Cape May: Victorians By the Sea

Most likely when you or I think of a "charming cottage" we have in mind something that is bigger than a breadbox but smaller than a two car garage. For the 19th-century Victorian-influenced architects that built the houses featured on this guide to the historic homes of Cape May, NJ, however, a "cottage" could be a 3-story mansion replete with a pair of Gothic towers, a wrap-around (and ornately decorated) porch, and more turrets than you'd find on an invading force of Abrams tanks. One of the playgrounds of the rich, the Cape May houses were examples of Theodore Veblen's "conspicuous consumption" writ very large. Combining historic letter excerpts with background information, Cape May takes viewers on an amenable tour of some 50 homes--mostly shown from the outside, but with a handful of rewarding peeks inside. A good choice for comprehensive travel collections. Recommended. (R. Pitman)