Product Description

This volume looks at the landscape of 28 cultures, ranging from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day, and shows how the environment is conditioned by the philosophy and religion of each civilization. A selection from Geoffrey Jellicoe's "The Atlanta Historical Garden" is included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #166024 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

From Library Journal
Published in Britain in 1975 and in the United States in 1987, this study presents the ways humankind has traditionally shaped its environment to express concepts of power, comfort, mystery, etc. For this profusely illustrated edition-746 in all-the text has been updated to include recent constructions.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

An excellent start in the study of landscape architecture
This volume should be among the first 5 books anyone interested in the history of landscape must buy, no wonder it's included in the academic readings in many fine schools. The B&W photographs are remarkable, and it's filled with plans and diagrams from all over the world. In the last revised edition, covers the actual trends in landscape architecture, as well as asian and pre-columbian cultures. As an architect starting out in this field of study, I found it very helpful, and I'm sure others will!

History in magnificent photographs - by the hundreds
The original edition, hardcover with beautiful dust jacket, was printed in 1975 in England. It is one of my favorite all-time photo books, since in includes shots of Borobudur, the Ziggurat, the Red Fort in Delhi, Angkor Wat, Ctesiphon in Iraq - lots of photos hard to find even on the net. History all the way to the opera house in Sydney. A most fascinating book. Large: 9 1/4 x 11 3/4, 383 pages, a sound minimal text with each plate numbered and easily referenced - to me this is one of the great books. Everyone who has travelled, or who wants to travel, will enjoy this tremendously. (Many of the areas shown are difficult and often dangerous to visit, now.) Try it. You'll like it.

Perfect to understand man's perception of the unbuilt
This book as a classic. It is not only for those who want to study our changing perceptions of our landscape and our moves to define it over the past few millennia, but also to architects who build 'buildings'. This tome takes us through man's history, and outlines our aesthetic evolution with our landscape as a changing canvas that represent our different social conditions. A must-have if you are a student, an architect, or just a person who wants to see how we became what we are!