Editorial Review
The ultimate resource for prospective and current pool owners alike, this beautifully illustrated, comprehensive yet accessible volume examines the wide variety of pools available today. Written by Tom Griffiths, a well-known expert in pool and safety issues, The Swimming Pool offers invaluable detailed advice on a complete range of relevant topics such as the essentials of designing and constructing a pool, appropriate plantings and landscaping, proper filtration, water chemistry, and safety tips. Also included is a chapter exploring numerous case studies covering a range of budgets and uses, so that you can consider the many available options, make informed decisions, and choose the right pool for you.
Part one of The Swimming Pool is devoted to helping you select an appropriate pool for your needs, budget, and available space. Chapter one provides a step-by-step plan for selecting the proper site, and includes considerations such as local zoning restrictions, slope, soil drainage, location of underground utilities, shade, wind, privacy, and the surrounding landscape. Chapters two and three discuss the full range of swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas in today's market, whether you wish to install a relatively inexpensive aboveground pool, an indoor hot tub for therapeutic purposes, an intricately tiled kidney-shaped pool with an ample deck for entertaining, a lap pool, or a vanishing-edge pool that highlights a spectacular view. Chapter four presents fully illustrated case studies that enable you to examine a range of pool plans -- from the simple to the ornate. Filled with creative ideas and practical advice, this chapter lays out a variety of options so that you can evaluate and prioritize your needs, then select the pool that meets them beautifully and affordably.
Part two of The Swimming Pool is every pool owner's dream come true: an easy-to-use handbook that takes all the worry out of pool upkeep. Chapter five focuses on the importance of good water circulation, chemistry, and maintenance, making these concepts readily understandable, demonstrating how to achieve clear, clean water, and providing charts and sidebars that offer important safety tips and troubleshooting advice. Also included is a discussion of essential pool-keeping equipment and daily and weekly maintenance chores that will help protect your investment. Chapter six demonstrates the importance of barriers for safety, privacy, and aesthetics, and describes the many types of fencing available. Chapter seven contains vital information that will assist in ensuring pool safety, giving a complete list of "pool rules" and necessary safety and rescue equipment, plus tips on supervising children and adults, teaching youngsters to swim, and much more. The Swimming Pool concludes with an extensive list of pool plantings, and a listing of pool publications worldwide.
Filled with expert advice, helpful ideas, charts, sidebars, pool plans, and gorgeous and inspiring color photographs, The Swimming Pool is the ideal sourcebook, as it contains everything you'll need to know, from planning to maintenance.
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Customer Reviews
Great pictures and design, decent content 
1999-07-17
The subject matter lends itself to an extraordinary pictoral essay. Griffith's publisher does it justice. The content is a bit generalized but well organized. More detailing based on geographic locations and specific plant matter would round this out quite well. The comment that "a (residential) pool 20' x 40' would be considered average" is indicative of the Grifith's ambitious nature; this book is for people looking to build and spend big. Here in Massachusetts, that's a "larger" pool.
Anyway, it's a pretty good value for those needing a little incentive to get excited about a substantial investment in time and money. One thing I didn't see mentioned, though I may have missed it, was the fact that good pool contractors in NE need to be contacted nearly a year in advance; if they're reputable they bound to be exceedingly busy. Another thing missed in emphasis anyway: contact your landscape designer and/or architect with the pool contractor to produce a 'master plan" of your yard. This will create the correct sequence of productions - pool construction makes a mess of any yard but is more painful when extensive landscaping was done recently.
Finally, from a formatting perspective, the body copy/editorial content of the book is set in a somewhat elaborate typestyle making it a little slower read. It would seem approriate for chapters & titles but maybe not the body copy.
If you are installing an inground pool, this is the book. 
1999-03-30
We are installing an inground pool this year and have used this book extensively for ideas in design of pools, the different kinds of inground pools, and pool decks and patios. We knew nothing about pools before reading this book, but now feel quite knowledgable.
An excellent book on swimming pools 1999-01-27
This is a good book and well worth reading; however, I feel it falls short of its ambitious title. I got the impression the author feels you should hire a pool contractor. I was specifically looking for information to prepare me to contract it myself, since I successfully did so with my house. Nevertheless, there are useful nuggets of information sprinkled throughout.
Misleading Title 
2002-03-09
The title implies that there are sections that show HOW to build and Landscpe a pool..There are not. There a ton of beautiful pictures of other people's pools. The book tells you what to tell the person that is building your pool. It is the only book I have ever returned to Amazon.
IT'S MISSING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUILDING A POOL 
2001-08-17
This book does not contain the information necessary for building your own pool as it implies. This book contains only general inforomation on building and designing a pool. If you want someone else to design and build your pool and would like to have an understanding of what professionals are talking about, this book is good. This is by no means a "how to" book.
pretty as a picture 2000-06-13
this book is the least technical,yet, most informative book I have read concerning swimming pools. The quality of pictures and settings is second to none. As a matter of fact I used the idea of a post and beam cabana with a built in bar to incorporate into my own pool area. Pick up this book and enjoy.
for rich people onlyq= 2000-05-23
I saw this one in the bookstore and didn't buy it. Pretty pictures but way above the average person's spending budget. It lists styles of pools in the middle section and gives stars for levels of expense - 1 star was $10,000 or less, etc...I couldn't find any at all that were one star. Maybe there was one but I didn't see it. If you want waterfalls and fancy shapes and pools inthe $40,000 range this is the book for you. If you're not rich, get the Sunset book...at least it's practical.
I would not buy this book again. 1999-07-28
My review will be short and to the point. This book does not deliver what the title implies. If you just enjoy looking at pictures of pools in different settings -- then this book is for you. If you need what the title implies -- look elsewhere.
