Product Description

Gardens are unique creations, reflecting not only the landscape, flora, and climate of their environments but also the heritage-the history, architectural styles, and influences-of the cultures that made them. From the fountain gardens of the Iranian desert to the whimsical "Garden of Cosmic Speculation" in Scotland, from the Zen gardens of Buddhist temples to the Impressionist gardens in Giverny, the huge variety of gardens around the globe is a testament to our age-old desire to tame and refashion nature.

In The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World photographer Alain Le Toquin celebrates the diversity of these manmade landscapes, capturing 31 of the greatest public and private gardens on five continents, including Majorelle in Morocco, the Versailles gardens outside Paris, the Keukenhof flower show park in The Netherlands, and the Huntington Gardens in California. With more than 150 images and 12 gatefolds featuring spectacular panoramic photographs, this gorgeous book will captivate travelers and garden admirers alike, and will inspire gardeners themselves with fresh ideas for design, horticulture, and use. AUTHOR BIO: Alain Le Toquin, a former specialist in ornithology and animal ecology at the Natural History Museum in Paris, has been a photographer specializing in both culture and nature for more than 20 years. Jacques Bosser, a writer and translator for design and photography books, was a contributor to Abrams' The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. Michel Baridon leads a history and research group for the French National Council of Parks and Gardens. He has published several books on gardens.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86716 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 260 pages

From Publishers Weekly
*Gorgeous photographs by French luminary le Toquin render this impressive coffee-table tome one of the most awe-inspiring garden books in years, and lively text by Bosser only heightens its appeal. The book’s scope is grand—encompassing such exotic locales as Morocco, Singapore and New Zealand—but perhaps the most breathtaking photographs are of the unexpected garden havens in Iran. "The Persian garden was not designed for strolling. The prince was carried in his sedan chair to an open pavilion or to the edge of a pool to mediate, hear music, write verse or listen to recitations," Bosser writes when describing the ancient water garden of Bagh-e Fin. Fold-out sections provide panoramic views of such escapes as the jewel-toned gardens of Yves Saint Laurent’s labyrinthine Marrakech oasis and a kitchen garden in Loire Valley, France, in which vibrant green, leafy cabbages take on the beauty of blossoms. Le Toquin displays his love of the more playful side of garden architecture in a stop at the Nymphaeum of Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta outside Milan, a stone pavilion built over a spring and decorated heavily with (what else?) stone nymphs, and makes the unusual choice of capturing the gardens of Versailles in winter; snow blankets the nude statuary and offers a unique view of the gardens’ "bones." With its sumptuous full-color photographs, this visual tour is a necessary indulgence for armchair gardeners. A detailed section providing the location and contact information for nearly all the public gardens featured also makes it a handy reference for readers whose ambitions—and resources—equal le Toquin’s own.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Throwing down the horticultural gauntlet, photographer Le Toquin makes good on his promise of an armchair traveler's dream come true: a pictorial tour of 32 gardens that more than justify the title's accolade. From the awe-inspiring gardens at Japan's Kyoto Temples to the avant-garde landscape at Scotland's Portrack House, Le Toquin explores the most elaborate and elegant private and public gardens on five continents. Treating winter-weary gardeners and peripatetic plant enthusiasts to an intoxicating realm of vicarious pleasures, LeToquin excels at the unexpected. His requisite pilgrimage to the gardens at Versailles takes place in winter, when their signature beauty is veiled by a lacy filigree of snow. Other surprises include Russia's majestic Peterhof gardens, the mystical oasis of Iran's Bagh-e Shahzdeh gardens, and the antiquarian gardens at Belgium's Freyr Chateau. Michel Baridon's and Bosser's illuminating text eloquently enhances Le Toquin's photographic artistry to complete a magnificent treatise celebrating the rich heritage, cultural influences, and creative diversity of the world's grandest gardens. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Alain Le Toquin, a former specialist in ornithology and animal ecology at the Natural History Museum in Paris, has been a photographer specializing in both culture and nature for more than 20 years. Jacques Bosser, a writer and translator for design and photography books, was a contributor to Abrams' The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. Michel Baridon leads a history and research group for the French National Council of Parks and Gardens. He has published several books on gardens.

Customer Reviews

A gorgeous, gorgeous book
Le Toquin photographs gardens from around the world, including Iranian oases, Italien grottos, English topiaries, and Versailles in winter. The photographs are gorgeous and there are numerous fold-out pages with panorama shots that give a feel for the garden as a whole. The choice of locations highlights the wide range of spaces that are encompassed within the definition of a garden (including one with no plants whatsoever). The accompanying text provides summaries of the histories and predominant features of each garden, but the amazing photographs are what really makes this book shine.

Stunning
I'm not sure why the previous reviewer did not like this book. I thought the photographs were absolutely beautiful, vibrant, and clear. Each garden was photographed from several different angles. The photos take up entire pages and several are on fold-out pages for a panoramic view. The book is printed on quality paper and is quite heavy. I bought this book as a gift for my Mother but I enjoyed looking through it several times before I finally giftwrapped it.

Buy this one used
I did enjoy the book and many of the photographs were a pleasure -- however, I was SO glad I bought it used from an Amazon reseller. I would have been really annoyed if I paid anything close to list price. I felt this book did a surface job both with pictures and narratives. It left me wanting more, but not in a good way. Also, it probably should be called "The Most Beautiful Garden STRUCTURES in the World" -- because garden structures dominate the photographs. Criteria for choosing "the most beautiful" also unclear.