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General and introductory Top

Paradise on Earth : The Gardens of Western Europe.by Gabrielle Van Zuylen, I. Mark Paris, Sarah Burns (Harry N. Abrams Inc). This small, keenly-priced book is an essential purchase for the newcomer to garden history - mainly for the richness of its illustrations. Most come from the galleries and libraries of Europe and if one were able to buy them as postcards the cost would be much more than the cost of the book. The quotations are equally good but the text is a little disappointing.

European garden design (Art and Architecture) by Ehrenfried Kluckert Konemann Verlaggesellschaft 2000

Icons of Garden Design edited by Caroline Holmes Prestel Publishing Ltd. Illustrations and discussion of a really well-chosen set of gardens reaching from ancient times to modern times.

Garden Mania Philip de Bay, James Bolton, Monty Don Paperback Thames and Hudson. An excellent set of illustrations from old books and paintings.

A Glossary of Garden History, by Michael Symes (Shire Publications). A small and really useful book for anyone whose wants to become familiar with the terminology of garden historians.

An Illustrated History of Gardening by Anthony Huxley (Lyons Press). As the title states, this is a book about the activity of gardening with fork and blade. It is not a book about the design and layout of gardens. The text is authoritative and well-illustrated. For those of us who garden with their own hands, the book provides a sense kinship with our predecessors.

The History of Garden Design:, edited by Monique Mosser and Georges Teyssot (Thames and Hudson). Don't be misled by the title. It is really a collection of scholarly essays on aspects of garden design history from the 15th century to the 20th century. The essays are rather heavy-going but it is a good book if your brain welcomes a challenge.

The Garden : A History in Landscape and Art by Filippo Pizzoni, (Rizzoli) Treats the history of western gardens in a larger context than many books - and some readers might find the context too broad. It includes art, as culture, man's relationship with nature etc. The author is an Italian landscape architect who studied in London.

Planting design history Top

Plants in Garden History, by Penelope Hobhouse. (Pavilion Books) An interesting and very-well illustrated book on a comparatively neglected aspect of garden history.

The Flowering of the Landscape Garden by Mark Laird (University of Pennsylvania Press). A specialised and scholarly book which has assembled an amazing volume of evidence about the use of flowers in eighteenth century English gardens. One's amazement results from the fact that an earlier generation of garden historians thought that flowers were hardly used in the heyday of 'the style of Mr Brown'.

British and Irish gardens Top

Irish Gardens Olda Fitzgerald, Dtephen Robson (Hearst Books)

The Garden at Chatsworth by the Duchess of Devonshire (Viking books) An owner's account of one of the greatest gardens in England, important in the Renaissance, Landscape and Victorian periods. The Duchess has played an important role in transforming Chatsworth into a modern commercial enterprise. Our online history of garden design has information on Brown and on Chatsworth.

Kew : The History of the Royal Botanic by Ray Desmond (Harvill Press)

Arts and Crafts Gardens by Wendy Hitchmough, Martin Charles (Rizzoli). Well-illustrated account of garden design in the 'best period' in the history of British gardens, including the work of Gertrude Jekyll, Edwin Lutyens and Reginald Blomfield.

The Renaissance Garden in England by Roy Strong (Thames and Hudson). An authoritative historical account of the subject, but not an easy read for those who unfamiliar with the art of the period.

German gardens Top

For the Friends of Nature and Art by Maria Platte (Editor), Thomas Weiss, Ursula Bode (Hatje Cantz) About a vast landscape park 'The Garden Kingdom of Prince Franz Von Anhalt-Dessau' made on the German-Polish border in Age of Enlightenment.

French gardens Top

Renoir's Garden by Derek Fell, Jacques Renoir. Illustrated account of Renoir's famous garden at Giverny.

American gardens Top

American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century, by Ann Leighton (University of Massachusetts Press). A book on American gardens - at a time when American was a much smaller country than it is today.

The Garden and Farm Books of Thomas Jefferson by Robert C. Baron (Fulcrum Publishing) The Garden and Farm Books of Thomas Jefferson

The Golden Age of American Gardens: by Mac Griswold, Eleanor Weller (Harry N. Abrams Inc) About the proud owners who made great gardens on their private estates between 1890-1940

Grandmother's Garden : The Old-Fashioned American Garden 1865-1915.by May Brawley Hill (Harry N. Abrams Inc)

Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect: an account of the gardenmaker's life by Robin Karson (Harry N Abrams Inc). A comprehensive biography of the designer's work with not as much information on other aspects of his life as one might wish. Steele was a talented designer and the key figure in the development of the twentieth century American garden.

Italian gardens Top

Ancient Roman Gardens by Linda Farrar (Sutton Publishing) A book on the development of Roman gardens by an archaeologist. It deals with design, literature, plants, sculpture, and horticultural techniques.

Specialised books Top

Garden Ornament : 500 Years of history and practiceby George Plumptre, James Rylands , Hugh Palmer (Thames & Hudson) The best book on the subject, with excellent photographs by Hugh Palmer

Gardens for the Future : Gestures against the wild by Guy Cooper, Gordon Taylor (Monacelli). Interesting text, by 2 British designers, and an international collection of photographs. The illustrated projects include work by Charles Jencks , Jacques Wirtz, and Jack Lenor Larsen.

Garden visiting guides - America and EuropeTop

The Garden Lover's Guide to the Northeast by Paul Bennett

The Garden Lover's Guide to the South by Paul Bennett, Paul Bennet

The Garden Lover's Guide to the Midwest by Paul Bennett, Paul Bennet

Garden Lover's Guide to Germany by Charles Quest-Ritson

Garden Lover's Guide to the Netherlands and Belgium by Barbara Abbs

Garden Lover's Guide to Italy by Penelope Hobhouse

The Garden Lover's Guide to the West Coast by Kathleen McCormick

The Good Gardens Guide 2001 by Peter King (Editor)

The Garden Lover's Guide to Britain by Patrick Taylor, Penelope Hobhouse

Garden Lover's Guide to France by Patrick Taylor, Penelope Hobhouse

The Garden Lover's Guide to Spain and Portugal by Barbara Segall

The Garden Lover's Guide : San Francisco Bay Area by Veronica Sullivan, Ron Sullivan

Good Garden Guide : Ontario's outstanding gardens by Patricia Singer, Torud Forsyth, Sidney Feitleberg (Photographer) Boston Mills Pr

Videos in PAL format (UK, Europe and multi-region VCRs)

The Beth Chatto Gardens PAL format, ASIN: B00004CVP9, Catalogue Number: FP39 This programme explores Beth's philosophy and her unique arrangements of unusual plants in gardens which were built out of a wasteland in Essex.

Gardens Of The National Trust - Vol. 3 PAL format, Catalogue Number: TLP022 Six more gardens: Blickling Hall, Hinton Ampner, Powis Castle, Rowallane, Stourhead and Stowe.

Gardens Of Cornwall PAL format, Catalogue Number: TF55022 Visit some of the wonderful gardens in Cornwall where palm trees are almost commonplace through the effects of the Gulf Stream. Gardens include Trebah, Caerhays, Burncoose Nurseries, Chyverton, Trewithen, The Lost Gardens Of Heligan, Cothele and many more.

Gardens Of The Caribbean (Anne Swithinbank), PAL format, Catalogue Number: TF55046 The perfect way to capture the experience of a tour of the Caribbean where you can visit some of the most luxuriant gardens in the world.

CAD Computer Aided Landscape Design Top

Landscape Modeling: Digital Techniques for Landscape Visualization. by Stephen Ervin, Hope Hasbrouck McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing 2001 An excellent overview of the use of computers for the creation of digital models.

Design Software

Autocad is excellent programme for production drawings of all kinds. But for dramatic landform representations we recommend Bryce 5.0. Now part of the Corel suite, this 3-D landform and animation programme produces dramatic results with a minimum of effort. One can import landform models from Autocad or 3-D Studio. Corel Draw 10 is, for 2-d work cheaper, faster and better a traditional drawing office CAD package. From a creative point of view there is much to be said for an image-editing programme (like Photoshop 6.0). It facilitates the use of montage as a design approach and encourages design with colour and materials.

Landscape Graphics Top

Drawing the Landscape. by Chip Sullivan John Wiley & Sons 1997 A classic guide to landscape drawing.

Landscape Graphics. by Grant W. Reid Whitney Library of Design 1987 A useful handbook on the production of the types of landscape drawing required by professional offices.

From Concept to Form: In Landscape Design. by Grant W. Reid, R. K. Lochner (Editor) John Wiley & Sons 1993 This book helps you learn to draw but, more important, helps you to produce the types of drawing which help you develop a landscape or garden design.

Landscape Architecture: General Top

Great City Parks. by Alan Tate Routledge 2001 A very useful survey, analysis and appriasal of 'twenty significant public parks in fourteen major cities across Western Europe and North America. Alan Tate has been assiduous in visiting the parks, reading about their origin and talking to those who are now responsible for them. This approach enables the book to me much more than a design survey. It reviews the contribution which the parks make to the lives of their citizens.

Landscape Architecture : A Manual of Site Planning and Design. by John Ormsbee Simonds McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing 1997 This is a classic reference on the modernist survey-analysis-design approach to landscape architecture. The author's tendency to write as though this were the only method can be excused because, for the greater part of the twentieth century, it was the only method.

Changes in Scenery : Contemporary Landscape Architecture in Europe. by Thies Schroder, Christophe Girot Birkhauser Architectura 2001 During the twentieth century Europe lost its ancient prowess in garden and landscape design. This book demonstrates that the art has revived and is reviving. Watch this space.

Ecology, Community and Delight : An Inquiry into Values in Landscape Architecture by Ian H. Thompson (January 2000) E & F N Spon; An informed and informative discussion of the philosophy of landscape architecture.

City as Landscape: A Post Post-Modern View of Design and Planning by Tom Turner Paperback (June 1995) E & F N Spon; A collection of 20 essays on theory, planning, urbanism, landscape design, open space planning and garden design.

Landscape Architecture: History Top

Pioneers of American Landscape Design. by Charles A. Birnbaum (Editor), Robin S. Karson (Editor) McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing 2000 A useful book in which the history of American landscape architecture is told through biographies of 160 key people.

Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History. by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers Harry N Abrams 2001 A cultural and architectural history of landscape design.

The Landscape of Man : Shaping the Environment from Prehistory to the Present Day. by Geoffrey Jellicoe, Susan Jellicoe Thames & Hudson 1995 This should be the choice, if you buying only one book on landscape architecture. It surveys the art on a world-historical scale and is superbly illustrated with Susan Jellicoe's black and white photographs. The text is enticing and enlightening. Strongly recommended.

Greater Perfections : The Practice of Garden Theory (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture). by John Dixon Hunt University of Pennsylvania Press 2000 A most scholarly set of essays on the theory of garden design and landscape architecture. Hunt is sharply critical of the profession's current theoretical ignorance.

Elysium Britannicum, or the Royal Gardens (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture). by John E. Ingram (Editor), John Evelyn University of Pennsylvania Press 2000 In the seventeenth century, John Evelyn was the learing English scholar of renaissance gardens. He had travelled in Italy and seen the amazing new gardens of the renaissance. This book was thought lost and was long unpublished.

The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. by John Fleming, Hugh Honour, Nikolaus Pevsner Penguin 2000 An inexpensive and useful reference book. For people who are new to the design disciplines, unfamiliarity with terminology and concepts can prove a major obstacle. This book helps you to overcome the obstacle as speedily as possible.

Alexander Pope : The Poet and the Landscape. by Mavis Batey Barn Elms Pub 2000 A perceptive analysis of the relationship between Alexander Pope's poetry and his attutude to landscape design, written by a former President of the Garden History Society.

The Persian Garden : Echoes of Paradise. by Mehdi Khansari (Photographer), M. Reza Moghtader, Minouch Yavari Mage Pub 1998 A major work of scholarship, full of illustrations unobtainable elsewhere.

Design on the Land : The Development of Landscape Architecture. by Norman T. Newton Harvard Univ Pr 1971 A history of design on the land from ancient times until the start of the modern era. No one explains the transition from garden design to landscape architecture better than Newton. Students may read the book from cover to cover and then keep it as a valuable reference for their professional lives. One must have a knowledge of history in order to modify older designs and one must understand history in order to move forwards.

Landscape Planning Top

Design With Nature by Ian L. McHarg This is the classic work on the subject. All landscape planners should have a copy on their bookshelves. The choice of title, like the text and illustrations, was brilliant but the book is in fact more about planning than design.

Linkages in the Landscape : The Role of Corridors and Connectivity in Wildlife Conservation. by Andrew F. Bennett Island Press 2000 A useful review of the role of biological corridors in planning for nature conservation.

Landscape Planning: Environmental Applications, 3rd Edition. by William M. Marsh John Wiley & Sons 1997 One of the best books on landscape planning. Marsh develops Ian McHarg's approach.

Landscape Planning and Environmental Design by Tom Turner UCL Press (June 1998). Has chapters on planning for parks, reservoirs, mineral working, agriculture, forestry, rivers, transport and urbanisation.

Monographs on Landscape Designers Top

Frederick Law Olmsted : Designing the American Landscape. by Charles E. Beveridge, Paul Rocheleau, David Larkin (Editor), Rochleau Universe Pub; 1998 Olmsted is the farther-figure of American landscape architecture. He started as a farmer and journalist, went on to win the design competition for Central Park New York, with Calvert Vaux, and went on to plan park and open space systems for American cities.

Dan Kiley : The Complete Works of America's Master Landscape Architect. by Dan Kiley, Jane Amidon Bulfinch Press 1999 Dan Kiley is indeed a 'master landscape architect'. He held to the modernist aesthetic through a long and productive career producing designs of the highest quality. Each century produces only a few individuals who can design to this standard.

Luis Barragan's Gardens of El Pedregal. by Keith L. Eggener Princeton Architectural 2001 Barragan was a brilliant landscape and garden designer, translating the cubist vision into designed landscape more successfully than any European designer.

The Complete Landscape Designs and Gardens of Geoffrey Jellicoe. by Michael Spens, Hugh Palmer (Photographer), Geoffrey Alan Jellicoe Thames & Hudson 1994 As the title suggests, this is the most complete reference source for Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe's design projects. Most of the projects are illustrated and other works are listed.

Roberto Burle Marx: Landscapes Reflected, Landscape Views 3. by Rossana Vaccarino (Editor) Princeton Architectural Pr 2000 Burle Marx is the leading example of a modernist landscape architect. He was trained as an abstract painter and as an ecologist before making a highly original contribution to twentieth century landscape architecture.

Yves Brunier : Landscape Architect. by Rem Koolhaas, Odile Fillion (Contributor), Hubert Tonka (Contributor) Birkhauser (Architectural) 1996 An inspiring book, demonstrating the creative role of colour and collage in creative landscape design.

Landscape Theory Top

Introduction to Stormwater : Concept, Purpose, Design. by Bruce K. Ferguson John Wiley & Sons 1998 It used to be thought that a knowledge of plants and planting was the essential technical requirement for a career in landscape architecture. After reading this excellent book one might conclude that a knowledge of how to manage water is even more important. Every landscape architect should be familiar with principles of designing and managing rainwater.

Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. by Sue Wilson (Editor) E & F N Spon 2001 Landscape and visual impact assessment have become a major part of the landscape profession's workload in the UK. This book, written with the backing of the UK Landscape Institute, provides an authoritative view of aims and methods.

Site Analysis : Linking Program and Concept in Land Planning and Design. by ames A. Lagro John Wiley & Sons 2001 A traditional and well-illustrated approach to the central stages of developing a landscape design.

The Landscape Approach (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture). by Bernard Lassus, Peter Jacobs (Introduction), Robert B. Riley (Introduction), st Bann University of Pennsylvania Press 1998 A useful account of the work of Bernard Lassus, one of France's leading landscape designers.

The Poetics of Gardens. by Charles W. Moore, William J. Mitchell (Contributor), William Turnbull (Contributor) MIT Press 1993 Aristotle's poetics were concerned with the principles of poetry. This book is concerned with the aesthetic principles of garden design. It is an original and exciting book.

The Millennial Landscape : The Ethics and Aesthetics of Dealing With the Landscape. by David Jacques Garden Art Press 2001 A philosophical treatment of the theory of landscape architecture by a leading garden historian.

The Garden Design Sourcebook : The Essential Guide to Garden Materials and Structures. by David Stevens Conran Octopus 1999 A uesful source of design ideas from an experienced teacher and practitioner of garden design.

Geoffrey Jellicoe : The Studies of a Landscape Designer over 80 Years.. by Geoffrey Jellicoe Antique Collectors Club 1996 Much as I admire Jellicoe's Landscape of Man, I believe that his Studies in Landscape Design make a more important contribution to the art of landscape design. Each study deals with one of Jellicoe's projects and each demonstrates that a landscape design can and should be a great deal more than a functional exercise. He draws on the visual and literary arts, while always retaining a keen sensitivity to client needs. The studies were originally published in 3 volumes by Oxford University Press. They were re-published by the Antique Collectors Club.

Geoffrey Jellicoe : The Studies of a Landscape Designer over 80 Years.. by Geoffrey Jellicoe Antique Collectors Club 1993 Much as I admire Jellicoe's Landscape of Man, I believe that his Studies in Landscape Design make a more important contribution to the art of landscape design. Each study deals with one of Jellicoe's projects and each demonstrates that a landscape design can and should be a great deal more than a functional exercise. He draws on the visual and literary arts, while always retaining a keen sensitivity to client needs. The studies were originally published in 3 volumes by Oxford University Press. They were re-published by the Antique Collectors Club.

Geoffrey Jellicoe : The Studies of a Landscape Designer over 80 Years.. : Gardens & Design Gardens of Europe by Geoffrey Jellicoe Antique Collectors Club 1995 The Gardens & Design Gardens of Europe was Jellicoe's second book, after Italian Gardens. It provides an interesting history of garden design but lacks the profundity of some of Jellicoe's other books.

Ecology, Community and Delight : An Inquiry into Values in Landscape Architecture. by Ian H. Thompson E & F N Spon 2000 The oldest book on western architecture, by Vitruvius Pollio, gives the principles of design as Commodity Firmness and Delight. In a carefully argued and well-researched book, Thomson reinterprets these principles for landscape architecture as as Ecology, Community and Delight. It is a valuable contribution to the theory of landscape architecture.

Radical Landscapes: Reinventing Outdoor Space. by Jane Amidon Thames & Hudson 2001 The author offers a radical approach to the design of outdoor space.

Landscape and Sustainability. by John F. Benson (Editor), Maggie H. Roe (Editor) E & F N Spon 2001 A valuable collection of essays on the theory and practice of planning and designing more sustainable landscapes. This must be one of the directions in which the art and profession will change.

Landscape Narratives : Design Practices for Telling Stories. by Matthew Potteiger, Jamie Purinton John Wiley & Sons 1998 Modernists excluded narrative and literary considerations from landscape architecture. This book shows how they can be restored to their proper place in the design process. It is a clearly written and enlightening book.

Gardens of the Mind : The Genius of Geoffrey Jellicoe. by Michael Spens Antique Collectors Club 1992 An overview of Jellicoes work as an author and as a designer. Well-written and well-illustrated. Maybe a little more cautious than it might have been because, like an authorised biography, it was written with Jellicoe's help.

With People in Mind : Design and Management for Everyday Nature. by Rachel Kaplan, Stephen Kaplan, Robert L. Ryan Island Press 1998 Two environmental psychologists and a landscape architect have produced a most interesting book on one aspect of how to marry the two disciplines. Drawing on Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language approach, it explains how designers can learn from natural landscapes.

Landscape Visitors' Guides Top

Landscape London: A Guide to Gardens and Urban Spaces. by Charlotte Hare Ellipsis London Pr Ltd 2001 A useful pocket guide to designed outdoor space in London. Good value and very useful for visitors to Britain's capital city.

Open Spaces in Vienna : A Guide to Contemporary Landscaping. by Georg Lammel, Sascha Jakab Springer Verlag 2000 A guide to recent landscape design in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

Contemporary Parks and Gardens in France. by Marielle Hucliez Vilo Intl 2000 A review of current landscape architecture in France.

See history of landscape architecture

Music Top

Periods in the history of garden and landscape design relate to periods in the history of other arts. Music is one of the most interesting because it speaks directly to the emotions and attitudes of a period. We recommend listening to the suggested composers when reading about a place or driving to make a visit. Some musical recommendations are for the cheapest and some for the best. Pressing the 'Listen' button on the amazon.co.uk screen will plan a sample of the music, if your computer has speakers and a program like RealPlayer.

Garden Visiting Guides - British and Irish gardens - German gardens French gardens - American gardens - General and introductory books - Planting design history - Specialised books - - CAD Computer Aided Landscape Design - Landscape Architecture: General - Landscape Graphics - Landscape Architecture: HistoryLandscape Planning - Monographs on Landscape Designers - Landscape TheoryLandscape Visiting Guides -