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The Most Beautiful House in the World, Witold
Rybczynski.
Rybczynski, a trained architect,
is well known for his writings, such as the essays in Looking
Around, his recent book on Andrea Palladio, and - my
personal favorite - his biography of Frederick Law Olmstead.
This book, originally published in 1989, fits into the author's
signature style: an underlying theme acting as a framework
for tangents on various subjects. Here he chronicles the
creation of a house for him and his wife outside Montreal.
Very little of the book is devoted to the design, construction,
and habitation of the house. Rather, he educates the reader
(and himself) on subjects like the history of children's
games, architectural theory, feng shui, boatbuilding
(the house began as a shed for the author to build a boat),
and the cons of progressive architecture. Rybczynski discusses
in depth the residential architecture of three greats (Palladio,
Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe), though through
examples and experience the author comes to the conclusion
that "the most beautiful house in the world is the
one you build for yourself."
. . or . . 
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