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The English Garden: A Social History
Rare book
284 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 31, 2022
Snarky, illuminating, informative, and intensely amusing.
I bought this book at Kew Gardens, where the bookshop is an embarrassment of riches. What to choose? "The proof of the pudding," my Mum said. "Take your time." So I sat down and read a couple of pages in each book on the little pile that had sprung up next to me. Difficult, I thought, but then I opened Charles Quest-Ritson's The English Garden: A Social History and read: "Garden history has been abducted by the art historians." Too right! The other books on my pile were ample proof. "Too much garden history has been concerned with when gardens were made, what they looked like, who made them and how they changed." Yes, indeed. "More interesting by far is ... why people garden." And just as I was wondering whether this author might not err on the dry, economic side, this sentence leapt to the eye: "There is more to social history than drawing attention to the great gulf which divides the rich from the poor and then whingeing about it." This was going to be fun!
It was, it is: fun and informative, a mine of knowledge. A big thank you to my Mum, who gave me the book even though it was her birthday that day, not mine. She hadn't been looking forward to it, so we decided to give her a treat, and it worked a treat! She was incredibly pleased to find that she was entitled to a reduced entrance fee because she was now a senior citizen. She really liked the gardens, too, though, and we walked for miles.
I bought this book at Kew Gardens, where the bookshop is an embarrassment of riches. What to choose? "The proof of the pudding," my Mum said. "Take your time." So I sat down and read a couple of pages in each book on the little pile that had sprung up next to me. Difficult, I thought, but then I opened Charles Quest-Ritson's The English Garden: A Social History and read: "Garden history has been abducted by the art historians." Too right! The other books on my pile were ample proof. "Too much garden history has been concerned with when gardens were made, what they looked like, who made them and how they changed." Yes, indeed. "More interesting by far is ... why people garden." And just as I was wondering whether this author might not err on the dry, economic side, this sentence leapt to the eye: "There is more to social history than drawing attention to the great gulf which divides the rich from the poor and then whingeing about it." This was going to be fun!
It was, it is: fun and informative, a mine of knowledge. A big thank you to my Mum, who gave me the book even though it was her birthday that day, not mine. She hadn't been looking forward to it, so we decided to give her a treat, and it worked a treat! She was incredibly pleased to find that she was entitled to a reduced entrance fee because she was now a senior citizen. She really liked the gardens, too, though, and we walked for miles.
January 25, 2015
Mostly text, on heavy, gorgeous slick white paper. A few illustrations, in just the right places. Lots of primary sources quote, a well researched but definitely readable book. (One does feel badly for all the people prior to 1830 having to keep their lawns trimmed with a scythe.)
June 26, 2017
Fascinating history of gardens, showing them to be a microcosm of the values of any given period. Stunningly illustrated.
September 20, 2024
Fascinating and well researched. The author is a bit pompous but writes well.
May 18, 2010
"An iceberg of a book. What we see on the page is supported by a great body of research underneath. This is what gives the book its sweeping style and confidence. . . Written with verve, dash, wit, and style."
– Anna Pavord, Independent
"An evocation of those happy garden-lovers who had the wealth to live out their dreams in gardens they made in sunny places. . . Exceptionally well-written and deeply researched . . . a tale of romance and horticultural obsession."
– Fred Whitsey, Daily Telegraph
– Anna Pavord, Independent
"An evocation of those happy garden-lovers who had the wealth to live out their dreams in gardens they made in sunny places. . . Exceptionally well-written and deeply researched . . . a tale of romance and horticultural obsession."
– Fred Whitsey, Daily Telegraph
May 20, 2015
Heartwarming stories also include a garden! Joy, rest, peace. Enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews