First line: The fascination with all things miniature stretches back into antiquity.

Summary: In this book we get a look into the history, design and details about dolls’ houses from the earliest to most recent editions. The author describes in detail the different trends and famous houses around Europe.

My Thoughts: This was a wonderful little read. I had a doll house growing up that my grandfather made for me. It was so neat and beautiful. We played with it and bought lots of furniture. Then while my family was in England we got to see Queen Mary’s dolls’ house. I was very interested to learn about the cabinet houses. I had never heard of anything like them but they were beautiful. And the fact that they were made for adults! I can see where the appeal is though.

I was constantly looking up the historic houses and more of their history. I was a little disappointed that there were no photos while reading the book but there were some at the end which was nice to see. I would love to visit and see some of these beautiful toys.

FYI: Great for lovers of dolls’ houses and social history.

I've had a life-long love of dollhouses, growing up with a grandmother who adored making them. So it was fascinating to get a glimpse at the history of them in this book. A little dry at times, it was fun to read about how they didn't even start out as a children's toy (that came later, in the 19th century). A well-researched read for anyone who cares about dollhouses.