Spenser had a simple job-protect an art scholar during a ransom exchange for a stolen painting. No one was supposed to die. But the scholar had secrets no one knew, and uncovering them will endanger Spenser as well.

An illustrated guide to the colorful painted Victorian homes of San Francisco.

A tour of the astonishing and stunning newly painted Victorian homes now beautifying all of the United States as ancestors of the original Painted Ladies of San Francisco! 172 full-color photographs.

Now, the long-awaited companion to Painted Ladies, Daughters of Painted Ladies, and Painted Ladies Revisited is available in paperback. Presents a dazzling orgy of Victoriana inside and out with more than 400 color photographs of Painted Ladies across the country.

We follow the fortunes of Marie Triepcke and her entourage as she builds her life, first in Paris where she studies art, then through her numerous visits to Skagen, her marriage to Krøyer - and its failure - and her encounter with her subsequent partner, musician Hugo Alvén. We recognise Marie's mettle early on when she persuades her family that she should study in Paris

Karen Halttunen draws a vivid picture of the social and cultural development of the upwardly mobile middle class, basing her study on a survey of the conduct manuals and fashion magazines of mid-nineteenth-century America. "An ingenious book: original, inventive, resourceful, and exciting. ... This book adds immeasurably to the current work on sentimental culture and American cultural history and brings to its task an inquisitive, fresh, and intelligent perspective. ... Essential reading for historians, literary critics, feminists, and cultural commentators who wish to study mid-nineteenth-century American culture and its relation to contemporary values."--Dianne F. Sadoff, American Quarterly "A compelling and beautifully developed study. ... Halttunen provides us with a subtle book that gently unfolds from her mastery of the subject and intelligent prose."--Paula S. Fass, Journal of Social History "Halttunen has done her homework--the research has been tremendous, the notes and bibliography are impressive, and the text is peppered with hundreds of quotes--and gives some real insight into an area of American culture and history where we might have never bothered to look."--John Hopkins, Times Literary Supplement "The kind of imaginative history that opens up new questions, that challenges conventional historical understanding, and demonstrates how provocative and exciting cultural history can be."--William R. Leach, The New England Quarterly "A stunning contribution to American cultural history."--Alan Trachtenberg

How to paint and decorate elaborately.