Book Description
Until Jamestown was established, nothing in North America grew taller than the native forests, grasses, and mountains. Beginning in 1620, the settlers who plowed the indigenous sod also dotted the virgin landscapes with towering, stately structures, the likes of which had never before been seen on the continent. This photo/essay treatment of barns in America is arranged by the five distinct roof styles that have largely come to define American barns, presenting six 20-page spreads detailing the Dutch, bank, crib, round, and prairie styles. The result captures the pastiche of rural America through stunning photography, conveying everything from stone barns in hard-scrabble Maine to thoroughbred barns in the lush bluegrass regions, to traditional Gambrel-roofed red barns in the Midwest. Regions represented include New England, the Southeast, the mid-South, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, the desert Southwest, and California. There is an in depth examination of how styles developed out of necessity and anecdotes from those who work and live on farms.
Barns: Styles & Structures FROM THE PUBLISHER
Rugged, stately structures pepper the rural landscape to provide shelter for animals, storage for feed, and once stood as a testament of a farmer's success. Barns: Styles and Structures explores the architecture of these buildings. The differnt barn styles come from various regions of the world. As the settlers moved to start a new life, they took the ideas from their homeland and adapted the barns to fit the specific needs of their farm and new surroundings. Over 150 photographs feature barns from all over North America in various conditions; some are abandoned after years of use, and some are pristine, working farms. No matter what these structures hold or what condition they are in, they are architectural marvels that have become an icon for the rural lifestyle.