"...These vacation houses are as varied as the design philosophies of their architects and the bank accounts of their owners. They span the continent - from New York to California, with stops along the way in Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Colorado. Grouped into five chapters by virtue of their sites (which in themselves determine to some extent how houses look and function), the individual natures of the houses are underscored by the fact that each was custom-designed by an architect with the needs and desires of a specific family in mind. But although these houses are very personal solutions to very personal programs, they contain a wealth of specific ideas applicable to other vacation houses, houses which might differ in every other aspect. "This, frankly, is a dream book, one which will be most successful only if it encourages its readers to use this as a jumping-off point for thinking about the places in which they live - or those in which they would like to live some day..." --