Customer Reviews

Vernacular Architecture (Material Culture)

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This book works very well as an introduction to vernacular architecture. It does, indeed, offer a leisurely stroll through the scholarship on vernacular architecture by demonstrating ways to read buildings in relation to American history. The approach works very well as a way to train one's eye to look at buildings, and the focus provides good ways to connect the various elements of design to wider issues about social history and cultural change -- and continuity. It's also a beautiful book to read. I especially like the way that the photographs are integrated into the text. This type of layout takes a great deal of planning, and the illustrations really support and embellish the writing. There are numerous comparisons to show how American buildings are related to various styles in England, Ireland, Turkey, Bangladesh, and various and sundry places around the world. These comparisions are designed more to illuminate an understanding of American architectural forms and to show origins of various styles rather than to provide an in-depth understanding of global history. The overall method, however, can be applied to learning about buildings in any-place.