Product Description

Michael Pollan dreamt of a small, wood-frame hut in the woods near his house. This is the story of his fulfilling that dream, from siting the blueprint, to the pouring of the foundations. It explores the way we invest a space with meaning, to what constitutes "real work" in today's society.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343961 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Customer Reviews

Mr Blandings Builds his dreamhouse - and mine
Michael Pollan has written an incredible, exciting book. He's taken the oh-so-common dream of a place of your own, and brought it, through a field of dreams philosophy, and handy Andy building hints, to fruition. Through every page Pollan takes the layman reader on a remarkable quest to find man's place in the natural scheme, and, with a writing style and inquiring mind any novellist would wish to have, furnishes it with insight and hopes. I'm not a garden person; I'm no doctor of philosophy. I like snow and log cabins, and bought the book on a whim. Now I return to the text often, as one of my favourite reads ever. In comparsion, Walden should slope off into the backwoods of philosophy in shame. An absolute gem, completely.

Everyone should have their own shed
To most people the idea behind this book probably sounds very sad. Yet its really inspirational. A compelling mix of the American Dream; modern architecture and how to get your builder to do what you want (nearly). I loved it

Sometimes we all need a place to call our own.
This book is an intelligent and witty account of a man's desire for a place in which to write and think. A wooden hut is his answer. Exploring the architectural past, Pollan tries to understand the attraction of a solitary place which we can call our own. His interest in the design and construction are the focus of the book. He sees building the hut himself part of the endearing process, which I can relate to as I have built an electric guitar. From picking out the kind of wood, to how the window mechanism will work he is engrossed in the subject. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in architecture, religon, history, DIY or relationships. In other words, everyone.