Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000000291090 | SB469.25 O93 1986 rd | Reference Book | 1:BOOKREF | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
This new Oxford Companion covers the history and design of gardens all over the world from the earliest recorded known examples to the present day, encompassing everything from small private gardens to the vast public park at Versailles, from the secret gardens of Arab princes to legendary gardens that no longer exist. Some 250 halftone illustrations of gardens feature contemporary paintings and engravings, recent and early photographs, garden plans and sketches. In addition, 24 pages of color plates illustrate the rich variety and scope of the garden.
The Companion is neither a practical manual on how to select and grow plants nor a garden visitor's handbook. Rather, the 1500 entries include over 700 on individual gardens selected for their historical significance and originality of design. In addition, the Companion brings together for the first time in a single convenient reference work information on modern garden designers, such as Church, Baragan, Burle Marx, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Jens Jenson, and on principal patrons, illustrators, and nurserymen and plant collectors--information heretofore available if at all only in specialist periodicals and in a few rare books. There are also entries on features such as fountains, mazes, serpentine walls, and moon doors; and on garden terms like jie jing, étang, and casino. Gardens for special purposes are included--for disabled people, hospitals, and prisons, roof gardens, rock gardens, and water gardens. Longer articles cover garden design in major countries, and specialist topics such as botanical illustration, Islam, public parks, and landscape architecture as an academic subject. As in other Oxford Companions the entries are arranged alphabetically with comprehensive cross-referencing.
Author Notes
About the Authors:
Patrick Goode is a lecturer in the history of garden design at Thames Polytechnic, Kent, England. Michael Lancaster is a professional landscape architect and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Thames Polytechnic.
Reviews 3
Booklist Review
The art of garden design is the focus of this splendid new Oxford companion. It is the first comprehensive reference work on the subject, providing descriptions of gardens from all countries of the world and from all periods. Geoffrey and Susan Jellicoe, recognized authorities on landscape design, directed the work, which includes signed contributions from 172 other international specialists. Strong, knowledgeable editorial guidance is evident in the definition of criteria for inclusion. First, design as an art form is always central, whether in selection of gardens for inclusion or for biographical references. Many well-known gardens or notable plant collections are thus excluded, whereas large-scale public parks such as Versailles, which contributed substantially to garden design, are featured. Both private and public gardens are included. Secondly, the Companion locates and describes gardens in order to stimulate and inform, but it is not intended as a manual on construction and planting. Finally, every attempt has been made to keep entries balanced, representing all countries and times. The editors note the unevenness of available research, such as the paucity of published material for countries outside Europe. They also note particular difficulty in selecting twentieth-century gardens, partly because they are numerous and partly because the terms garden design and landscape design are used differently in various countries. Much source material for this later period has been available previously only in journals and some special studies. The Companion thus ``brings together for the first time in one volume information on the gardens and their designers of all periods from the earliest recorded examples to the present day.'' The alphabetical arrangement that makes Oxford companions such convenient works of reference is again used here. Asterisks within the text provide cross-references to entries where additional information may be found. See and see also references are used at the end of articles as an aid to research. The work contains substantial general articles on different countries. These comprehensive articles include specific cross-references to all individual entries on named gardens. In this way it is possible to pursue fully an interest in the gardens of a particular country. A selective six-page bibliography at the end of the book offers a guide to further reading. It is arranged by subject country, designer, named garden, or garden type. The Oxford Companion to Gardens is distinguished by its illustrations. Its 24 fine colorplates include many photographs of existing gardens, but also reproductions of paintings of ancient gardens. The numerous black-and-white illustrations, sharply reproduced on white paper, also include a mix of photographs, garden plans, and prints of all kinds. Scholarship, organization, and content combine to make this another Oxford classic, a must for libraries and a joy to own.
Choice Review
Continuing in the tradition, this new Oxford companion has the same clear style, format, and alphabetical arrangement of other Oxford companion works. The 1,500 entries by 170 contributors are generally a concise 1 to 3 paragraphs each with some particularly broad topics running to several pages. Although not meant to be encyclopedic in nature, this work is ambitious in scope-garden history and design worldwide from ancient times to the modern day. Longer entries give a good but very general overview of a subject; shorter ones highlight significant or unusual features or characteristics of an era, place, garden, or person. With its primary focus on garden design as an art form, this volume complements other major gardening works, such as the Royal Horticultural Society's Dictionary of Gardening, ed. by F.J. Chittenden (2nd ed., 1965), whose emphases lie more in the practical horticultural aspects of garden construction and plant cultivation. An important and recommended acquisition for collections supporting the study of garden and landscape design and history, as well as for collections supporting related but more general disciplines such as history, architecture, and design.-M.A. Miasek, University of Oregon
Library Journal Review
World-wide in scope, this work is an encyclopedia of the art of garden design from the earliest known gardens to the present. The 1500 entries by 170 specialists cover large, small, public, and private gardens of significance; ancient and modern design and designers; and landscape architects, plant collectors, and influential garden enthusiasts. All of this is in alphabetical order, meticulously cross-referenced. Although well illustrated, this is not a picture book but a reference for amateurs and professionals concerned with studying or visiting gardens and checking details of the evolution and development of gardens. Highly recommended. Louise B. Hodges, Amherst Cty. P.L., Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
