The author's introduction sets fair expectations; this is not a “how-to” book or even an investigation into the depths of closely-related topics, as Michael Pollan’s readers have grown to appreciate in later books, such as The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Rather, A Place of my Own might be thought of as “the book behind those books"—a diary of the processes which took place in both the author’s mind and in the physical building process, out of which arose the space where he penned (at least in part) some of our favorite books.

Pollan’s account of the physical building process and the more practical preparations probably comprises less than fifty percent of the book’s material. The greater portion of the book jumps around various topics which the author considered or studied over the course of converting his dream space into reality. These rather meaty topics include the history of architecture, illustrations of other authors and their connections to personal spaces (most notably, Henry David Thoreau and Virginia Woolf), the American Arts and Crafts movement, the anthropology of habitation, and the social nuances and perceptions of architects vs. builders. In the midst of this hefty bouquet, Pollan weaves the philosophical threads of aesthetics, modernism, and postmodernism, and a little feng-shui.

Even a reader with a greater-than-average grasp on art and philosophy might have to take this book in small doses. That said, this is a very quotable book--one which will induce the reader to refer to it in conversation. With so much to ponder and explore, it’s not surprising that this book spawned others greater than itself, and we can only imagine that although Pollan no longer writes in the structure he wrote about in A Place of my Own, it will continue to inspire future works.