A Certain Somewherecollects thirty essays originally published inPreservationmagazine. Writers were asked to describe a place that is significant to them, to decipher what makes it mysterious and meaningful, and to examine the nature of attachment to a specific locale. Gathered here are pieces by writers of all kinds---essayists, novelists, literary critics, poets---on disparate and enthralling places, from Madison Smartt Bell on Haiti to Thomas Mallon on the New York Public Library. These writers examine how they came to invest a part of themselves in the places they have inhabited, and how these places have consequently inhabited them. Most of all, the writers transport you to places that have enchanted them and will charm you as well. This multifarious assembly offers readers a sophisticated armchair-travel experience, replete with insights into culture, politics, architecture, and history. Along the way, readers will also enjoy a glimpse at the inner lives of some of our finest writers.