David Larkin, renowned book designer, editor, and author, has spent a lifetime in the exploration of the world of country living in Britain, Europe and, for the past seventeen years, the United States. In Country Wisdom, the first of a series, he offers a treasure-trove of history, lore, and practice, expressed in some 200 full-color illustrations and accompanying text.Included among the many pleasures in this volume of Country Wisdom are secrets of vernacular architecture - from the proper placing of a chimney in the typical New England saltbox design, to the special coating of adobe walls in the Southwest. We learn not only how the simple dower chest evolved into the shelved cupboard of today, but also traditional methods of cleaning and restoring old furniture and flooring. We come to understand not only why and how the country kitchen functions as a family command and control center, but also the proper principles of cleaning cast-iron cookware. Read Less