Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / AASLH
Pages: 336
Trim: 5¾ x 9
978-0-7591-0251-4 • Paperback • November 2002 • $55.00 • (£42.00)
978-0-7591-1641-2 • eBook • November 2002 • $52.00 • (£40.00)
Jessica Foy Donnelly was curator of collections at the McFaddin-Ward House for twelve years, during which time she co-edited American Home Life, 1880-1930: A Social History of Spaces and Services and The Arts and the American Home, 1890-1930. She is currently working on various house museum projects and previously worked for Old Salem, Inc., in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She received her B.A. in American studies and English from Salem College in Winston-Salem, and her M.A. in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York at Oneonta.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2
Chapter 1: Past, Present, and Future: The Place of the House Museum in the Museum Community
Chapter 3
Chapter 2: Interpretation Planning: Why and How
Chapter 4
Chapter 3: Interpreting the Whole House
Chapter 5
Chapter 4: Making Gender Matter: Interpreting Male and Female Roles in Historic House Museums
Chapter 6
Chapter 5: Grounds for Interpretation: The Landscape Context of Historic House Museums
Chapter 7
Chapter 6: The Historic House Furnishings Plan: Process and Product
Chapter 8
Chapter 7: I Wish You Could Take a Peek at Us at the Present Moment: Infusing the Historic House with Characters and Activity
Chapter 9
Chapter 8: Balancing Our Commitments: Access and Historic Preservation
Chapter 10
Chapter 9: Historic House Tours that Succeed: Choosing the Best Tour Approach
Chapter 11
Chapter 10: Creating Memorable Visits: How to Develop and Implement Theme-Based Tours
Chapter 12
Chapter 11: Engaging Visitors Through Effective Communication
Chapter 13
Chapter 12: Building a Took Kit for Your Interpreters
Chapter 14
Chapter 13: Endless Possibilities: Historic House Museum Programs that Make Educators Sing
Chapter 15
Chapter 14: Programming at the Shadows: Education with a Mission
The book is a volume in the American Association for State and Local History Book Series and will be of interest to museum professionals as well as anyone who enjoys visiting historic house musems.....
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For those of us involved in interpreting house museums, this is the selection to make. . . . We now have a new body of guidance and encouragement as we work to locate a vital cutural niche for house museums in the twenty-first century. It is clear that if house museums are to remain viable, we must be able to assert their relevance and purpose to new audiences in a new century. Donnelly calls it a 'fundamental question of survival'. . . . Interpreting Historic House Museums highlights how crucial it will be to create and sustain a network of communication between people working with historic house museums in order to 'meet with vigor the interpretive challenges that lie ahead.'''
— Patricia West
A collection of essays that achieves a balance between theories and their practical applications . . . Interpreting Historic House Museums covers a lot of territory and brings the profession up to speed on recent interpretive innovations. . . . Theessays are thought-provoking and vivid illustrations of a variety of tours and educational programs. Interpreting Historic House Museums demonstrates just how diverse and exciting the stories of historic house museums can be....
— Jennifer Pustz
Lively and relevant...a compendium of bright ideas for enlivening house museums...[has] novel contributions to the house museum literature.....
— Linda Young
This book is a really practical resource for anyone involved in the interpretation of historic houses. It reminds us of the need to look at familiar issues with new perspectives and new methods to meet the sophisticated demands of today's visitors. The discussion of contemporary issues and successful programmes, practical guidelines and information make this a useful book for both students and practising professionals....
— Ruth Taylor