Petroski, Henry / The house with sixteen handmade doors
Author Petroski, Henry
Title The house with sixteen handmade doors
Subtitle a tale of architectural choice and craftsmanship
Edition First edition
Publish Date 2014
Publisher W.W. Norton & Company
ISBN 9780393242041
Type Nonfiction (Paper)
LC Call # NA7238.A77P48 2014
Subject Architecture, Domestic--Maine--Arrowsic
Phinney, Robert Edgar, 1915-1989
Petroski, Henry--Homes and haunts--Maine--Arrowsic
Petroski, Catherine--Homes and haunts--Maine--Arrowsic
Arrowsic (Me.)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Synopsis An architectural whodunit that unlocks the secrets of a hand-built home
When Henry Petroski and his wife, Catherine, bought a charming but modest six-decades-old island retreat in coastal Maine, Petroski couldn't help but admire its unusual construction. An eminent expert on engineering, history, and design, he began wondering about the place's origins and evolution: Who built it, and how? What needs, materials, technologies, historical developments, and laws shaped it? How had it fared through the years with its various inhabitants?
Sleuthing around dimly lit closets, knotty-pine wall panels, and even a secret passage -- but never removing so much as a nail -- Petroski zooms in on the details but also steps back to examine the structure in the context of its time and place.
Catherine Petroski's beautiful photographs capture the clues and the atmosphere. A vibrant cast of neighbours and past residents -- most notably the house's masterful creator, an engineer-turned-"folk architect" -- become key characters in the story.
As the mystery unfolds, revealing an extraordinary house and its environs, this ode to loving design will leave readers enchanted and inspired.