What's In Their Library: Adam Lewis Part I

In my own library, Adam Lewis' books are amongst my most treasured. It's not just because the subjects- Van Day Truex, Albert Hadley, Billy Baldwin, and the lady decorators- are near and dear to my heart. I think that the other reason is that the books are both well-researched and well-written. They are the kind of design books that appeal to those of us interested in design history as well as readers who only want striking photos. In fact, I have two copies each of Albert Hadley: The Story of America's Preeminent Interior Designer and Billy Baldwin: The Great American Decorator. Why? I guess it's because it gives me comfort knowing that I have multiple copies...just in case. I had the opportunity to hear Adam's lecture on Billy Baldwin last Fall, and it was one of the most interesting lectures that I've attended in quite some time. If you get the chance to hear to him speak, I highly recommend doing so.

Because Adam has an impressive design library (you can see part of it for yourself on his New York Social Diary feature), I thought that he would be a great person to profile in my book series. Adam was most generous in his list, providing me with titles of many, many favorite design books. He told me that I was free to edit his list down to ten or so, and although at first I thought about doing, I decided against it. How could I? As Adam said, returning to these particular books time and time again is like visiting an old friend. And really, how I could omit some of these important friends from his list? So, I've divided Adam's favorite books into two posts. I hope that you enjoy this list as much as I did. My book wish list just got considerably longer.




IN/EX by Marcel Wolterinck.




Wolterinck by Marcel Wolterinck.




Colefax and Fowler: The Best in Interior Decoration by Chester Jones.





The Finest Houses Of Paris by Christiane de Nicolai-Mazery and Jean-Bernard Naudin.





Living By Design by John Stefanidis.





House and Garden's Best in Decoration by the editors of House & Garden.





Manhattan Style by John Esten, Rose Bennett Gilbert, and George Chinsee.





The Givenchy Style by Francoise Mohrt.




Interiors by Min Hogg.





Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler by Patricia Corbett.





Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors by Armelle Baron.





Interior Inspirations by Roger Banks-Pye.





Living With Antiques, edited by Alice Winchester and the Staff of Antiques Magazine





Treasure Rooms of America's Mansions Manors and Houses by Rita Reif.





In an Irish House by Sybil Connolly.




The Greater Perfection by Francis Cabot.





English Elegance by Judy Brittain and Patrick Kinmonth.






The Architecture of Delano & Aldrich by Peter Pennoyer and Anne Walker.




Architecture of Mott B. Schmidt by Mark Alan Hewitt.




The Houses of McKim, Mead & White by Samuel G. White.