The first-ever chronological survey of the greatest examples of log houses designed in Europe and the United States includes photographs, plans, and little-known drawings from such celebrated Modern-era architects as Eliel Saarinen, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra, and others.

"Waselkov's collection of essays on Native American log cabins in the southeast stems from a session presented for the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC) in Athens, Georgia. The essays range in focus from Cherokee domestic space to Seminole architecture to the influence of enslaved Africans in the region"--

Although the log cabin is widely believed to be the one expression of indigenous American architecture, it is, in fact, of European origin, having been first introduced in the New World by Swedes and Finns who settled the lower Delaware Valley in the seventeenth century. Log buildings were unknown to the English colonists of Jamestown, Plymouth, and St. Marys, or the Dutch founders of New Amsterdam, who built the kinds of dwellings they had known in their homelands. Because it was perfectly adapted to the needs and resources of pioneers as they advanced the American frontier south and west through forests and across mountains, the log house became the means whereby a man could keep moving and yet maintain a home and family, and much of America's historycan be traced in the cabins left behind in the westward trek.-- book jacket

“A stunning, image-driven examination of the "uniquely American symbol of home and hearth” —BuzzFeed (Books Gift Guide) "Lavishly illustrated, this book by a Cincinnati native tells the story of America through its iconic structure — the log cabin. In lively prose," —Columbus Dispatch "The perfect holiday gift for grown-ups who graduated past Lincoln Logs," —Mother News Network Like a wooden security blanket that Americans reach for when times get tough, the log cabin has endured as a uniquely American symbol of home and hearth. This strain of cabin fever is no fleeting trend: It has struck at regular intervals since the early 1900s, when log cabin vacations first became an option for an increasingly mobile America. Now the cozy cabin aesthetic is found, like a collective fantasy, in every corner of our national culture. But how did it all begin? This is an image-driven history of log cabins in America. Exploring the log cabin’s hidden past, this book draws on colonial diaries and journalistic accounts, as well as paintings, illustrations, and graphics to show how the log cabin—once derided as a poor immigrant’s hovel—became an American institution and a modern ambition. Bursting with quirk, charm, and fascinating trivia, The Log Cabin is the perfect companion for cabin dwellers, vacationers, and daydreamers alike.