Tuscan Elements (Decor Best-Sellers)
There is something enchanting about Tuscany that has seduced the famous and just-ordinary folks for centuries, from Pliny the Younger to D. H. Lawrence and other personalities of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Black, with great assistance from photographer Simon McBride, captures the essence of northern Italy's magic by her exposition on four elements: stone, wood, earth, and water. What that involves is a historical and natural overview of the material, an examination of its uses in recent centuries, and then page after page of glorious color photographs. Yet it's not just pretty pictures. We learn about the differences between white Carrara marble and other quarried stones. The wood chapter details the trees throughout the region, with close-ups of applications, like the ubiquitouscassone,or storage chest. And water contrasts the still ponds and fountains of villas with the hot spas of Montecatini and other natural resorts. Dream on, architects, designers, and travelers. Glossary appended.Barbara JacobsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved