Barn: The Art of a Working Building (Hardcover)

by Alexander Greenwood (Author), David Larkin (Author), Elric Endersby (Author) "A PROUD SILHOUETTE looming on the landscape, solitary or surrounded by ells, lean-tos, silos, or sheds, the barn commands attention, respect, even reverence..." (more)
Key Phrases: mow poles, early barns, barn form, New England, New York, New World Dutch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Symbols of harvest, shelter, honest effort, and quintessential Americana, barns are the epitome of North American vernacular architecture. Barn , a loving tribute to these simple yet powerful structures, contains an informed text by practitioners of barn restoration who treat barns as historical, architectural, and cultural entities. Sections deal with European origins, New World barns, barn raising, and restoration. Some 200 evocative color photos, illuminating diagrams, and overall careful design will appeal to a wide range of readers on many levels. Endersby's Barn is highly recommended for academic and larger public collections. The Pennsylvania Barn focuses on a single type: the forebay bank, or Pennsylvania-German barn, evolved from 18th-century Swiss and German models, which has enriched agricultural landscapes across a broad region of the United States and Canada. Ensminger (geography, Kutztown Univ.) has written a scholarly inquiry of value to cultural and historical geographers, regional folklorists, and students of rural American architecture. The detailed text is enhanced by more than 40 maps and diagrams and 150 photos. This specialized study expands Joseph Glass's The Pennsylvania Culture Region: A View from the Barn (UMI Res. Pr., 1986). LeRoy Schultz's Barns, Stables, and Outbuildings (McFarland, 1986) provides a useful bibliography, and Ernest Burden's Living Barns (N.Y. Graphic Soc., 1984) covers barn restoration, remodeling, and conservation. -- Russell T. Clement, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Symbols of harvest, shelter, honest effort, and quintessential Americana, barns are the epitome of North American vernacular architecture. Barn , a loving tribute to these simple yet powerful structures, contains an informed text by practitioners of barn restoration who treat barns as historical, architectural, and cultural entities. Sections deal with European origins, New World barns, barn raising, and restoration. Some 200 evocative color photos, illuminating diagrams, and overall careful design will appeal to a wide range of readers on many levels. Endersby's Barn is highly recommended for academic and larger public collections. The Pennsylvania Barn focuses on a single type: the forebay bank, or Pennsylvania-German barn, evolved from 18th-century Swiss and German models, which has enriched agricultural landscapes across a broad region of the United States and Canada. Ensminger (geography, Kutztown Univ.) has written a scholarly inquiry of value to cultural and historical geographers, regional folklorists, and students of rural American architecture. The detailed text is enhanced by more than 40 maps and diagrams and 150 photos. This specialized study expands Joseph Glass's The Pennsylvania Culture Region: A View from the Barn (UMI Res. Pr., 1986). LeRoy Schultz's Barns, Stables, and Outbuildings (McFarland, 1986) provides a useful bibliography, and Ernest Burden's Living Barns (N.Y. Graphic Soc., 1984) covers barn restoration, remodeling, and conservation. -- Russell T. Clement, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

  (Library Journal )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (November 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395573726
• ISBN-13: 978-0395573723
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #54 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > International > United States

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barn, the art of a working building, June 17, 2000

By	Chuck Kimball (julian, ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is truely an inspiration... the images and descriptions will bring great memories of Barns to your mind, will bring tears to your eyes if you spent childhood fantasies in "the barn", and might inspire you to save, build, or restore a barn someday... thank you Elric, Alexander , and David, whoever and wherever you are for presenting such a work...It stays on the table, within easy reach...

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Ever Barn Book, January 3, 2001

By	James T. Justice "[e-mail]" (Manchester, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Endersby and fellow authors, using an intelligent combination of pictures, drawings, and text to successfully depict both finished buildings and structural detail, have written the definitive book on barns. They trace the lineage of American barns from their European roots in a lively, readable, informative format. In addition to it's functional qualities, the book is quite handsome, a stunning addition to the library of anyone who likes barns. Quite simply, this is the best book on barns I have ever seen.