The American elm, elegant and highly adaptable, was an essential feature of America's cultural landscape for more than a century, forming great verdant parasols above, and giving its name to streets all across the nation. The elm became a defining element in the spatial design of America's villages, towns and cities, first in New England, and, with the westward transit of Yankee culture, eventually throughout the United States. This illustrated text traces the elm's transformation from a fast-growing weed into a regional and national icon, and shows how Elm Street satisfied America's quest for a pastoral urbanism imagined since the time of Jefferson.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Campanella writes learnedly but with a light touch, and Republic of Shade is a pleasure to read." -- Witold Rybczynski, Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2003
"[F]ascinating. . . . Recommended for public and academic libraries and especially for regional and landscape history collections." -- Library Journal
"edifying..." -- Mark Rozzo, The New Yorker, June 30, 2003
There should be a book like this for every great American tree. Campanella is a terrific scholar and. . . . writer. . . . -- Amy Godine, Orion
Told with authority and charm. -- Michael Kenney, Boston Sunday Globe
"[F]ascinating. . . . Recommended for public and academic libraries and especially for regional and landscape history collections." -- Library Journal
"edifying..." -- Mark Rozzo, The New Yorker, June 30, 2003
There should be a book like this for every great American tree. Campanella is a terrific scholar and. . . . writer. . . . -- Amy Godine, Orion
Told with authority and charm. -- Michael Kenney, Boston Sunday Globe
About the Author
Thomas J. Campanella is assistant professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of Cities from the Sky: An Aerial Portrait of America.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic theme and wonderful story telling!!,
This review is from: Republic of Shade: New England and the American Elm (Hardcover)
When I first saw this book I was intrigued by the title and could not wait to read it. The introduction almost made me cry. This book is truely a wonderful and entertaining read. Everyone, from botanist to a person who couldn't tell an elm from an oak should read this book. It ties horticulture, American history, and botany together in a fascinating way. I could not stop reading this once I started. Campanella brings his reader from the colonial and early American love affair with the elm to modern disease breeding. I honestly recomend this book to any one wanting to learn about a fascinating and untold story. Fantastic!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why the love of Elm persists!,
By Georges Buffon (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Republic of Shade: New England and the American Elm (Hardcover)
An outstanding work. This book deeply aquaints the reader with this quintessentially American tree and answers any question as to why the love of Elm persists despite the tragedy of DED. Prior to reading this book, I was unaware just how great a role this tree has played in our American history, from the period before the first settlers to modern day. Excellent photographs and a great read, connecting the Elm of our past with those of our present and beyond -- long live the Elm!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elm as Cultural Icon,
By
This review is from: Republic of Shade: New England and the American Elm (Hardcover)
This well-researched, yetlightly scholarly book looks at American culture from a different angle. Rather than through polictical and economic events, the culture of one of the first settled regions of America is chronicled from the standpoint of a common native tree. The deliberate cultivation of the American elm, so plentiful in New England and elsewhere in America, is seen to have been driven first by practical considerations (shelter for home and animals), then by political/social ones (community improvementand "moral values") and later by economic ones (tourism). It seems that the region shaped the elm's use just as it shaped the region's commplexion and identity.
As one who works with trees I was expecting more plant-based information on the American elm rather than a sociopolitical, cultural approach. Yet I found this a more fascinating and educational treatment: elm as cultural, rather than landscape, icon. A highly interesting and not tedious read with a little something for everyone.
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
In the European imagination, the New World was Eden recovered, and Eden was covered with trees. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
monument elms, elm tradition, spatial beauty, elm culture, village improvement movement, elm planting, verdant village, planting elms, plant elms, historic trees, planted elms, great elm, village improvement societies, elm disease, elm bark beetle, street elms, elm wood, urban forest, old elm, conversation with author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New England, New Haven, New York, United States, New Hampshire, Washington Elm, Old World, North America, Boston Common, New Jersey, Liberty Tree, Department of Agriculture, Civil War, Elm Street, New World, Tree Bee, Elm Research Institute, Tree of Liberty, Andrew Jackson Downing, Connecticut Valley, Laurel Hill Association, Rhode Island, British Isles, Elm Watch, James Hillhouse New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In the European imagination, the New World was Eden recovered, and Eden was covered with trees. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
monument elms, elm tradition, spatial beauty, elm culture, village improvement movement, elm planting, verdant village, planting elms, plant elms, historic trees, planted elms, great elm, village improvement societies, elm disease, elm bark beetle, street elms, elm wood, urban forest, old elm, conversation with author Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New England, New Haven, New York, United States, New Hampshire, Washington Elm, Old World, North America, Boston Common, New Jersey, Liberty Tree, Department of Agriculture, Civil War, Elm Street, New World, Tree Bee, Elm Research Institute, Tree of Liberty, Andrew Jackson Downing, Connecticut Valley, Laurel Hill Association, Rhode Island, British Isles, Elm Watch, James Hillhouse New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 86
books:
See all 86 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- The Rambler in North America by Charles J. Latrobe on 8 pages
- New Hampshire: An Explorer's Guide (Explorer's Guides) by Christina Tree on 4 pages
- A Forest Hymn by William Cullen Bryant on 4 pages
- Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes on 4 pages
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson on 4 pages
See all 86 books this book cites
- The North Atlantic Coast (Stories from Where We Live) by Sara St. Antoine on page 201
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