Most Popular Books by David Larkin

Discusses the Shaker''s origins, beliefs, work, and daily life. Over 200 color photographs illustrate their architecture and furniture.

The American countryside attracted European settlers in search of rich farmland. Bringing with them the architectural ideas of their native countries, but few highly skilled craftsmen and a lack of sophisticated tools, they developed a more simplified building style. Often an entire community was called upon to participate in the building of a house, barn, or church, and the traditions of the diverse cultures were combined to produce a unique American form.

Here is the successor to COUNTRY WISDOM, the first in David Larkin''s informative series about country ways and country life. COUNTRY ACRES takes the reader from country house to its outbuildings--barns, sheds, cribs--and on to its gardens, fields, trees, and ponds. In his charming fashion, Larkin offers information and guidance for country lovers of all levels of sophistication. 200 color photos.

"The use of earth as a building material is as old as civilization. For the twentieth-century American, the process is most familiar in the sun-dried brick called adobe and the architectural style characteristic of the desert Southwest and the mission buildings of California." "Here, in more than two hundred pictures and a lucid, informed text, is the story of building and living with earth - from North and West Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, from the centuries-old Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe to the modern homes of the wealthy in the hills near Taos." "Essential to the story of adobe is the experience of construction itself, which is a communal act - families and friends engaged in the making of bricks and the raising of walls and rafters (called vigas), and the unique skill of applying the protective and beautifying plaster, a task often left to the talented women known as enjaradoras." "Adobe describes the wide variety of earthen architecture: the stark grandeur of the Taos pueblo; light-filled artists'' studios; the typical hacienda with its living spaces surrounding a sunlit courtyard; and new houses designed to maintain a tradition yet providing abundant comfort and pleasure."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Describes the natural surroundings that are a benefit of country living, tells how to spot wildlife and useful wild plants, and discusses edible plants, mushrooms, maple syrup, fruit, and nuts

From the New England saltbox to the Pennsylvania Dutch, from the southern colonial to the western ranch, the American farmhouse is an icon of our history and our traditions of hearth and home, an architectural entity in and of itself, as well as a highly coveted retreat for country dwellers. Conveyed throughout Farmhouse: Country Retreats in both images and words are the many qualities that make farmhouses special and the importance and pleasures of preserving and restoring these homes.Evocative images and lively descriptive commentary combine to create a fascinating inside look at what it is like to live in farmhouses across America-for those who are ready to inhabit these one-of-a-kind treasures with their singular histories or for those who are dreaming about it. Interspersed are detailed black and white drawings that reveal how these unique architectural styles originated and developed. In addition, a practical guide to choosing and living in a farmhouse is provided. Featured is a wealth of information about evaluating building elements, including roofs, windows, chimneys, and cellars; upgrading fireplaces and stoves for heat and utilizing porches and verandas for cooling; decorating with complementary and appropriate furnishings and wall coverings; and keeping the integrity and history of the buildings intact. More than two hundred photographs and drawings capture the essence of the American farmhouse in all of its charming, rustic glory.

The architecture of great homes became a fascinating and significant art form in twentieth-century America with such icons of modernism as Frank Lloyd Wright''s Fallingwater, Philip Johnson''s Glass House, and Frank Gehry''s personal residence. This lavishly illustrated volume, the newest title in the Universe architecture series, is a condensed and updated edition of the bestselling book of the same name. Twenty-five of America''s finest masterpieces of modern residential architecture are presented with rich color photographs, accompanied by text that explores each house in depth and discusses its place in the progression of American architecture. Compact and very reasonably priced, this book is ideal for students and all enthusiasts of twentieth-century design.

In this text, the authors take readers on a tour of American barns, with all new information and photographs. It is a complete geographic history of American barns from Colonial times to the present and examines the design styles these structures have undergone.

An oversized (91/4x121/4") book with over 150 exquisite photographs displaying the works and techniques of 17 self-taught artists from the mountains between Virginia and Alabama. The sparse but well written text traces each artist''s background and inspiration. Includes sculptors, painters, carvers, and basket weavers using materials from their environment. No index or bibliography. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Devoted to the origins, elements, and forms of this graceful, efficient style.

The counterpart to his bestselling "Barn: The Art of a Working Building", this latest book from Larkin tours the intriguing architecture of 18th- and 19th-century windmills, watermills, gristmills, and other kinds of naturally powered buildings. The buildings are documented in 200 color photographs and detailed floor plans.

From 19th-century Shaker communities came beautifully crafted buildings, furniture, tools, and other artifacts admired throughout the world. In the tradition of its bestselling predecessor Shaker: Life, Work, and Art, this book evokes the very special flavor of the Shaker way of life. 52 full-color illustrations.