THE COUNTRY BUILDERS ASSISTANT

American architect ASHER BENJAMIN (1773-1845) brought the influence of classical design to New England, and is hugely responsible for what we today consider the architectural charm of the region. In the early 1800s, he published books for local carpenters to use as guides to imbue their own construction with a new elegance-part architectural primer, part do-it-yourself manual, these works were, as the evidence of New Englands continuing allure itself demonstrates, wildly popular. The Country Builders Assistant, originally published in 1797, is an early version of those later manuals, and was Benjamins first book. The simplicity of its presentation belies the sophistication of its lessons