The giant-magnetoresistance cubic perovskite oxides of the type can be tailored by layering with additional sheets. The layered manganese oxides, , produce variants that adopt the structure for n = 1 and n = 2 similar to that of the high- cuprates, and exhibit interesting properties. Single crystals of the two-layer (n = 2) perovskites of the type have been grown by the floating-zone method using an infra-red image furnace. Large crystals could be cleaved from the boules grown.