"North American barns of the last two hundred years are landmarks of beauty and culture--the simple and practical expression of a people, a way of life, and the land from which they sprang. This is the written and pictorial record of the secrets of beauty and tradition contained in these romantic and venerable buildings, buildings erected by hand before the era of mechanized construction and 'factory farms. It is possible that millions now living in North America have never seen a barn. In the foreseeable future, there is more than a possibility that, for many, the kind of barn illustrated in these pages will not be there to see. Against the shifting background of the seasons, the photographs convey an experience of the barn as a whole and in detail, showing the marks of time and climate on the exteriors, visually evoking a perception of the interiors: the sense of space, the floods of light and shadow, the rich polish of time worn timbers and the dull glow of rusted metal. In addition to the photographs taken especially for this book, there are contemporary photographs and engravings, detailed floor plans and architectural drawings, all complementing and extending the authoritative text. The North American barn can be studied without reference to national and state boundaries. This book concentrates on eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States, and covers and wide variety of barns that still survive--Dutch, English, Pennsylvania, circular, polygonal, and connected--but it should be seen as a reference to all American barns in that it surveys all the basic types. Rapidly being destroyed--burned or torn down--these barns, with roots going back to a remote past in Britain and Europe, are more than worthy of such a permanent and beautiful record as this." -- Provided by publisher