Log Cabins and Cottages: How to Build and Furnish Them

by William S. Wicks

This reprint captures the resurgence of people migrating to the woods looking for change, recuperation, pleasure, and health. Whether you have a log home or share the dream of owning one, this is the perfect addition to your library.

90 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 1908

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Log Cabins and Cottages is pretty short overall. It has maybe around 40 to 45 readable pages, with about half being text and the other half being images. The drawings are extremely well done, and honestly, I’d love to try to replicate that style at some point. If I separate the drawings from the actual content of the book, I’d say the book itself is just alright. I’d probably give it a 7 out of 10, or maybe a 6.5, because it feels like it’s basically an instruction manual on how to make a cottage. Not an official one, but more like something written by someone who does this as a hobby.

The first half, especially the first 25 pages, was pretty good. As an architecture student, I can definitely see the value in people reading this if they actually want to build a log cabin. Some of it was stuff I already knew, but it still went by fast and was decent to read. The last 15 pages, though, felt a lot less useful. Once he finishes explaining how to build the log cabin itself, he shifts into furnishing and detailing, like talking about brooms, door fasteners, window latches, and small accessories that don’t really feel that important. A lot of those things are stuff you can just buy rather than make. Overall, it’s a nice, quick book, but I wouldn’t really recommend it if you’re trying to seriously learn how to build a log cabin, there are better YouTube videos and more official books out there. But if you’re reading it for the drawings alone, those are honestly the best part.