We have a cabin in some woods about 30 miles from Iowa City. It's on land that's been in my family for a couple generations. My cousin felled the trees and built the cabin by hand. It has a generator hook up and a dry sink. It also has a couple holes in the roof and I think a family of raccoons may be living there. A tree fell on the outhouse last year and there's no running water. It's very primitive. Nevertheless, I dream about someday either restoring this cabin or building another. When I think of the cabin, I think of Hendy David Thoreau who wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary." I am drawn to books about cabins. They give me a vicarious trip to the serenity I find at our cabin.
The family cabin : inspiration for camps, cottages, and cabins
Dale Mulfinger
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"Since the beginning of the 20th century, cabin retreats have held a unique place in the lives and lore of many American families. In The Family Cabin, author and "cabinologist" Dale Mulfinger expires the role that cabins have had and continue to have in family bonding and as a repository for family history, nostalgia, and cherished memories. This collection brings together 37 new and old cabins from across North America as inspiration for anyone who desires a peaceful retreat of their own. Within these pages, Mulfinger rekindles his love for this treasured American icon with fresh insights and seasoned strategies about the logic, utility, and beauty of cabin construction and with fascinating stories of the families that live in them. Over 300 lush, full-color photographs and 78 illustrations throughout the book capture the aesthetics of place and design that have allowed cabins to become an enduring symbol of rugged American individualism and self-reliance. Whether nestled in the mountains, tucked deep in the woods, or built along the water's edge, the ideals of the cabin extend just as well into the 21st century as they did in the past" -- publisher's description.
Cabin porn : inspiration for your quiet place somewhere
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"Rural escapes for those yearning for a simpler existence, by the creators of the wildly popular tumblr Cabin Porn. Created by a group of friends who preserve 55 acres of hidden forest in Upstate New York-Cabin Porn began as a scrapbook to collect inspiration for their building projects. As the collection grew, the site attracted a following, which is now a huge and obsessive audience. The site features photos of the most remarkable handmade homes in the backcountry of America and all over the world. It has had over 10 million unique visitors, with 350,000 followers on Tumblr. Now Zach Klein, the creator of the site (and a co-founder of Vimeo) goes further into the most alluring images from the site and new getaways, including more interior photography and how-to advice for setting up a quiet place somewhere. With their idyllic settings, unique architecture and cozy interiors, the Cabin Porn photographs, are an invitation to slow down, take a deep breath, and feel the beauty and serenity that nature and simple construction can create."--provided by publisher.
A wonderful collection of practical advice for building a cabin and community.
- Kara
Compact cabins : simple living in 1,000 square feet or less
Gerald Rowan
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A great book with many floor plan ideas. There's even a chapter about building a cabin out of a shipping container.
- Kara
Small log homes : storybook plans & advice
Robbin Obomsawin
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This is an older title but it has good information and great photos.
- Kara
The log cabin : an illustrated history
Andrew Belonsky
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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.
This book provides a lot of interesting history about log cabins in America.
- Kara
The author of this book is called a "cabinologist." Great illustrations. We have other books by Dale Mulfinger in our collection.
- Kara