Treehouses of the World

Treehouses bring out the child in all of us. Serving as private retreats, guest houses, or play spaces for family and friends, these enchanting arboreal constructions lift our spirits, inspire our dreams, and offer the promise of freedom from adult worries. In this magical volume, Pete Nelson, a leading authority on treehouse design and the author of three previous books on the subject that have sold more than 200,000 copies, takes us on a fascinating around-the-world journey to discover how treehouses are designed, built, and enjoyed in a wide variety of cultures. <BR>More than 35 treehouses are shown in 250 beautiful color images, from locations in China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Italy, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and elsewhere, all photographed especially for this book. Nelson, whose frequent appearances on "Oprah</I> and "Good Morning America</I> and in newspaper and magazine features have helped to spur the soaring popularity of the treehouse, also describes in detail the process of creating, for kids both young and old, a fun, safe, and environmentally responsible sanctuary in a tree.

"A principal of the Seattle-based construction company Treehouse Workshop and the author of three previous treehouse books, Nelson can safely be said to be solidly grounded in his knowledge of the subject; he presents everything from elevated basic wooden shelters to California-style ranches to turreted abodes resembling that of Pip's friend Wemmick in Great Expectations — fanciful and Victorian. The 250 full-color photos from Kurzaj (The Abrams Guide to American Houses) show great sympathy and felicity of composition, invitingly maximizing the natural settings. While the title promises diversity, about half of the houses are in the United States (with a West Coast majority built by Nelson), a quarter or so in Europe and most of the rest in Japan. And materials and location do dictate a certain uniformity — the houses are not as different on first and second look as one would expect. But Nelson's knowledgeability about modes of design and construction come through in colloquial, first-person text that includes short bios of the various houses' part-time inhabitants, and, if he did the building, Nelson's role in making them happen. The lovely photos and thoughtful layout complete the feel of climbing up to an alternative aerial domicile as one turns the pages." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

- The author is a proven entity in this category.
- The color photography is all new.
- The book's technical information has been delivered in a manner that makes it easily accessible to those who are new to the subject.

Pete Nelson is the author of three previous books on treehouses. He is also principal of Treehouse Workshop, Inc., a treehouse design and construction business in Seattle, and the president of his own residential design and construction firm based in Fall City, Washington.