Product Description

Edited and with an introduction by Sam Watters, American Gardens has more than 250 archival photographs and plans and an invaluable biography section profiling the schooling and projects of the landscape designers whose work is featured in the book. In a large landscape format, American Gardens captures estate gardens as they existed for one generation, a time when people had the land, the time, and the skill to fulfill the grandest gardening fantasies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #971754 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Released on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 295 pages

Review
The editor has done a stellar job of presenting a range of designers, both well-known and obscure. American Gardens should serve as a unique visual resource for this great era of landscape architecture for many years to come --Landscape Architecture magazine

The garden voyeur will love this book featuring photographs of lavish gardens and country homes.... The enviable retreats, from the country estates of American aristocracy like John D. Rockefeller s Hudson River home, evoke thoughts of garden soirees with rose terraces, arbors and gates --Riviera

The years best garden gift books offer fascinating insights into history. In "American Gardens, 1880-1930" (Acanthus Press, $75.00) scholar Sam Watters uses more than 250 archival photographs to present some of the most remarkable and diverse designs of the period... --Town & Country, December 2006

About the Author
Sam Watters is a writer and artist living in California. He was educated (Scholar of the House) at Yale, where he completed his graduate work in English 18th-century landscape theory, and at the University of Marseilles, where he studied French and Italian 18th-century gardens. He has been working for five years on Los Angeles Houses 1885 1935, a two volume work covering more than 75 residences with 650 period photographs, that Acanthus will publish fall 2007 as part of its Urban Domestic Architecture Series. Mr. Watters Gardens of California 1900 1935 will be published in 2008.

Customer Reviews

AMERICAN GARDENS
Acanthus Press puts out the most beautiful books and this one does not disappoint. Garden's of the american aristocracy of the northeast and midwest are put on display with gorgeous images to accompany the scholarly text. These gardens are breathtaking and though layed out many years ago, they resonate today; true beauty is eternal I suppose. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in formal gardens of the Gatsby set or frankly to anyone with a love for beautiful things. A gorgeous book on a gorgeous subject, another great book from Acanthus Press.