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A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era (Published in Association...
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Home > Home and Garden Books > Landscape > Item 23
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A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era (Published in Association...
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by Robin Karson
Sales Rank: 67910
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List Price: $65.00
$40.95
At Amazon
on 12-5-2008
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Hardcover: 428 pages
Publisher: Univ. of Massachusetts Press December 1, 2007
Language: English
ISBN-10: 155849636X
ISBN-13: 978-1558496361
Product Dimensions:
12.3 x 10.3 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
Product Review
"Monographs have been written about some of the individuals who created America 's glorious estate landscapes during the opulent period known as the country place era, but the collective story of these place-makers and their creations has not been told until now. Here at last is a book that treats eight important designers of the early twentieth century and seven extraordinary landscapes associated with them in a fluid, integrated narrative offering engaging biographical detail and insightful analysis." -- Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, author of "Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History"
"A major contribution to this long-neglected area of scholarship, Robin Karson's new book finally gives this extraordinary creative flowering its due. . . . This thoughtfully illustrated, authoritative text sets a high standard for other works to follow, and opens the door to a rich chapter in the history of American landscape architecture." -- Mark Alan Hewitt, author of "The Architect and the American Country House"
"The eight biographical studies are excellent summations of the careers of the designers, while the sections concerning the seven estates on which they worked give a vivid sense of the design process involved. The presentation is graceful, clear, and thoughtful." -- Charles E. Beveridge, author of "Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing the American Landscape"
"They're all here: Charles Platt, Beatrix Farrand, Jens Jensen. The great American country estates of 1900-1930 continue to be paragons of the art of garden design. Robin Karson's splendid new book discusses the important landscape architects of this period, and analyzes their important achievements." -- Witold Rybczynski, author of "A Clearing in the Distance"
"This is an outstanding book. . . . I regard it as the best work I have read on the Country Place Era. Its selection of case studies focuses on the best designs of the period by the most talented individuals. . . . The writing is lucid, engaging, and witty, and the book should appeal to professional designers, historians, and lay persons alike." -- Reuben M. Rainey, author of "Modern Public Gardens: Robert Royston and the Suburban Park"
"What a feast Karson has spread before us! The amalgam of people and places and their connections to each other make the book vastly interesting and lead us into novel insights on American society, cultural, intellectual, and even economic history." - Charles C. McLaughlin, founding editor, The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted "This is an outstanding book the best work I have read on the Country Place Era. Its selection of case studies focuses on the best designs of the period by the most talented individuals. The writing is lucid, engaging, and witty." - Reuben Rainey, University of Virginia"
"Formidable in scope and impressive in presentation. . . . Altogether, text visuals, and format work to produce a significant and beautiful book. Building on past scholarship and pointing the way for future investigations, Karson's work contributes significantly to the profession's history and our understanding of its evolution. Landscape historians will devour what's here; others should find inspiration in planting schemes, design details, scale relationships, and photography. This is a feast to be savored and digested slowly, over time." --Landscape Architecture, Oct. 2008
"What a feast Karson has spread before us!The amalgam of people and places and their connections to each other make the book vastly interesting and lead us into novel insights on American society, cultural, intellectual, and even economic history." --Charles C. McLaughlin, founding editor, "The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted"
Product Description
The definitive work on a formative period in American landscape design In this lavishly illustrated volume, Robin Karson traces the development of a distinctly American style of landscape design through an analysis of seven country places created by some of the nation's most talented landscape practitioners.
In the mid-nineteenth century Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York's Central Park, developed an approach to landscape design based on the principles of the English Picturesque which also emphasized a specifically American experience of nature and scenery. After Olmsted's retirement in 1897, these precepts continued to ground a new generation of American landscape architects through the next four decades, a period known as the country place era, a time of rapid economic, social, and cultural change.
In the early twentieth century, new fortunes made it possible for wealthy Americans to commission country estates as a means of aggrandizing social status. These private havens also offered their owners respite from crowded cities and a way to preserve and celebrate places of distinctive landscape beauty. The commissions provided burgeoning numbers of landscape architects with opportunities to experiment with stylistic influences derived from Beaux-Arts, Arts and Crafts, and even Asian principles.
The chapters in this book trace a progression in the period from the naturalistic wild gardens of Warren Manning to the mysterious Prairie style landscapes of Jens Jensen to the proto-modernist gardens of Fletcher Steele. Other practitioners cov ered are Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, Beatrix Farrand, Marian Coffin, and Lockwood de Forest Jr. The projects profiled follow a broad geographic arc, from Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to Santa Barbara, California. All seven landscapes are now open to visitors.
Analyzing these designs in context with one another and against the backdrop of the professional and cultural currents that shaped larger projects such as parks, campuses, and planned communities Karson creates a rich and comprehensive picture of the artistic achievements of the period. Striking black-and-white images by landscape photographer Carol Betsch illuminate the transporting spirit of these country places today, while hundreds of drawings, plans, and historical photographs bring the past to life.
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A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era (Published in Association...
Available from Amazon
Price: $40.95
Updated on 12-5-2008
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