The Story of Australian Houses.
This book is about Australian housing, but it's not just a dull collection of bungalows and brick veneers. It begins with caves, Aboriginal houses old and new, settlers' huts, a prison and a fortified tower. Then it sweeps through a succession of suburban house styles in one gatefold spread, and goes on to buildings specifically designed for hot weather, including an outback hospital and a Coober Pedy dugout home complete with swimming pool. There are some more unusual structures too, ones not normally thought of as "houses" - for example, a lighthouse, and a flat inside a bridge pylon.
John Nicholson's fine drawings make this book a pleasure to look at, and his crisp writing style and penchant for quirky detail bring the text alive.
