Merging an obsession with crossovers between landscape architecture and architecture, an admixture of soil mechanics, and a concern for the ecological and social impact of the human act of construction, Morgan (architectural preservation, U. of Florida) has focused on the moving and shaping of dirt for half a century. His specialty has been prehistoric architecture, primarily in North America; but his interests are more encompassing, and he has collected a mountain of examples of individual houses made of dirt (30% of the world's population lives in such); public structures and monuments (for example the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC; the Greek Hillside Theater in Epidaurus, Greece; Duke University Stadium in Durham, North Carolina); and indeed, whole cities (like Machu Picchu). Offering food for thought for architects, designers, city planners, and others, this book presents some 50 sites located all over the world, organized into nine categories: mounds, shaped hills, earth retained, terraces, platforms, excavations, modified earth, water retained, and cities. Each example is described in about a page of non-technical text, and each is illustrated with at least a couple photos. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)