| A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams |  | Author: Michael Pollan
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $7.89
as of 9/10/2010 06:47 CDT details
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New (45) Used (29) from $3.98
Seller: thebookguyz
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 10,765
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 1
ISBN: 0143114743
Dewey Decimal Number: 690.837
EAN: 9780143114741
ASIN: 0143114743
Publication Date: December 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Michael Pollan's unmatched ability to draw lines of connection between our everyday experiences- whether eating, gardening, or building-and the natural world has been the basis for the popular success of his many works of nonfiction, including the genre-defining bestsellers The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. With this updated edition of his earlier book A Place of My Own, readers can revisit the inspired, intelligent, and often hilarious story of Pollan's realization of a room of his own-a small, wooden hut, his "shelter for daydreams"-built with his admittedly unhandy hands. Inspired by both Thoreau and Mr. Blandings, A Place of My Own not only works to convey the history and meaning of all human building, it also marks the connections between our bodies, our minds, and the natural world.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Left Unfinished August 13, 2010
C. J. Thompson (Pond Inlet, Nunavut Canada)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought and read Pollan's 'The Omnivores's Dilemma' and thoroughly enjoyed every page.... I bought two more of his books, expecting the same great read, and (at least as far as this book is concerned) was VERY disappointed.
The title of this book suggests one person's homesteading adventure and it is quite a let down to discover that it is lttle more than an account of Pollan's building of a shed. Ostensibly it is a philisophical treatise whose discussions and conclusions arise from the creative process involved in the construction process but, somehow, I couldn't identify with anything he was saying.
I gave this book a chance ... I got about a third of the way into it ... but I ultimately found it tedious and uninteresting.
C John Thompson
 Fabulous! July 13, 2010
darla Jackson
A really great book covering the authors progress, both mentally and physically, while building his writing shack. Loved all the amazing architectural history references! Great read for writers, builders and history buffs...
Loved this book! July 9, 2010
Scott in AZ
As someone who is sometimes on both sides of the design and construction fence, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially making me smile often was the relationship between client, architect and old school "builder".
Reliable Pollan April 10, 2010
Barbara (Rhode Island)
You're either a Pollan fan or you're not, and for Pollan fans, this book is every bit as fun and informative (tho on a much smaller scale) as Omnivore's Dilemma. If you're into purely linear thought, don't read it. Pollan thinks in spokes -- lots of linear lines shooting out all over the place but never scattershot and always tied together around the edge with an articulate, interesting philosophy. You have to be willing to go with the flow, but he is always entertaining and always a thought ahead of himself. For the time I'm reading it, I want to build a hut even though I have no woods, no pond, and no real desire to sit/work inside one. I'm reading the last part of the book slowly now, reluctant to finish and have to put it away, but willing to because that will let me go on to the next Pollan inspiration.
 Not for those in building profession July 6, 2009
the color yellow (maryland)
25 out of 39 found this review helpful
I love Michael Pollan's books-- I think he's a great researcher and is very good at presenting that information. However, any time he writes about his own experiences this annoying voice and character emerges-- that of a geek, perhaps-- and it's definitely not someone you want to spend a few hours with.
I'm in the architecture/building profession, so many things Michael discovers in this book about architecture and building is not news to me. That said, I LOVE reading about the design process and why clients/architects/contractors make decisions and what ensues from those decisions. I wish there could have been more of this, plus more drawings/photos and pictures. I loved every moment spent with the architect and the handyman/builder. I wish it could have been more of them, less whiny/geeky Pollan. I wish that Pollan had not tried to wax rhapsodic everytime he picked up a hammer or chisel. He tries too hard to build connections with Walden and devotes too many pages to his "knowledge" gleaned from a superficial study of architectural history and theory. (And a bizarre homage to the architectural skills of Thomas Jefferson, which really doesn't fit.) There are really two (or three), disjointed books here. This book could have been better written by the architect.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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