Farm - The vernacular tradition of working Buildings

Far from the great highways, the traveller in North America will happen time and again on idyllically situated farmsteads with barns and outbuildings grouped harmoniously around them. Most of these buildings were not built to any formal plans or architects' drawings. The farmers themselves designed and equipped their farms according to their needs and financial resources.

The farm, together with its outbuildings, constituted a small but autonomous community with the family home at its centre. The most important outbuilding was the barn, where livestock was housed and stores were kept. These complexes acquired their characteristic style during the period when European migrants were settling the land. To the visitor today, they thus afford an insight into the history and making of American culture. With it's 290 illustrations, this book gives a vivid impression of everyday life on farms where the American dream could still be dreamt.