Selected from around the world - from Brazil, Mexico, Thailand and the Japanese coast to Ireland and the Mediterranean - 35 houses located by rivers, ports, waterfalls, ponds and oceans reveal the special relationship the inhabitants have with their natural surroundings. Modern all-glass houses and neo-Rennaisance villas, clapboard mills and moated castles, all demonstrate very different relationships with the water and the text describes the design qualities of each house, its setting and the occupants. With special pages devoted to exceptional features - from terraces and lookouts to follies and sea-worthy materials - this is a unique glimpse inside these fascinating buildings.