Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco have spent years on the trail of unusual and beautiful examples of 19th- and 20th-century folk sculpture and have compiled their findings in this illustrated informative volume. The introduction explores why the vernacular has moved from fringe to mainstream.

From weathervanes to whirligigs, carnival characters to religious figurines, "American Vernacular" presents hundreds of newly identified and never before published objects that add significantly to the literature on outsider art. An introduction by Margit Rowell, formerly chief curator at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, explores why the vernacular (which encompasses folk, outsider, primitive and self-taught traditions) has moved from the fringe to the centre of the art world. Authors Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco have spent years on the trail of unusual and uncommonly beautiful examples of 19th- and 20th-century folk sculpture and have compiled their findings in this illustrated informative volume. With hundreds of colour photographs and full commentary by experts, it is a thorough exploration that should appeal to serious collectors and those just learning about the field.