Norwegian Wood

A Tradition of Building

by Jerri Holan

Rizzoli International Publications., 1990, ISBN 0847809552,  photographic colour plates, black and white photographs throughout, black and white line drawings, paperback

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, minor rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, no inscriptions (see photographs)

Preface:
“The original intent of the following pages was simply to present traditional Norwegian buildings, a small but rich manifestation of wooden architecture in a particular place.  But after long discussions with a variety of individuals, I decided that a very important aspect of my subject was the art of craftsmanship, or how craftsmanship leads to beauty, as exemplified by the Norwegian buildings.
…Today’s architects and builders seem to have forgotten that the marriage of fine materials an good techniques offer the most inspiration for the building arts.  Obviously, the past provides many contrasts to present-day practices and its builders naturally had a limited choice of materials.  But the lessons provided by a vernacular building culture are, nonetheless, valid.  They reflect the craft of the building when tradition, rather than new invention, stimulated builders: the beauty of this was that the tradition revealed certain existential meaning.  This kind of meaning, along with the joy and purpose of craftsman, is lacking in today’s architecture.  Consequently, we admire traditional buildings not because of their past, but because they have an enduring past...”