American Eden: From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are [9780061583438]

Overview

“American Eden moves luminously through landscapes of history, literature, biography, and design theory. . . . fusing sharp-edged analysis and graceful American prose.” —Kevin Starr, author of Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America's Greatest Bridge

“Informative and absolutely engrossing.”  —Ross King, author of Brunelleschi's Dome 

Garden designer and historian Wade Graham offers a unique vision of the story of America in this riveting exploration of the nation’s gardens and the visionaries behind them, from Thomas Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden, Fredrick Law Olmsted’s expansive Central Park to Martha Stewart’s how-to landscaping guides. In the tradition of Mark Kurlansky, Simon Schama, and Michael Pollan, Graham delivers a sweeping social history that examines our nation’s history from an overlooked vantage point, illuminating anew the living drama of American self-creation.

How did the American landscape, from presidential estates to public parks, become a map of our national soul?

• American Garden History: A sweeping four-hundred-year story, from the first colonial outposts to the manicured lawns of modern suburbia, revealing how we shape the land and how it shapes us.
• The Picturesque Movement: Discover how an English garden philosophy championing wild, "natural" beauty was adopted by a revolutionary new nation and became the blueprint for parks across the continent.
• Founding Gardeners: Explore the fascinating visions of iconic figures like Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, Andrew Jackson Downing in the Hudson Valley, and Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of New York’s Central Park.
• Cultural Identity: Go beyond horticulture to see how American gardens have always been a stage for our politics, passions, and the ongoing drama of self-creation.