dune shacks of provincetown

This illustrated book combines images and quotes that bring to life these rustic yet beautiful structures scattered across the Cape Cod National Seashore. Photographer and Provincetown resident Jane Paradise has captured their essence and spirit over nearly a decade of artist residencies and visits to the shacks.

Provincetown is home to the oldest continuous artist colony in the United States. Peaked Hill Bars Historic District is a cultural treasure that most people never see. The book includes an excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination as well as an essay by an elderly shack resident.

• Nearly 100 photos offer an exterior and interior view of the 19 dune shacks

Henry David Thoreau, Tennessee Williams, Mary Oliver, Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac, Josephine Del Deo, Charles Demuth, and Henry Beston are some of the people who have stayed at the duneshacks

Today, novice and celebrated artists and writers, hardy families, and curious travelers still find these hand-built homes a haven of inspiration and solitude. Without electricity and running water, these modest houses are forerunners of the tiny-house movement and off-the-grid living.