Thomas Carter is an emeritus professor of architectural history in the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning. He has a degree in history from Brown University and studied folklore at both the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Indiana University. His chief research interest has been the building traditions of the western United States. His publications include Images of an American Land: Vernacular Architecture Studies in the West; and (with Betsy Cromley) the text Invitation to Vernacular Architecture: A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes. He is a past president of the Vernacular Architecture Forum.

Email: tcarter@arch.utah.edu