Mark Hampton on Decorating

This is a collection of the monthly columns written by the author over a three-year period for House & Garden , plus additional material written especially for the book. Designed and illustrated by Hampton himself, the book is visually attractive. Unfortunately, the text is little more than a tour of the decorating styles of the rich and famous. The author's knowledge of his field is obvious, and his opinions are informed, but the rather breathless, gushy style that works in a popular magazine column does not carry over well as a serious book. Offering little real substance, the chapters all sound the same. Not an essential purchase.
- Constance Ashmore Fairchild, Univ. of Illinois Lib., Urbana-Champaign