American Home: From Colonial Simplicity to the Modern Adventure

Nowhere else in the world can compare with the incredible array of domestic architecture in America. It sometimes seems that there are as many styles of houses as there are actual number of houses. While the earliest American houses were largely derived from English or Dutch prototypes, the diversity for which America is so celebrated soon emerged, reflecting mostly how Americans used their homes, as well as local and regional tastes and vernacular and folk origins from around the world. The variety and dynamism in the style of homes in that emerging pluralistic society marches on today in homes designed by adventuresome architects and clients.In this extraordinary celebration of the American house, renowned author David Larkin, with commentary by some of today's leading architectural historians and critics, examines the paths that have led to distinctively American homes. Special attention is given to examining details of the makeup of each house as well as the functions of "the home"