Bringing together scholarship in diverse fields - including architecture, geography, folklore, anthropology, and urban studies - the seventeen essays in this volume confirm the transformations now occurring in the study of vernacular architecture. Moving away from a single vision of vernacular architecture that consisted only of "old, rural, handmade structures built in traditional forms and materials for everyday use," scholars are exploring a wider variety of forms and landscapes - from company towns to grand expositions. Drawn from two conferences of the Vernacular Architecture Forum - one held in Charleston in 1994, the other in Ottawa in 1995 - these essays address a broad range of topics.