The Big House In Ireland: An Illustrated Anthology

England: Cassell, 2000. Book. Illus. by Thomas Pakenham. Near Fine. Hardcover. First UK Edition. 250mm x 295mm. Minimal wear to jacket. No tears. Book very clean. Binding tight. 192pp An illustrated anthology that creates a unique documentary history of the life in the Irish country house over 400 years. Sumptuously illustrated with contemporary paintings, drawings, photographs and caricatures, as well as new photographs by Thomas Pakenham. Organized thematically, the first section is about the building of the big houses and layouts of their parks and gardens, their furnishings, plumbing and heating (or the lack of them...). The second part is devoted to the private lives of those who lived there with the stock characters in duels, adultery, abductions, family feuds, and extravagant hospitality, as well as relations with their retainers and servants, quite different from the English life below stairs. The third section covers the relation of the big house to the world outside its gates: the response to the Great Famine, the Land Wars, the Troubles, and, finally, the recent renaissance of the Irish country house in the 21st century. Many specific Big Houses are examined, along with their respective families, including Pakenham Hall, now known as Tullynully.