Common Landscape Of America, 15801845

A firstrate introduction to a still largely extant North America away from the great cities. This 400page documentary by a dedicated exploring scholar explains how and why the landscape changed between the times of the early Spanish settlers and the impact of industrialization.House and GardenA remarkable book. John Stilgoe has provided us with a panorama of American land development that is unique in the literature of this filed. In the process he has sharpened the readers perception of the historic struggle between those who would tend the land and those who would exploit it, thus making a significant statement about issues in the forefront at the present day. Stilgoes global vision over time, combined with his remarkable facility for involving a great variety of elements into one coherent system of thought and feeling, makes this a deeply important and timely work.Edmund N. BaconRecalls how Europeans shaped this countrys landscape out of wilderness and, by the way, helped to create our sense of beauty, comfort, and appropriatenessA book that will change the way its readers look about them.The New YorkerFocusing on vernacular design and its evolution, Stilgoe effectively demonstrates how builders (rather than professional designers) passed on their traditions from one generation to the nextin so doing shaping Americas enduring attitudes towards landscape. An original and fascinating study.H. Ward Jandl, Library JournalWinner of the 1982 Francis Parkman Prize for Literary Distinction in the Writing of History.