I had really hoped for an exciting collection of photographs which evoked the sunny carefree Santa Barbara style. Unfortunately, it is primarily composed of photographs of formal highly stylized houses which look like museums. I had wanted to see beach shacks, airy white washed cottages with tons of old rose bushes, cool mediterranean lairs used by Hollywood refugees, grand haciendas overlooking the sea, etc... but this was pretty tame predictable stuff. Such a shame.

The photographs are outstanding. This book is a great resource for anyone who is looking for ideas for interior design, or for landscape design. Great coffe table book too.

I have seen many great books featuring extravagant homes. The best books of this type usually display homes in Europe. Well this book is by far the most remarkable home photography book I have ever seen. I knew Santa Barbara has excellent architecture, but this vastly exceeded my expectations. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

As for the other reader who was looking for shacks... if you think Santa Barbara is made up of beach shacks, you should get out of the house more often.

I purchased this item expecting to see architectual details for some of the fine Victorian houses in Martha's Vineyard.
Instead, I was very disappointed to find out that it's an architectural firm's catalog listing plans to order.

This plan catalog is unlike any other you'll find - it's a portfolio of designs that were originally created as custom buildings for architect James Weisman's clients. Unlike "stock" plans, these homes and outbuildings show the care of a good designer who listened to his customers and created unique buildings for their needs. They are also inspirational examples of how contemporary buildings can reflect the traditions of their place. The homes have balconies, lofts, lookouts, great spaces and unusual layouts that seem exciting and efficient at the same time. If you enjoy dreaming about a country home or a vacation getaway, you'll love this book.

As someone who has considerable access to the true facts as well as the falsehoods in Jesse James' life, this book would not be one of my first choices. The text is mostly accurate, but the photographs were not well researched. In fact, my place of business no longer sells this book because of the inaccurate photos.