The Once and Future Gardener: Garden Writing from the Golden Age of Magazines, 1900-1940 (Hardcover)

~ Virginia Tuttle Clayton (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Clayton, associate curator of old master prints at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, introduces this anthology with a succinct history of the literature of amateur gardening and of gardening in mainstream magazines. The 59 articles she has chosen from popular pre-World War II titles such as The House Beautiful and Country Life in America cover a broad range of topics. There are literary essays by well-known professionals as well as more practical ones by amateur gardeners whose advice is often still useful. The somewhat artificial organization is by chapters ranging from "A Year in the Garden" to "Formal, Italian Gardens and the Use of Architectural Features and Furnishings." Clayton provides capsule biographies of the authors and places each selection in its historical context. Reprints of the black-and-white illustrations, plus color plates of some of the magazine covers, add to the reader's pleasure. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.
-Daniel Starr, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The Washington Post

Virginia Tuttle Clayton, an art historian and associate curator of old-master prints at the National Gallery of Art, has spent the past decade studying this revolutionary marriage of garden journalism and home gardening. It was in this period that the Ladies Home Journal, House & Garden and House Beautiful were launched and collectively reached millions of households.

Until World War II, these and other magazines, many now defunct, "provide a remarkable record of our largely forgotten past achievements as a nation of amateur gardeners," writes Clayton, editor and creative mind behind a new book on the topic, "The Once and Future Gardener: Garden Writing From the Golden Age of Magazines."

Scholarly reviews of gardening during this Golden Age have focused on the estate building of important landscape architects for wealthy clients. The magazine articles--reprinted in the books--flesh out the rest of the story, the gardening interests, skills and needs of the ordinary American, Clayton argues.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher; 1 edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567921027
• ISBN-13: 978-1567921021
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,499,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Your grandmother's garden...., June 30, 2001

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

THE ONCE AND FUTURE GARDENER, GARDEN WRITING FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF MAGAZINES 1900 to 1940, by Virginia Clayton is a collection of articles printed in leading "women's" magazines over the first half of the past century. Although some of the ideas in these articles remain salient, and Clayton has inserted the current scientific (Latin) notation beside each named plant described and/or recommended by the various authors, this book is not as much a garden book as it is a useful resource for garden historians or readers who want to take a trip down memory lane.

Clayton has organized the book into seven sections that cover these topics "A year in the garden"; "Gardening with trees, roses and shrubs"; "Flower garden designs"; "Wild gardens"; "Old-fashioned gardens"; "Formal Italian gardens"; and "The Philosphical gardener." Most of the articles are relatively short, and a few are several pages. I most enjoyed the section on Italian gardens which Americans seem to dislike, according to several of the authors, but are the basis for most western garden design. I don't know that I agree with this notion, or even if it is true, but these authors make convincing cases.

I had not realized what a profound affect Edith Wharton had had on the garden writers of her time--the early 1900s. She traveled quite a lot in her mature years, principally with Henry James, and she spent a good deal of time in Italy. Her observations about her trips are quoted in several places. This is an interesting book and good reading for those who may wonder what their grandmothers read on those cold winter nights during winter when they planned next year's garden.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much more information than meets the glance, April 5, 2001

By A Customer

Its handsome period illustrations and subtitle--garden writing from the golden age of magazines--suggest that this is just a charming exercise in nostalgia. Far from the case. These articles offer a great deal of practical gardening information from hands-on gardeners that is often very hard to find. It's particularly helful on gardening with native plants and I find myself consulting it repeatedly.