anne-style house in Salem, Ind.) to just plain garish. Pomada and Larsen laud such ""creative'' touches as signing one's house as a work of art and are particularly fond of ``interpretations'' of 19th century colors. Still, the text is loaded with information and gives helpful tips about embarking on the daunting job of creating a Painted Lady. (October)