The History of Gardens

by Christopher Thacker

The spirit of a race or an age can be reflected even in the choice and use of with the coming ofZen Buddhism, the Japanese practically ceased to grow flowers in their gardens, an attitude which Le Notre, garden designer ofVersailles, who once said 'flowers are for nursemaids' would doubtless have appreciated. In this fascinating and highly informative book, Christopher Thacker tells the history of gardens from their origins in the 'natural' paradises of Greek myth to the present day. Studying individual gardens or garden topics which are rep~ntative of an age or region, he builds up a comprehensive survey of the gardens and garden theories of an era. Whether Dr Thacker is discussing garden philosophers and designers (Alberti, Mollet, de Vries, Capability Brown, Genrude Jekyll, Russell Page, and many others), or bringing to life the lost gardens of the past, like the Yuan Ming Yuan in Peling, or William Shenstone's the Leasowes, or surveying the weird and mysterious statuary of Bomarzo, his text is always absorbing and authoritative. Profusely illustrated, this book should become a classic on its subject.

Genres: Gardening

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 1979

Reviews

[Kirstin Larson]

This book is absolutely packed with great information, especially in light of today's internet capabilities to search the sometimes-one-off references one frequently finds in the material presented here. I used this as a foundation to build on, and kept a list of references I wished to explore further at a later date.

[Mélanie]

Very informative and easy to read. Covers a wide range of gardens throughout history and the world. Fascinating!