Garden History Philosophy and Design 2000 BC to 2000 AD

by Tom Turner (Spon Press 2005: ISBN 0415317487 )

Garden History: Philosophy and Design uses 400+ colour photographs, and 100+ colour plans and 30+ style diagrams (see page 20, below) to review the development of gardens since 2000 BC. The story extends from Egypt and West Asia to Europe and the Americas. It traces the development of art, philosophy and the social use of outdoor space. The origins of western garden design are to be found in the Middle East (West Asia) and after c1800 the influence of western design philosophy became worldwide, as did the influence of the wider world on Europe. The book also traces the philosophy of garden design, to Ancient Greece and Rome, and especially to the work of Plato and Vitruvius. Each chapter is arranged in two parts. The first part, illustrated with colour photographs, deals with history and philosophy, and outlines the ways in which social, geographical, philosophical and artistic ideas have interacted to create gardens. The second part deals with styles and examples, beginning with a style diagram and a short account of the style's use and form. This is followed by key examples of the style, each with a specially drawn colour plan and a succinct explanation of the design philosophy. Some 85 key garden, landscape and urban designs are analysed in this way, to demonstrate the principles underlying the use and beauty of gardens.

The book was published in 2005 and can be obtained from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Design philosophy 2000 BC–2000 AD
Chapter 2: Ancient gardens 2000 BC–1000 BC 23
Chapter 3: Classical gardens 1400 BC–500 AD 49
Chapter 4: West Asian and Islamic gardens 500 BC–1700 AD
Chapter 5: Medieval gardens 600 AD–1500 AD
Chapter 6: Renaissance gardens 1350–1650
Chapter 7: Baroque gardens 1600–1750
Chapter 8: Neoclassical and Romantic gardens 1700–1810
Chapter 9: Eclectic gardens 1800–1900
Chapter 10: Abstract and post-abstract gardens 1900–2000
Maps showing location of significant gardens discussed in the book