"The Style of Building in this country differs very considerably from that of Great Britain..."writes Benjamin in the preface to his American Builders Companion. This "different style" was no accident.  American architects sought to differentiate their work from their British colleagues.  This was a further step in defining America as being decidedly different, in many ways,  to Britain.  The Building Companion served as an aide for  those Americans who could not hire architects, but completed the design and construction independently.  It provided instructions in classical motifs for everything from door moulding to supportive or merely decorative columns.  The Companion explained the differences between Greek and Roman influences, and changed them ever so slightly to create a unique style.  The Greek-Revival style was a direct result of this idea.