Barns (Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks)
“A work that exceeds the expectations of the most demanding historians of American rural studies…throughly researched from an impeccable list of sources and interpreted in a lively style that engages both the academic and the casual reader.” (Bright Eastman - TDSR)“Impressive...well arranged...These rich images provide fascinating glimpses into the character of the American landscape…through its great breadth there is no doubt thatBarnswill play a very important role in helping to provide for better public recognition and appreciation of one of America's most threatened cultural resources.” (Thomas D. Visett - APT Bulletin)“A treasury of fabulous photographs…being a comprehensive and unique visual resource,Barnswill be invaluable to students, educators, researchers, historians, and lovers of barns.” (R. P. Meden - Choice)“Barns....is the first (one hopes of many) in the Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebook Series. Vlach (George Washington Univ.) presents a captivating visual perspective on American history through one if its cultural and architectural landmarks. Tapping into the holdings of the Library of Congress, the book contains more than 800 illustrations. The book offers a treasury of fabulous photographs as well as plans and elevations, with captions that furnish relevant information about each building. The accompanying CD-ROM contains high-quality, downloadable versions of all the illustrations, including a direct link to the Library's online searchable catalogs and image files, which compromise the hundreds of thousands of high-resolution photographs, measured drawings, and data files in the Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, and other collections. Being a comprehensive and unique visual resource, Barns will be invaluable to students, educators, researchers, historians, and lovers of barns.” (Choice)“It's not that I don't treasure my urban roots or the convenience of technology . . . It's that I carry with me, as I suspect we all do, some nostalgia not only for my own childhood but also the childhood of the country.  That's what Vlach has collected inBarns.  And even if the ladders in our childhood memories grow smaller as the years go by, his book is a reminder of just how tall they once were.” (Alicia Anstead - Bangor Daily News)“Any barn enthusiast will be fascinated by its depth and breadth.” (This Old House)“[A] tour de force…History and architecture buffs and scholars alike will valuable information in this book.” (Martha McDonald - Clem Labine's Period Homes)