The Houseboat Book (Hardcover)

by Barbara Flanagan (Author), Andrew Garn (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Jump into the cold water, right off the front porch, for an early swim; take hot coffee alfresco in a rooftop deck chair as the sunrise lights a panorama of sea birds and skyline; then, kayak off to a meeting downtown.

Live on a houseboat and you see wildlife and city life converge to make every day feel like vacation. That's what they say. Thousands of permanent water citizens-ranging from young tycoons to elder hippies-have rejected big houses, chattel, and land for the rich neighborhood life of dense residential marinas. This isn't a lifestyle look, it's the real thing. Adventurous living: independent, expressive, and fun.

The most comprehensive book on the floating dwellings of North America, The Houseboat Book reveals intriguing villages (floating on century-old cedar logs, concrete barges, Styrofoam blocks, plastic barrels, fiberglass, and painted wood) in British Columbia, Canada, and in Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey. One sees wonderfully inventive architecture-a thatched cabana in paradisiacal Key West, a barged train car (as family home/circus stage) in industrial Brooklyn-imaginative design at its best.


About the Author
Barbara Flanagan, a writer and designer, trained as an architect at Yale. She has written a column for the New York Times and contributed to House & Garden, Elle Décor, and Architectural Digest. She is designing a progressive, hi-lo tech, off-the-grid houseboat to be moored in North America. She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Andrew Garn is a photographer who has worked for magazines such as New York, Elle Décor, House & Garden, Fortune, the New York Times Magazine, and Metropolitan Home. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Universe (January 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078930967X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789309679
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,307,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Gift Book, January 4, 2004

By	"keeker56" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I gave this book to a few close friends for the holidays. I have never had such great feedback about a giftbook. The book is not only beautiful to look at, but it contains such great details, history, and stories about houseboats and their owners. I definitely give this 5 stars!! I look forward to Flanagan's next book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, May 31, 2004

By	Kathy Baker (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

Awesome -- That's all I can say. If you're interested in houseboats for any reason, this is your book.
History, information, great writing, and awesome photography! This one interests everyone.
Great coffee table book.
Kathy -- neighbor to "The Lindner House" featured in the book.
p.s. If you live in the Portland, Sausalito, or Seattle Houseboat communities, you will especially enjoy this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, July 23, 2008

By	Cynthia Mayville "just me" (Taylor, Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Houseboat Book (Paperback)

This book is beautifully done. Marvelous pictures and descriptions of a variety of houseboats. It gives real insight into a lifestyle that few of us will ever experience. Someday I hope to become a part of this very small but extremely interesting lifestyle...