The Poetics of Gardens [Paperback]

William J. Mitchell (Author), William Turnbull Jr. (Author), Charles W. Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 1993

There is a universality about the creation of gardens across time and in diverse cultures that has inspired this entirely different garden book: a playful and affectionate typology of gardens; a pattern book in which a score of landscapes and gardens are drawn, described, and analyzed not just as a bouquet of pleasures but as sources, lodes to be mined for materials, shapes and relationships, and ideas for transforming our own backyards.The Poetics of Gardens is a celebration of places and the gardens they can become. Most of the 500 sketches, axonometric drawings, and photographs were created especially for this book. They explore the special qualities of places and the acts that can transform them into gardens.The authors discuss the qualities that create the promise of a garden the shapes of land and water, the established plants, the light and wind, the climate and show how these can be organized to give a place a special meaning. And they pay particular attention to the "rituals of habitation" by which we imaginatively take possession of places on the surface of the earth.The Poetics of Gardens examines great gardens made in other places, with other climates, at other times from ancient Rome to modem England, from Ball to Botany Bay, from the court of Ch'ien Lung to the magic kingdom of Walt Disney to explore their devices and record their images, scents, and sounds. The authors discuss the adaptation of the great garden traditions of the past to North American soil and call together the creators of these gardens to speculate about how their patterns and ideas can be appropriated, transformed, and composed into places that come alive for us.Charles W. Moore, one of America's best known architects, is O'Neil Ford Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. William J. Mitchell is Professor of Architecture at Harvard University. William Turnbull, Jr. is Principal of William Turnbull Associates, San Francisco.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With erudition and uncommon imagination, the authors consider the social and aesthetic history of gardens, deftly compressing encyclopedic findings in urbane prose. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Here at last is a book destined to restore a more affectionate and personal relationship with the garden. Charmingly written, profusely illustrated, this handsome book introduces the reader to the beauty and wide variety of gardens - from the landscape designs of ancient China and India to those of Capability Brown and Walt Disney and the modem American suburban homeowner." John B. Jackson , landscape historian

"The authors begin by establishing some basic principles of gardening, then go on to discuss 20 gardens from places as diverse as ancient Rome to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.... A provocative, challenging work." Washington Post

"The book is theoretical, challenging, and a literary delight. That three architects, two of them professors, could have produced a book so felicitously written, and without a single footnote, astonishes me. Their breadth of teaming is dazzling. The subtlety and clarity of their insights fill me with admiration." Christopher Reed , Horticulture

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 13, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262631539
• ISBN-13: 978-0262631532
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a cofee-table book, a SERIOUS BOOK!!!, September 26, 2004

By 

María Díaz (Mexico City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Poetics of Gardens (Paperback)

This book impressed me with the amount of information on garden design, styles and history it has. No, it is not a coffee table book with pretty pictures, but a serious study on the history of garden design. The pictures in it are black-and-white, as well as all diagrams and plans. It is an excellent reference book for students of landscape design and garden lovers alike!!!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a garden book, March 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Poetics of Gardens (Paperback)

It's really about experiencing and analyzing the spacial environment. Well written & illustrated. I've used it as a supplemental text in a history of L.A. course, & students have found it really valuable. I've just plain enjoyed it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers a lot, November 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Poetics of Gardens (Paperback)

Good examples of different aspects of the landscape. Explains different types of gardens well. It was an assigned book for a class, which made me not want to read it, but I'm glad that I did. Well written with good diagrams.