FROM THE BOOKSTORE

There are a lot of books dealing with the decoration and life within the Victorian house. The Dover reprints are, of course a great resource.
I've read many books from my local libraries and every once in a while I'll find one that I have to buy simply because I thought it was so good and I knew I'd refer to it over and over. Here are some books that I've bought within the last couple years, so they are available in bookstores now. See if your library has copies.

Inside The Victorian Home, A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England
Judith Flanders
The best book I've read about the Victorian home and it's inhabitants. This is written primarily about the middle, and upper middle classes, but gives a fascinating view of the era,. Much of the information is applicable to the USA also.

Victorian Interior Decoration
Gail Caskey Winkler and Roger W. Moss
Covers the decoration of American interiors from 1830 to 1900. The best book of it's kind I have run across.It is set up 1830-1850, then 1850-1870. etc.It covers just about everything you could want to know about the subject.

Open House, a Guided Tour of the American Home 1637- Present
Merritt Ierley
This book answers all kinds of questions about heat, lights, indoor plumbing, bathing, building houses and the kitchen sink. I found it truly interesting.

Victorian Gothic, an Architectural and Interior Design Source Book
Linda Osband
Page after page of color photographs and sketches of rooms and furnishings and other assorted details.

The Rise and Fall of the Victorian servant
Pamela Horn
What was the life of an English Victorian servant really like? If you found the information about kitchens and other sundry day to day details interesting, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

By the way, I recently found a great source for old books, the Maine Statewide Library catalog. I can browse the catalog online and order books to be delivered to a participating library. I can order a book that's in the U of Maine Library or the library of some other town, and as soon as it's available, they send it to my closest participating library which happens to be in the town next door.
Check and see if your state has something similar.