This is a gorgeous introduction to organic architecture, which paralleled, although was never as popular as, the International style, especially among architectural critics. The most famous proponent was Frank Lloyd Wright, but Hess introduces numerous other architects working in the style beginning at the turn of the 19th-20th century and continuing until the present.

"Organic" architecture refers to a match between the architecture, the landscape, and all of the decoration and interior elements. To laymen, the term can reflect designs that almost seem to grow out of the earth and to follow nature. In this sense, Organic architecture often strikes me as an abstract form of Art Nouveau, with its strong lines and mixture of the natural and the machine age. Hess argues that the highly individualistic designs work very well for the particulars of the owners' personal lifestyles.

The book is an introduction because it has very little text and consists almost entirely of wonderful photographs of residential buildings. The less academic among us will have no complaint about that, but others will want to follow up with items from Hess's bibliography. ( )