author
Phil M. (Phil Madison) Riley
b. 1882
Best known for richly illustrated books on early American buildings and craftsmen, this early-20th-century writer helped bring the architecture of Salem and Philadelphia to a wider audience. His work blends local history, preservation interest, and a clear admiration for colonial design.
1 Audiobook
The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia
by Frank Cousins, Phil M. (Phil Madison) Riley
About the author
Born in 1882, Phil Madison Riley is credited as the co-author of several books on American architectural history, especially studies centered on New England and Philadelphia. Surviving catalog records consistently identify him as "Phil M. (Phil Madison) Riley" and link him with a small group of substantial works from the 1910s and 1920s.
Riley is best known for collaborations with photographer and architectural historian Frank Cousins. Together they produced The Wood-Carver of Salem: Samuel McIntire, His Life and Work (1916), The Colonial Architecture of Salem (1919), and The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia (1920). These books focus on historic buildings, carved detail, and the lives and work behind early American architecture, showing a strong interest in preservation as well as visual documentation.
Little else could be confirmed here about Riley's personal life, but his published work suggests a writer deeply engaged with the architectural past of the United States. For listeners drawn to local history, craftsmanship, and old buildings, his books offer a window into how Americans in the early 20th century looked back at their colonial heritage.