Barn Building: The Golden Age of Barn Construction.

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

Radojkovic has undertaken an excellent reflection on the barn landscapes of the American New England states and Midwest with the occasional foray into Canada. The book is not divided geographically but rather by barn type: log barns, Dutch and Engish barns, Quebec long barns, bank barns, round and polygonal barns, and variations. Each section deals with individual barns, and in each story Radojkovic reveals his fascination with their construction, the beauty of their details, and their history.

The book is extremely well illustrated and includes a very useful dictionary of terms. The book will do much to heighten the awareness of the cultural landscape of rural eastern Canada and the Midwest of the United States. Radojkovic’s photographs were all done with a keen eye and will force any reader who later travels the byways of the region to look with a much greater care on the as-built environment and its cultural underpinnings. The incredible ingenuity of North America’s farmers in designing structures that were unique to their landscapes and climate yet with a foundation in culture is evident on every page. The impact of the industrial revolution on the creation of complex mechanized barns will fascinate many. The lingering question is whether there is any hope for the as built rural landscapes of North America. Will these barns all end their lives as piles of rubble?

The book will be of greatest interest to the layman rather than the heritage specialist or architect interested in the reuse of barns. Most seem sadly dilapidated waiting for a new use. Radojkovic could have done us all a service by including more rehabilitation projects that illustrated a future for these incredible structures. Yet his chatty style and his ability to draw out the unusual more than make up for these shortcomings.