Folk art proves that producing utilitarian objects can provide an opportunity for self-expression. From decoys to sea chests, folk art is not only rooted in the useful but in the realities of living. Some folk art makes daily chores more fun, while others, such as mourning art, help people face life's saddest occasions. This volume is an introduction for the novice and a treasure for the collector.

Of all building types, the skyscraper strikes observers as the most modern, in terms not only of height but also boldness, scale, ingenuity, and daring. As a phenomenon born in late-nineteenth-century America, it quickly became emblematic of New York, Chicago, and other major cities. Previous studies of these structures have tended to foreground more avowedly modernist approaches, while those with styles reminiscent of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe were initially disparaged as being antimodernist or were simply unacknowledged. Skyscraper Gothic brings together renowned scholars to address the medievalist skyscraper, from the flying buttresses to the dizzying spires, and from the Chicago Tribune Tower to the Woolworth Building in Manhattan.