No artifact of the Dutch expresses the essence of their culture more dramatically than their surviving architecture. Dutch houses and barns are the largest and most complex objects surviving from their historic period and as such are subject to the most informative interpretation of domestic life and economy. A major theme of this book is historic preservation. For this reason alone far less attention has been paid to the preservation of Dutch structures. Scholarship helps to correct this imbalance in the facts, but what really inspires people is when they become excited, when their feelings are touched, that is when they become inspired to do something.
Nothing does that in print better than an exciting, evocative, book in color.
For example, Dutch barns are truly an endangered artifact. There are no more than 500 remaining of the thousands extant at the beginning of this century. Here we show Dutch barns which are well preserved, derelict, restored, and adapted to living and work. As a source for inspiration the format of the book is primarily visual. Each chapter is introduced with a brief discussion of the central themes of regional settlement and how Dutch traditions accommodated to regional resources resulting distinctive house types and outbuildings.