<i>Nightlands</i> is a pioneering exploration of both the forms and poetics of Nordic place. Specifically, it examines the art of building in four Nordic countries&mdash;Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland&mdash;and the sometimes shared, sometimes contrasting regional experience and character expressed by each. From a medieval castle in Sweden to an Aalto-designed sanitorium in Finland, this landmark work explores the myths, meanings, and built realities of Nordic countries and, in so doing, attempts to define, for the first time, what distinguishes Nordic building from Mediterranean architecture, and how the natural world of the North contrasts with both the perception and reality of the South.