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52 W ith his third book, Southern architect Bobby McAlpine reveals himself to be as elegant with prose as he is behind a drafting board. In Poetry of Place: The New Architecture and Interiors of McAlpine ($55, Rizzoli, October 2017), he eloquently narrates the stories behind 20 recent projects, all in the charming English, American, and European vernacular for which his firm is celebrated. It's easy to get lost in McAlpine's words. A stone house in the woods, dappled with light, transports him back to his swashbuckling childhood fantasies "where cathedral- like light traveled from so far above and hit so many branches along the way down that it came on soft and ethereal." A house built for a world traveler is "in a way, built of salt and sugar and flour — not exotic or sophisticated materials, but staples that create a baseline of trust." A stone tower standing in the gardens of a historic Tudor-style house is "part lookout tower, part sleeping porch, part library — this is where you discover what it means to become elevated. Perhaps that's why books are there — to hasten the journey from reality to romance." As ethereal as they sound, these are substantial brick-and-mortar homes: a Florida panhandle beach house, a Tuscan-style horse farm, a rambling Colonial Revival compound, and a miniature European manor house, among others. The legendary AD100 architect will sign copies of his book Thursday, November 2, 4 to 6 pm, at David Sutherland showroom, Dallas Design Center, 1025 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 340, 214.742.6501, davidsutherlandshowroom.com. THE BOBBY McALPINE CHARM of BY REBECCA SHERMAN Bobby McAlpine Top: Cape Town, South Africa house. Above: McAlpine partner, Susan Ferrier's home.