The beach is the ultimate retreat: a place to escape the frenzied pace of our daily lives and to reconnect with the natural world. In Beach Houses, photographer Roberto Schezen and writer Michael Webb offer a lavish visual and textual tour of America's most fascinating seaside homes -- both traditional and modern, rustic and grand -- illustrating why we are so drawn to beach living.

Encompassing twenty-one structures in all, this is a book as rich and as diverse as the coastline itself. From a simlpe Block Island cottage created by acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, to Richard Neutra's modernist masterpiece in Santa Monica, to a wildly adventurous Florida residence designed entirely by its owner, each home profiled is a unique work of art and a remarkable reflection of our ever-changing relationship with the ocean. Schezen's 139 original color photographs give us an inside glimpse into each residence, while Webb's essays explain the histories and special features of each home. Artfully designed and beautifully written, Beach Houses will captivate anyone who has dreamed of living by the water and all those who simply love the sea.