Stripping plaster walls

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I live in a 63 year old home, and love it more everyday. It truly IS built like a rock; partly due to the plaster walls. I am, admittedly, a bit obsessive (and hard-headed), so when everyone told me to forget stripping the four layers of wallpaper and seven layers of paint from my plaster walls, I just refused to listen.
Now, I have beautifully smooth walls that look just as they did 60 years ago. I cannot guarantee the same results for everyone, but this is what I did.
First, vinyl wallpaper is tough stuff, and must essentially be removed a layer at a time. Then, you can deal with the paint underneath in two ways: patching, or stripping. After trying several different methods (all while wearing dust masks, and without small children in the home: chipping, sanding, etc., I found that the best, and easiest method is chemical paint stripper. As it turns out, plaster is very chemical resistant. I worked my way around my room, painting from bottom to top, in floor to ceiling strips about four feet wide. Then, simply waited until the paint bubbled, and scraped it off with a putty knife. Once I got the hang of it, it was actually quite simple.
Just a word of caution.... always ventilate well, and wear a respirator when working with chemicals. Also, cover the floor very well. Forget the cheap plastic "drop cloths". I've found that cheap (thicker) shower curtains (from the dollar store) covered with newspaper work well.
Good luck!