"The Living House", is a pioneering title that has become a classic. It draws on many sources of information, from architects and anthropologists, as well as the author's own first-hand research. The main focus of the book is Indonesia, but the tracing of historical links between architectural forms reveals a much wider field of enquiry, closely related to the distribution of Austronesian languages and cultures, and extending as far as Madagascar, Japan and Oceania. As it probes into the centrally significant role of houses within South-East Asian social systems, "The Living House" reveals new insights into kinship systems, gender symbolism and cosmological ideas, ultimately uncovering basic themes concerning the idea of life and life processes themselves. These themes run like linking threads throughout the Austronesian world, constantly recurring in new transformations across time and space. A vivid picture is produced of how people shape buildings and buildings shape people, as rules about layout and uses of space themselves have an impact on social relationships. The book concludes with a consideration of some present day process of change as these affect the fate of indigenous architectures. Although intended first and foremost as a work of anthropology, "The Living House" will also appeal to architects, scholars specializing in South-East Asia and the interested general reader.