Robin Karson
Published by University of Massachusetts Press in association with LALH
December 2007
Cloth $39.95
To order: University of Massachusetts Press
tel. 800-537-5487, fax 410-516-6998
This definitive work traces the development of a distinctly American style of landscape design between the 1890s and the 1930s, 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. Charles Platt, Ellen Shipman, Beatrix Farrand, Marian Coffin, and Lockwood de Forest Jr. are the other practitioners Karson covers as she analyzes seven country places created by these leading landscape architects of the period.
Striking black-and-white photographs by Carol Betsch capture the spirit of these country place landscapes today, and hundreds of drawings, plans, and period photographs illuminate their histories. These landscapes are also the subject of a photographic exhibition organized by LALH and hosted by museums throughout the U.S.
Robin Karson is author of Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect and The Muses of Gwinn, and co-editor of Pioneers of American Landscape Design. She serves as executive director of the Library of American Landscape History.
“Yet again Robin Karson has hit the ball out of the park. . . . In this book, as in her previous works, Karson redirects us toward our own homegrown antecedents. And we are that much richer for it.”—The American Gardener
“This is a feast to be savored and digested slowly, over time.”—Landscape Architecture
“The most important book on American gardens for a decade at least. . . .”—Telegraph UK
“Karson’s magisterial book shows the magnitude of the Country [Place] Era landscape heritage and confirms its importance as a major chapter in the history of American landscape design.”—SiteLines
“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.”—Magnolia
“Unlike literary masterpieces, even great landscapes are perishable, but each of the gardens Karson explores has survived the ravages of time, just as her book will, too.”—Garden Design
“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 social, 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
Robin Karson is the founder and executive director of the Library of American Landscape History. She is the author of Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect and The Muses of Gwinn and co-editor of Pioneers of American Landscape Design.
Click titles to read published reviews:
American Gardener
Chicago Botanic Garden
Garden Design
Landscape Architecture
SiteLines
Telegraph UK
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