Cottages on the Coast: Fair Harbors and Secret Shores

Fear, awe and the sensual pleasures of salt air and fresh breezes will always draw visitors to the world's waters to stake their claim on a coastal view. In this pretty volume, Paul (Cottages by the Sea; Desert Retreats) presents 27 such sea-loving abodes that were built on America's shores. Her survey explores notable historic havens like a weathered stone cottage in Carmel, Calif. and Tennessee Williams' airy Key West retreat, as well as more modern designs like Thomas Bosworth's Puget Sound lodge, which strings together three small cottages to avoid disrupting the native terrain with one hulking building. From craggy outcrops in New England and the Pacific West to the glittering sand beaches along the Gulf and mid-Atlantic coasts, the welcoming scenes pictured in her vintage and contemporary photographs beckon viewers to linger in seaside reverie. 200 color illustrations.