Includes bibliographical references (pages303 - 310) and index.

First published in the United States of America by Random House, Inc. in 1997; this edition with a new preface published in Penguin Books 2008.

Originally published with subtitle: The education of an amateur builder.

A captivating personal inquiry into the art of architecture, the craft of building, and the meaning of modern work “A room of ones own: Is there anybody who hasnt at one time or another wished for such a place, hasnt turned those soft words over until theyd assumed a habitable shape?” When Michael Pollan decided to plant a garden, the result was the acclaimed bestseller Second Nature. In A Place of My Own, he turns his sharp insight to the craft of building, as he recounts the process of designing and constructing a small one-room structure on his rural Connecticut propertya place in which he hoped to read, write, and daydream, built with his own two unhandy hands. Michael Pollan's unmatched ability to draw lines of connection between our everyday experiences--whether eating, gardening, or building--and the natural world has been the basis for the popular success of his many works of nonfiction, including the genre-defining bestsellers The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. With this updated edition of his earlier book A Place of My Own, readers can revisit the inspired, intelligent, and often hilarious story of Pollan's realization of a room of his own--a small, wooden hut, his "shelter for daydreams"--built with his admittedly unhandy hands. Inspired by both Thoreau and Mr. Blandings, A Place of My Own not only works to convey the history and meaning of all human building, it also marks the connections between our bodies, our minds, and the natural world.