Amazon.com Review
Gardening is an ephemeral art, not unlike the art of crafting a viable stage play. Gardens, like plays, bloom and fade, and become a memory. The reprint of this sought-after book, first published in 1931, preserves the history of the American garden in the early 20th century as well as the landscape heritage of the Golden State. The black and white images of gardens set in private estates, colleges, libraries, and missions comprise no less than a photographic "guide to the residential landscape ideals of that expansive, glamorous era" between World War I and the Depression, as the author observes in the original foreword.
From Scientific American
It is much more than local in its interest, although its illustrations are from but one section of the country. The principles of garden design shown by these outstanding photographs apply in every climate, and those who love beautiful gardens will find the book of interest wherever their homes.
