The Shedworker's Bookshelf - Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways

It's an indication of just how good this book is that even without reading it, various friends of Shedworking have been in touch to ask whether I've heard about it. Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways is a cracking collaboration between writer Debra Prinzing (who also blogs at Shed Style) and photographer William Wright. Debra and Bill have whizzed all around the USA talking to owners of shedlike atmospheres and then taking really rather splendid pictures of them. It starts very promisingly by looking at various garden offices (including novelist Amy Bloom's great writing shack) and then goes on to look at more traditional potting sheds, summerhouses, follies and even mini banqueting rooms.

Two things make this book a standout. Firstly, the owners get to talk at length about the whys and wherefores of their sheds in some detail which is what we want to hear. With its comprehensive listings of materials used, creative build solutions and details of how the sheds were fitted out, this means it's actually a shed design bible. If you're looking for inspiration, there's a mass of it on almost every page.

Secondly, the photos are very clever. Obviously there are plenty of smashing general exterior shots - which are very welcome - but it's the small, detailed ones of the interiors which really bring these shedlike atmospheres to life. They complement the text so well that it's obvious that scribe and snapper have worked closely together: this is much more than a coffee table book but I guarantee all visitors to your home will pick it up and start saying 'Ooh' within five seconds of opening it. Indeed, it's hard to imagine somebody writing a better book about the joys of living and working small.