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The Education Of A Gardener (New York Review Books Classics) [Paperback]

Russell Page , Robin Lane Fox
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Book Description

July 3, 2007 New York Review Books Classics
Russell Page, one of the legendary gardeners and landscapers of the twentieth century, designed gardens great and small for clients throughout the world. His memoirs, born of a lifetime of sketching, designing, and working on site, are a mixture of engaging personal reminiscence, keen critical intelligence, and practical know-how. They are not only essential reading for today’s gardeners, but a master’s compelling reflection on the deep sources and informing principles of his art. 

The Education of a Gardener offers charming, sometimes pointed anecdotes about patrons, colleagues, and, of course, gardens, together with lucid advice for the gardener. Page discusses how to plan a garden that draws on the energies of the surrounding landscape, determine which plants will do best in which setting, plant for the seasons, handle color, and combine trees, shrubs, and water features to rich and enduring effect. To read The Education of a Gardener is to wander happily through a variety of gardens in the company of a wise, witty, and knowledgeable friend. It will provide pleasure and insight not only to the dedicated gardener, but to anyone with an interest in abiding questions of design and aesthetics, or who simply enjoys an unusually well-written and thoughtful book.

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Page, one of the great landscape gardeners, covers a lot of ground-literally and figuratively-as he shares his knowledge and experience in this heavily illustrated volume. First published in 1962, this edition contains more photos than the original, many from Page's private files.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Page was one of the 20th century's legendary landscape gardeners. This classic memoir, first published in 1962, is filled with charming anecdotes and timeless gardening advice." -Library Journal

“A classic of garden literature.” —The Los Angeles Times

“Page is one of the most respected gardening experts in the world.” —The Washington Post

“It is beyond dispute that Russell Page, an Englishman now in his 77th year, has designed more gardens for more people in more parts of the world than anyone in history…He has moreover had for many years an underground celebrity as a master of English prose, on the strength of his book The Education of a Gardener.”The New York Times (John Russell)

“Russell Page was one of the most gifted landscape architects in history…Page’s erudition also extended to writing, as this book demonstrates. Three hundred and sixty three pages of design advice can be reduced to this: Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder; it is a quality based on sound artistic and aesthetic principles. Applying those principles–now that’s the hard part, even in Page, in his genius, makes it look easy.” —The Washington Post Book World

“One of the most eloquent of all horticultural testaments. —The Sunday Telegraph (London)

“Literary types will enjoy The Education of a Gardener by Russell Page…a landmark exposition, first published in 1962, of garden design principles by one of the 20th century’s leading landscape designers.” —The Toronto Star

“Something of a classic, a manual on the art of the garden by a man who designed them for over 50 years, but also much more…” —The Times (London) (Sean French)

“I never travel far without Russell Page’s Education of a Gardener, one of the most thoughtful and civilized gardening books ever written, by a master designer.” —The Daily Telegraph (London)

“Russell Page was one of the great English landscape architects of this century…His book The Education of a Gardener remains, in my view, the best combined guide to planting and designing a garden ever written, with inspiration for every sort of gardener, wherever they are placed. The last chapter on his own dream garden is brilliant.” —The Independent (London)

“Whatever has happened to garden writing? By that I mean literature, books that one picks up in the same way that one would a novel or biography for a good read, confident of the quality of its prose…Going to my bookshelves, I pull down Russell Page’s The Education of a Gardener or Vita Sackville-West’s In Your Garden…Virtually no pictures in any of them. We recognize all of these as somehow belonging to a golden age of garden writing.” —The Times (London) (Roy Strong)

“Page had a great talent and a sensitivity not only to different types of flora and to different climates, but also to the architectural requirements of gardens, both large and small…Combining a painter’s eye (his only formal training was in art) with a pragmatic and encyclopedic knowledge of horticulture, he produced gardens that were–are–extraordinarily lovely.” —New York Times (Witold Rybczynski)

“From garden design to individual plants, he invests everything with beauty and wonder.” —The Sunday Times (London)

Product Details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: NYRB Classics (July 3, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1590172310
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590172315
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
(7)
4.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential December 8, 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There's been no better book written about the art of designing a beautiful landscape, IMO. While few of us can relate to mansions on the Riveria or expansive town gardens in Paris, the principles Mr. Page talks about are an accessible distillation of a lifetime of intense planting, looking and thinking. If nothing else, experiencing this rigorous and disciplined artist is an incredible inspiration.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars the education of a gardener June 10, 2008
Format:Paperback
this book is a cultural treasure, but then i am a long-time admirer of russell page, his sensitivity to site and his knowledge as a plantsman. while he tried to make good garden design accessible to more people conceptually, aesthetically, and financially, there remain some recommendations that are clearly out of reach of the ordinary person. however, his approach can be adapted to any any size of garden and any budget. recommended for its beautiful prose alone, i will read this book again and again for its depth of understanding of all aspects of garden design.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Master February 3, 2009
Format:Paperback
Page gives the reader strategies for learning plant names, remembering designs so you can recall them later, and gives a lot of opinions that ring true to me about style. A classic book, well written, and unlike anything I've read in a long time. More than instructional, inspirational. Sure to be a favorite. A gem.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous book, a wonderful story. June 18, 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This man who achieved so much comes across as so humble in this book. He talks about the inspirations behind his work and as a result is truly an inspiration to every aspiring gardner.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Sense February 17, 2013
By Truman
Format:Paperback
Regardless of the site, habitat, style and century of implementation, Page's comments and thoughts on good landscape design will remain true.
Oh, and it's a good read!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Gardening as a Microcosm of Living September 16, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My introduction to Russell Page was in Michael Pollan's "Second Nature: A Gardener's Education," a book about gardening and grandparents applied to the philosophy of living. Pollan's praise of Russell Page stirred my curiosity, and since I couldn't get Page's book through my local library's state network, I ordered a copy from Amazon. And I haven't been disappointed. Page was a 20th century English genius who studied, designed and planted gardens around the world. His book describes his life as a garden creator, both in terms of sites and plants but also in terms of the mental process involved. As with Temple Grandin describing her mental processes involved in building stockyard facilities, the insight into mental genius provides inspiration for broadening my mind's problem-solving aptitude.
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4 of 10 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Ehh, okay, not what I expected August 11, 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this because it was recommended by another landscape designer as one of the best books on cultivating oneself as a landscape designer.

I found the book a bit dull...the author drones on and on about his opinions on what makes a garden great, or what makes other gardens not so great. Part of the problem is that he is describing lots of visual concepts with words, yet fails to provide the illustrations that would more succinctly make his point. The photos that he does include, showing "spectacular gardens" are in black and white - which fails to show the reader the beauty he describes.

I tried reading it from the front. Tried various chapters, but haven't been able to really get into it.
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