SHAKER HOME

Photographed at The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, an appreciation of one of America's most significant communal groups. Bial (Corn Belt Harvest, 1991, etc.) perfectly reflects the Shaker ideal of functional simplicity in his summation of the Shakers' origins, mode of life, and devotion to productive work (their legacy includes such sensible inventions as the flat broom, the hay rake, and the slotted spoon as well as the clean-lined furniture that has come to command such high prices as to distress the few remaining Shakers). Like his lucid text, the author's beautifully composed, uncaptioned color photos—neatly framed in fine rule—have a grace and clarity that echo the Shakers' open, light-filled buildings. An excellent introduction to a group whose ingenuity and striving for perfection have had an impact disproportionate to its small membership. Bibliography. (Nonfiction. 8+)