China's Vernacular Architecture: House Form and Culture

Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1989. First ed., first printing (full number line). Large octavo with light brown boards and red foil spine title; red endpapers; xi, 195 pages: illustrations; glossary; index; 25 cm Near fine; small white scuffs on rear board; pages are clean and binding tight. No jacket. Hardcover. ISBN: 0824812042

Fascinating photographs, drawings and commentary. "This is not a book about ancient buildings in rural China, nor does it focus on the lavish homes of wealthy Chinese. Presented here are the contrasts between the old and new, the conventional and the extraordinary, the inherited and the innovated, as these are seen today in the countryside of Zhejiang province. [...] Many of the dwellings discussed in this book are of little architectural or historical significance. Yet even the simplest dwellings found in the countryside speaks of cultural values shared with the literati living in the cities and towns. These shared values are revealed in the particularly striking folk art tradition of Zhejiang." --Introduction.