About halfway through this book Frans van Gool admits he looked for inspiration in 'the wrong things', which is why his buildings were seen as a 'deviation', even within the collective sphere of his bureau. The man who was a dissonant figure even in his own office still attained an exceptional position in the Dutch architectural world of the second half of the twentieth century. There was little point looking for him amidst the avant-garde, because it was in his nature to avoid that position.

This monograph, which is also a subtly constructed biography, explores and disentangles the genesis and evolution of Van Gool's realm of ideas, as well as its various branches in an impressive architectural oeuvre. Distributed throughout the volume there is also a narrative dimension, with Van Gool looking back on his life and work in his own words, from the astute perspective of a man already well into his eighties.