Book Description
New York City's American Museum of Natural History is a national treasure, attracting four million visitors annually. Its dioramas-a dazzling mixture of nature, science, and art-have inspired young and old alike, and are world-renowned examples of the unique diorama craft: art in the service of science. Now, in the only book of its kind, readers get an insider's view of these "windows on nature," witnessing their creation step by meticulous step.
More than forty of the museum's finest dioramas are featured here, depicting the fauna and flora of myriad ecological environments. Stephen Quinn, a diorama artist at the museum, introduces the explorers, naturalists, painters, sculptors, taxidermists, and conservationists behind these three-dimensional marvels, and explains how their collaborations make the displays so lifelike. This enchanting book is the perfect gift for nature lovers, art enthusiasts, and museum goers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Monuments to Wilderness.......2007-09-16
There is nowhere beneath a roof, anywhere on earth, that means more to me than the great diorama halls of The American Museum of Natural History. It is stunning (and, really, rather sad) that it has taken this long for a popular book to be written about these magnificent works of art and science, but at least it has been done well. (It is also gratifying to see the book getting such good--and well deserved--reviews here.)
For many millions of people habitat dioramas have been their first taste of the beauty, calm, and nobility of wild creatures and wild places. More people are familiar with nature documentaries these days, and since I love good documentaries too I can't really complain about that. Nonetheless there are some things that habitat dioramas, when done well, can convey that the flickering image, even on an IMAX screen, just can't. No medium portrays the spacious calm of wild country, and the simple dignity of wild animals, better than dioramas. It's also important to remember the valuable record dioramas can provide: many of the dioramas in this book are of places no longer wild.
Stephen Quinn's credentials for writing this book are probably as good as anyone alive. He started as an artist for the museum and has been an important force in helping keep the medium alive through the dark years of the 60s to 80s, when across the U.S. it was frequently neglected, if not despised, by curators though not, blessedly, by the general public. Things are at least somewhat better now, and Mr. Quinn is now project manager for exhibitions at the museum. He has done a fine job with this book. The text is engaging and informative and the photos are big and beautiful.
I do have a few quibbles. He sometimes uses the word "captured" for animals collected (read killed) for the dioramas. I'm sympathetic with why he felt he had to do that, given what he's trying to do with the book and given the cultural forces with which he must contend. The moral issues behind hunting and museum collection are complex and beyond what a book like this could be expected to cover. Nonetheless, animals are never "captured" for taxidermy.
I should hasten to add that animals do not need to be killed specifically for taxidermy. Many if not most animals mounted for museums in the last few decades died in zoos, were hit by automobile traffic, etc. That generally was not a realistic option at the time these dioramas were created.
My other reservation is deeper, but harder to articulate, and I don't have a real solution to it. I also know that a lot of readers will be unsympathetic with it. I'm not completely comfortable with "behind the scenes" stuff in anything other than technical manuals, trade magazines, etc. The people who made these dioramas were of course just people but had high ideals (ideals that Mr. Quinn without question shares) and they wanted the dioramas to be about their _subjects_. His behind the scenes writing will engage people more with the medium and is interesting in itself, no argument. But how much does it really help to have people thinking "I wonder if that rock in Diorama Z is the one that employees used to go to make out behind on their lunch hour."?
I don't know the answer, and so I can't really fault the author. I also recognize that many of the reviewers here loved that aspect of the book. My hope, and I'm sure it's the author's as well, is that it will all stay in perspective. Let's hope that's right. It would be very sad to see dioramas become the subject of the kind of psychologizing and trivializing that permeates the world of "fine" art.
That said, this is a beautiful and well-written book about a noble, if often neglected, realm of art and natural history. If you've read through a long review like this one about a book on this subject, I promise you won't regret owning it.
Beautiful........2007-05-12
Stephen Christopher Quinn, Windows on Nature: The Great Habitat Dioramas of the American Museum of Natural History (Abrams, 2006)
Dioramas are amazing things. Looking at them may not make it seem so, but that, more than anything, is testament to the artistry practiced by the men and women who construct them. Windows on Nature goes behind the scenes of the construction of the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
This is a coffee-table book, so there are a large number of excellent pictures of the dioramas themselves accompanying the text on how they were created. Both are as fantastic as they are fascinating. If you're a fan, this is a must-have. ****
great nature book.......2007-01-16
This was a gift for my mother who visited this museum years ago. It brought back great memories we had when we went. The book was very well done.
unbeatable and unique book on the Museum.......2006-07-26
I am not a scientist nor museum professional, simply a museumgoer. This book is a clear and attractive presentation about the dioramas that have helped define this wonderful museum for decades. Anyone who has ever visited the American Museum of Natural History will be captivated by the behind-the-scenes perspective presented. Understanding this background adds depth to our appreciation of the habitats. Quinn must have dug up old diaries, records and I wonder if he even listened in on some conversations as well because he offers little known factoids which are fascinating to read about and which enhance our experience as a museumgoer. I highly recommend this volume to anyone who has visited the museum. For those who have not visited, the book provides a wonderful view of what you've been missing!
What a Gem!.......2006-06-04
I found this treasure at my local bookstore (could have got it cheaper here!), looked it over, walked away, came back and looked again, walked away again, but couldn't find anything else I wanted as badly. It is an elegant masterpiece. I happen to thrill at anything remotely connected to taxidermy, but this book will also interest those who like nature, museums, or art.
This book is specifically about the dioramas of one museum, but in telling how they were constructed - taxidermy, foreground, and background painting - it is enlightening to anyone who loves natural history museums in general. There are color photos of the dioramas today, and black-and-whites of the artists working on various stages of their development decades ago. The step-by-step pictures of how a huge elephant mount is put together are nothing short of fascinating. Then, in addition, there are behind the scenes stories about how each diorama came together, and some hair-raising tales of specimen collecting in Africa.
If I have a complaint, it is this: the author has written the text as if only addressing fellow New Yorkers, assuming his readers have already been to this museum and seen these dioramas in person. "Think back to your memories of visits to the grand diorama galleries of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City." I can't help but feel a bit excluded, having never been there, although I am perfectly able to appreciate the exhibits based on the museums I have had the pleasure to visit. Perhaps he underestimated the broader appeal this book would have, but at any rate he unknowingly sparks a desire in the rest of us to try to get there someday!
Book Description
Many common native trees are just as beautiful as cultivated exotics. Since they have evolved with local conditions and are well adapted to their climate, they often require less maintenance and won't escape to invade a balanced ecosystem. The authors' extensive horticultural knowledge is distilled in this comprehensive cross section of trees native to North America, from the Atlantic to the Rockies and from northern Canada to the Gulf Coast. The main section of the book is divided into tree profiles, each describing flowers and fruit, native and adaptive range, culture, and problems. The authors also list the best seasonal features — whether a tree has striking bark in winter, for example, or bright fruit in fall. In all, more than 650 species and varieties, and more than 500 cultivars, are discussed.
Customer Reviews:
excellent for serious gardeners.......2007-02-13
Highly recommended for landscape design and
development of native gardens
Represents a lifetime of research and work.......2004-05-03
Guy Sternberg and Jim Wilson's Native Trees For North American Landscapes represents a lifetime of research and work: the authors provide an in-depth technical catalog of detail on native trees and their environments, providing tree 'profiles' which describe flowers, fruit, plant ranges, and culture. Sections outlining best seasonal features are particularly useful, telling gardeners which plants are showiest per season. Stunning photos and outlines of common cultivation problems and solutions make Native Trees For North American Landscapes a solid, invaluable reference for landscapers, libraries and home gardens alike.
A Garden Book Classic.......2004-03-17
I am a plant freak, and I am a gardening book freak. I have many, many books, probably too many. Literally. So many books that I've bought that looked interesting at the store have wound up sitting on the shelf, never to be opened again. This is one that will never even get to the shelf.
This book is so comprehensive, so informative, so beautiful to look at, and so danged readable that I find myself seeking it out whenever I've got a free moment. How many gardening books have you bought lately that poured forth all the information you could possibly want? How many have you bought lately that were a lot of fun to read? Now, how many can you name that do both at the same time? A precious few, but this one does.
Timber Press celebrated their 25th Anniversary this past year, and I did something I never do, I wrote the company a letter. In essence, what I said was this, "I never mind buying a Timber Press Book, often sight unseen, because I know it will be good." This book is excellent, even by Timber Press standards.
If you have any interest in trees or gardening, you will find this book a "must have." Informative, enjoyable, beautiful. What else could you want?
This will become a premier reference on woody plants.............2004-03-17
This outstanding new book will become one of the primary references for all kinds of information about native woody plants of North America. Many of the plant descriptions have far more detailed information on culture, diseases, and ornamental characteristics than the widely known reference books by Michael Dirr (the 'standards' by which all other woody plant references are judged). While the intent is to provide information and promote the ornamental characteristics of native woody plants, for home gardeners and landscape professionals, this will also prove to be a valuble reference for naturalists and others mainly interested in these plants in the native, rather than the cultivated, landscape. The photographs are outstanding, and will certainly promote interest in many little known and underutilized woody plants. I never knew there were so many native North American oaks! As a botanist and later home gardener with a life-long interest in woody plants, there are few books in the past decade which have been published with this level of detail and value.
Outstanding book for tree lovers and everyone else, too!.......2004-03-16
Guy and Jim have done it again!
I have one of Guy and Jim's other books: Landscaping with Native Trees and I am so excited to finally have their new book: Native Trees for North American Landscapes.
This book is well written and is written in a style that both the plant-person and the novice gardener can easily understand and appreciate.
Guy and Jim provide a breakdown for each of the trees listed in the book. This is a listing of the information given for each tree:
-Description (includes size)
-Leaves
-Flower and Fruit OR Cones and Seeds
-Best Season
-Native and Adaptive Range
-Culture
-Problems
-Cultivars
-Similar and Related Species
-Comments
The above information makes it very easy for anyone to decide whether a particular tree is suitable for their site (and USDA growing zone) and how they want to use the tree, whether it be as a specimen, screen, etc.
I read Ben Johnson's review of this book and I don't quite understand his vendetta against Guy and Jim and this book.
Ben had (has) some problems with some of the technical words that Guy and Jim have used periodically through the text. Ben must not be able to use the glossary that is included in the back of the book because all of the words that he has a problem with are included there along with their definitions. Don't be frightened by Ben's fear of new words. If you find a word that you are not familiar with, then check the glossary in the back of the book for the definition - it's that easy. It's how we learn.
After reading Ben's review of this book it is clear that he is not really reviewing the book so much as trying to attack Guy's character. This is not the place for that sort of thing.
I, too, frequent the forums on GardenWeb and I have found Guy to be very generous with his advise and help. I read the thread on GardenWeb regarding the removal of a tree because of a problem with the birds pooping on vehicles and, again, Ben has twisted and taken words out-of-context to attack Guy. I have never met Guy in person, but I have the utmost respect for Guy because of all of the help I have received from him through the forums on GardenWeb.
If you want help sorting out which native trees you might want to include in your landscape or you simply want to learn more about the wonderful native trees that grow in this great country of ours, then this is the book for you!
Guy and Jim have written this book about native trees because of their love for our native trees and to get people to, hopefully, include some native trees in their home landscapes.
The photography in the book is outstanding, too.
You will not be disappointed if you purchase this book.
Mike
Book Description
From an historical perspective on landscape development in America, this well-illustrated book tells how to select the right period for your garden, identify authentic plants, research and plan its development, and maintain the restored landscape.
Customer Reviews:
Expert Advice.......2006-02-25
This is an excellent starting point for the beginner. It builds a proper base in a very practical, hands on way. Favretti is a well-known expert in Southern historic garden circles. He's created historic landscapes himself and comes at his subject with a great deal of experience.
Average customer rating:
- Great for "regular people" despite a couple of goofs!
- Mostly good for garden formation ideas, but needs help.
- It genuinely does make a few mistakes
- A Real Keeper and Invaluable Source
- Engaging, well written reference... with a few gaps
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Easy Care Native Plants: A Guide to Selecting and Using Beautiful American Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in Gardens and Landscapes
Patricia A. Taylor
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
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Binding: Hardcover
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Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
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Native Plant Primer, The: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers for Natural Gardens
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Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants
ASIN: 0805038612 |
Book Description
North America's magnificent plant life has a peculiar history in that it is generally regarded as weedy material in its native meadows and woodlands and viewed as a horticultural treasure trove abroad. In Easy Care Native Plants, Patricia A. Taylor seeks to change this situation by emphasizing the elegant beauty, rather than the common naturalness, of American flora and by urging gardeners to capture the exquisite essence of its blossoms and foliage in artistic compositions.The book is divided into three sections, each filled with color photographs and containing special lists of plant recommendations from horticultural experits in the United States, Canada, and Europe. These suggestions include natives for city patios and decks, shrubs for winter interest, colorful flowers for drought situations, and prairie plants for a formal front yard display.The first section reviews the history and current use of native American plants and includes a brief primer on garden design. The second presents profiles of eighteen public and private gardens in Canada and the United States and highlights the crucial role of horticultural organizations and garden clubs in spreading the good news about native flora.The last section is devoted to detailed descriptions of over 500 plants, chosen not only for their handsone appearance but also for their ability to flourish without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. With them, gardeners everywhere will have yearlong beauty requiring minimal maintenance.While many of the plants cited in the book are little known, all are commercially propagated and available. The Appendix lists sources for each plant category and describes a select number of mail-order firms, including ordering information.Easy Care Native Plants has been written and designed to be a usable, definitive resource for the full specturm of those who love and appreciate beautiful plants, from weekend gardeners to landscape designers and architects.
Customer Reviews:
Great for "regular people" despite a couple of goofs! .......2006-08-24
The outstanding characteristic of this book is that it is USABLE by regular, non-professional busy people who love gardening and nature and especially want to respect native plant communities and plant with sensitivity to their own region.
The Bittersweet confusion is terrible, but it is offset by good organization, good photos, and short descriptions on the outside of pages.
Another outstanding feature is that the author includes trees, shrubs, and vines, as well as flowers. This increases the value of this book significantly.
Flowers are wonderful, but people need to get a bit beyond flowers--flowers--flowers. For example, many butterfly species depend upon TREES as host plants and then use flowers for nectar. The distinctive Red Admiral uses trees at all stages of life and leaves the flowers for others.
Thanks to the author for a good down-to-earth reference that answers practical "ordinary" questions. I have recommended this book to a number of people in "wildlife/habitat gardening" classes and have given several as gifts . . . inserting a note about the Bittersweet :-)!
P.S. Yeah, I really should change that ridiculous name. I was under the influence of busy visiting grandchildren when I first reviewed a book here. . . and we do have a great goofy time!
Mostly good for garden formation ideas, but needs help........2005-04-03
I bought this older used book (1996) and find it remains quite relevant. One of the reasons we gardeners end up planting invasive species is because they are easy to grow. In EASY CARE NATIVE PLANTS Patricia Taylor addresses one of the biggest issues for gardeners... "I would grow native species, but I don't have time."
Well, Taylor suggests low maintenance creatures that will be no more work than the invasive plants you intended to install. With Taylor, we visit public and private gardens where individuals are making a difference one plant at a time. From these gardeners, we learn how to construct various gardens including a woodlands garden, a drought tolerant native garden, and a front yard native garden. Taylor provides lists of plants for each of these gardens. For a complementary book, you might consider buying both Taylor's book and 100 EASY-TO-GROW NATIVE PLANTS by Lorraine Johnson which is a kind of annotated plant directory (although it focuses mainly on non-woody plants, whereas Taylor includes trees, shrubs and plants). Alternatively, you can contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a free monograph on plant invaders and substitutes at www.nfwf.org. Do that and you are sure to find 'Celastrus orbiculatus' or Oriental Bittersweet on the "No-no" list. Also the latter monograph suggests several native alternatives to bittersweet, such as 'Campsis radicans' (trumpet vine) and 'Passiflora incarnata' or Passion Vine.
It genuinely does make a few mistakes.......2001-06-26
Not to belabor a nitpicker's criticism, but this book does include a few gaffes that compromise its use as a reference. I do very much enjoy the book, and my review below reflects that. But it just gets some things wrong.
For example, the species of Bittersweet southern gardeners have trouble with is Celastrus Orbiculatus -- oriental bittersweet. Yep, it's highly invasive, and yes, it can "consume entire forests" as this author says "bittersweet" does. The native American Species is Celastrus Scandens. The two differ in the position of the berries on the vine, partly... and they also differ in that the native one isn't swallowing entire forests. They're hard for an intelligent amateur to tell apart when looking at an individual plant... which is exactly the problem that this book has, too.
There's a HUGE difference between American chestnuts -- enormous trees now nearly gone from their native range due to blight -- and the shrubby asiatic Chestnuts that were brought in by nurseries and that carried the blight into this country in the first place. That's exactly the sort of distinction a gardener interested in native plants wants to know about, and it's basically the one this book misses with the two Bittersweets. In a lot of cases it's that sort of thing that got us into native gardening in the first place. So, see, it's bad to make this kind of error in a book on native plants.
Again, this is a decent book that just slips up in a few spots.
A Real Keeper and Invaluable Source.......2001-03-05
This is a top-notch gardening book, one that all gardeners can use to enrich their properties. While some may find recommendations by plant experts to be a disadvantage, I like knowing that top horticulturists have carefully selected the plants in this book (southern gardeners tell me that Taylor is right on the mark in describing the American bittersweet). The garden profiles, particularly, for me, the California one, are not only good reads but also packed with useful information. The book is designed to be useful - very easy to look for a yellow flower that blooms all summer or a small shrub with white spring flowers. I turn to it again and again to learn about and find beautiful, interesting and low maintenance plants. I have bought and given 14 of these books as gifts to friends and have received unanimous 5 star reviews from the recipients!
Engaging, well written reference... with a few gaps.......2000-02-26
This is a good choice for the beginning native gardener who needs a sense of the range of native plants available. It's a pleasant browse, and provides a representative sample of the choices you might make with natives. I appreciated the straightforward tone of the writer, who studiously avoided the pretensions of some of the more unctious coffeetable books. Let's just say she's gardening in urban New Jersey, not in northern California, and leave it at that.
On the other hand, there are some gaps in Ms. Taylor's knowledge that make this a less than definitive reference. The short version is that she's often recommending a plant based on the sendup of an arboretum or public garden with which she's corresponded, and that sometimes she hasn't done the research to back that recommendation up. For an egregious example, she describes the American form of Bittersweet (Celastrus Scandens) in a way that clearly demonstrates that she doesn't know the difference between it and the invasive asian form. That sort of slip is a real problem, both philosophically and practically, for someone who's into native plants. Oops.
All in all, I'd say this is a useful book that gets you interested in the plants, but that you should do a healthy amount of leg work elsewhere before you plant. The research is half the fun anyway...
For another native plant reference, with less species but more reliable context and detail, try C. Colston Burrell's A Gardener's Encyclopedia of Wildflowers.
Average customer rating:
- Simply Fascinating
- One of the best Ansel Adams books
- a good coffee table book...
- Beautiful Reproductions of Some Outstanding Adams' Images
- Among the best work of the original master of photography
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The American Wilderness
Ansel Adams , and
Andrea Stillman
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Adams, Ansel
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Yosemite and the High Sierra
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ASIN: 0821217992 |
Book Description
Ansel Adams devoted his life and work to the celebration and protection of America's unsurpassed wild spaces. The American Wildernesspresents the heart of Adams' legacy in over 100 of his most powerful landscapes.He reveals primeval nature found across America: the coast of Mt. Desert, Maine, the dunes of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, the Rio Grande River, the grand peaks of Yosemite and the High Sierra, and the most remote reaches of Denali National Park, Alaska.A selection of Adams' writings provides a stirring counterpoint to the images as he urges us all to perceive and cherish "the grandeur and potentials of the one and only world which we inhabit."This is a magnificent volume, the first large-format book of Adams' work since Yosemite and the Range of Light. It was envisioned as a masterwork of fine bookmaking, sweeping in both subject and design, with extraordinarily beautiful printing in keeping with the originals. Adams' writings are printed on heavy, textured grey paper which is interleaved with the images.It is a vivid remembrance of the American wilderness#151;a stunning expression of the subject closest to this artist's heart, and one of profound concern to the world today.
Customer Reviews:
Simply Fascinating.......2006-05-07
I have received this book as a birthday present from my wife. There is nothing much to critique, its really really good! Nevertheless, here it goes......
Ansel Adams shot with large format and never intended to print them small. Some of the photographs of this book could have been printed at a larger size. I have seen same photographs printed at much larger sizes in other books, for example in Ansel Adams Guides I & II.
Overall the sizes of the prints are adequate or just adequate.
For whom this book is intended?
My personal opinion is that it is primarily intended for the serious (nature) photographer and then for the nature lover.
What has it got for the Photographer?
A gallery of Master's work, in very high print quality with the entire tonal range beautifully depicted, it's simply like owning a gallery by Ansel Adams.
If a beginner or an intermediate photographer has come to the stage of learning his/her craft by looking at, and then carefully analysing, how a champion of the craft has controlled - framing, by carefully placing the subject in the view finder and then by cropping - tonality, by placing the particular areas in the `zones' he wanted - print quality, with his precise technique; this is the book for you - its a master class in photography.
For those who do not have such interests - It is still a visual treat.
My only other criticism is that there should have been some technical details about the photographs, at least one or two lines; Nevertheless, it gets my five stars!
One of the best Ansel Adams books.......2005-03-26
This is one of the best Ansel Adams books out there published by Bulfinch. It uses heavy paper stock and the print quality is excellent. To appreciate its quality, you have to view it under a brighter light setting, preferrably next to a window. You'll notice all the details in the shadow area and appreciate the overall print contrast.
In terms of subject area, the book covers many National Parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Glacier... Unfortunately, it does not have all the famous Yosemite prints, but it does have many other gems that's not over exposed to the public.
Some people may complain about the price, buy I think its worth every dime. Buy one and enjoy it.
a good coffee table book..........2001-01-05
... because you can put four legs on it and use it for a coffee table. If you're going to have a single Ansel Adams book, this is the one. His images just don't work in any smaller format.
Beautiful Reproductions of Some Outstanding Adams' Images.......2000-11-13
This book is flawed by the images selected to be in it. The other main weakness is that the book is clearly overpriced.
The good news, however, is that the image sizes are large enough to capture the power and majesty of Adams' work. The reproduction quality is superb, as well!
The essay by William Turnage is an excellent discussion of the roles of Thoreau, Muir, and Adams in creating the awareness that has helped us to save and cherish some of what remains of our American wilderness. The artist-turned-conservation leader, Adams' role, is a particularly important function in our society. The artist helps us to experience what we have never seen while the conservation leader takes actions that galvanize the emotions that are evoked by nature and the artist into helpful improvements. When the artist and conservation leader are the same person, there is a combined power and continuity of vision that is irresistible. Thank goodness!
Adams is someone we should all admire for another reason. His nature photography and conservation efforts were hobbies, labors of love. Photography of nature is a field that offered meaningful remuneration only in recent years.
His day job was doing commercial photography. He took pictures of dead people in the Los Angeles morgue as well as of open pit copper mines in Utah.
What we admire about him was what he did on weekends, before and after work, and on vacations. Because he wanted the most remarkable images, this often meant hiking before dawn in difficult winter conditions to remote peaks to get just the right perspective.
Andrea Stillman did a good job of selecting Adams' quotes for her opening remarks. "Photography is a way of telling what you feel about what you see." " . . . [T]he turning out to the light the inner folds of the awareness of the spirit . . ." is what his work is about.
Throughout the book, you will find other quotes about Adams' reflections on the wilderness. They are well selected and add much to your consideration of what his images mean.
Here are some of my favorite photographs as reproduced in this book:
Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park, Texas, 1947
Monument Valley, Arizona, 1942
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 1942
Sand Dunes, Sunrise, Death Valley, 1948
Sand Dune, White Sands National Monument, 1942
The White Stump, Sierra Nevada City, 1936
Terraya Creek, Dogwood Rain, Yosemite, 1948
Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite, 1944
Half Dome, Winter, from Glacier Point, Yosemite, 1940
Leaves, Mills College, Oakland, California, 1931
Maroon Bells, Near Aspen, Colorado, 1951
Old Faithful (4), Yellowstone, 1942
Mount McKinley and . . . Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1947
After you have finished being refreshed and rejuvenated by these inspiring images, I suggest that you contemplate what the wilderness meant to your grandparents and parents, what it meant to you as a child, what it means to you now, and what it means to your children. If you are like me, you will see that wilderness is rapidly receding as a concept as well as a reality. What are we losing? How can we reverse that loss?
Understand all of Nature's message for us by living in harmony with her!
Among the best work of the original master of photography.......1997-01-31
The photographic images of Ansel Adams are among the most significant pieces of artwork which have been created within the 20th century. His techniques have revolutionized the world of the black and white photographer, and his images are the rule by which all others are measured. His art has spoken to the soul of millions, and you should not be left out! This book contains some of the most beautiful images of nature ever made, and is a bargain at twice the price! Review by Edward Lynn, student of commercial photography, The Art Institute of Seattle
Amazon.com
All new gardeners need a basic plant encyclopedia as one of their first reference books. This pocket-size guide is just that, a great source for identifying and caring for plants from anemones to yuccas. Close-up color photos will aid any gardener attempting to name that funny-looking flower by the door, or which type of maple is living in your new back yard. Because this book is arranged alphabetically, complete novices will find it easier to search by looking at the pictures than by using the names--quick, what's a papaver rhoeas?
The planting guide, which includes a brightly colored zonal map, is divided into sections of both plant groupings (colorful foliage, good in containers) and climate concerns (shade, drought). By cross-referencing these areas, beginners will have a selection of sure-fire winners for their first attempts. While you'll be tempted to dive right into choosing plants, take a moment to read the introduction--you'll find the planting code hidden there, and it's better to have those mysterious symbols decoded from the start.
The glossy cover and sturdy binding make this a great little title to drag right out in to the garden with you. The cover wipes clean easily, and the folding inside flap makes a handy place marker. --Jill Lightner
Book Description
Designed to help gardeners choose plants in two different ways, the AHS Great Plant Guide features color photos, A-Z and planting guides, and cold-hardiness and heat-zone maps. Over 1,000 plants have full entries, full-color photographs, and details that tell you what type of plant it is, how it grows, what its ornamental features are, where it grows and looks best, and how to care for it. A special section on popular annuals and bedding plants has been added to this edition.
Customer Reviews:
American Horticultural Society Great Plant Guid (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides).......2007-01-03
Not a real user friendly book. It's small size would be nice if you wanted to take it say as a dictionary with you to the nursery. Otherwise, save your money. There are many many more books on the market that would be a better buy for your money.
It's so handy..........2005-07-25
The AHSGPG is a wonderful little book. It has practically every living plant known to man. Not only does it give descriptions on plants/trees/shrubs, but this book also gives you a climate planting guide, as well as suggestions on the different kinds of plants to plant in different areas of the U.S. Even small container gardens, shade gardens, full sun gardens along with different soil limitations. It's small size is what I love...small enough to tuck in a purse when going plant shopping!
Nice book, but not for everyone.......2004-07-07
I think this is a very nice book; it is very informative. However, I was surprised when I received it that it was pocket sized and the typeface was very small. It can be difficult to read for some people.
Inspiring Collection of Dreamy Plants.......2004-07-07
If you dream of finding beautiful flowers, the new updated and revised American Horticultural Society Great Plant Guide is impressive. With over 3000 recommended plants and guides for plants for containers, this book was rather handy when planting a new container garden.
On page 674 and 675 you can find a Plant Heat-Zone Map which gives 12 heat zones. Most plants are featured with a picture and short description. Then, you can find symbols for the preferred soil type, sun/shade preferences and hardiness zone ranges. The plants without pictures are listed in The Planting Guide and feature trees, shrubs, climbers, perennials and bulbs suitable for specific site or garden situations.
Features:
Advice on how to buy plants through the mail
How to choose healthy bulbs
Understanding Plant Names
Plants to attract Birds
Plants to attract Butterflies
Plants for Cold or Warm Walls
Flower for drying or cutting
Architectural plants
Cottage-garden-style plants
Trees for Small gardens
Flowering hedges
You can look up a flower in the index. Like, say "Petunia." This gives you a few names and then you can search for advice on how/where to plant your favorites.
Since I just moved further away from my dear mother, we have both planted Petunias. So now when we look out of our window to our planters, we will think of each other. It was my mother's idea and she loves gardening. My grandmother used to grow roses and it seems everyone in my family has a green thumb. Our family loves going to gardens and learning flower names. This book is perfect for travel and is very useful when shopping for plants that have not yet bloomed. You can quickly look up names of plants alphabetically.
For more detailed information on Container Gardening, look up the book by the same name by Paul Williams. His book taught me the best way to create an inspiring masterpiece.
Now onto dreaming about planting a new lavender garden in the near future. I am also intrigued by some of the vines in this book. The blue trumpet vine looks interesting and in the zone I'm living in, I could quite possibly grow a passionflower vine. Seattle and Issaquah were a bit too cold and rainy. There are some stunning flower selections interspersed with familiar flower faces.
If it was my choice, I'd spend all my time writing, cooking and planting flowers while listening to inspiring music. What a life! This book is sure to inspire some of your own gardening dreams.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
Contains 3,000 recommended plants.......2004-06-07
The revised, updated new edition of the American Horticultural Society's Great Plant Guide is truly an outstanding achievement. A fat but genuinely pocket-sized guide contains 3,000 recommended plants, color photos, and an A-Z format for quick consultation. Add at-a-glance charts of required conditions and you have a reference which is useful and colorful.
Book Description
A fascinating, definitive history of garden development and design. From the earliest documented gardens of ancient Mesopotamia to the eclectic landscapes of the 21st century, The Story of Gardening is an engaging tale of the development and design of the garden. Brimming with glorious full-color photographs, intriguing timelines that chart the histories and fashions of individual plants, and evocative narratives, Hobhouse draws on a lifetime of work to create an enlightening overview of designers and styles that have inspired her creations and forged her gardening philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
I love this book........2007-06-10
Hobhouse is one of my favourite gardening writers. This book is another fine example. Great photos and comprehensive research.
Gang Chen, author of Planting Design Illustrated
Amazon.com
Earth on Her Hands celebrates the kind of people who have quietly and to minimal acclaim, over two centuries, developed and polished American garden style. These are the avid gardeners--mostly women--who establish and support community horticultural organizations and whose own gardens are examples of personal expression with unique local characteristics.
Starr Ockenga has interviewed 18 women who have worked and shaped their land, often over the course of several decades, into their dream gardens. From Ellie Spingarn's Connecticut stone wall to Georgie Erskine's Southern California citrus allée, each has features that are unique but fit seamlessly into their environment. There are meadows, orchards, a bonsai garden, vegetable gardens carved out of woodland, one walled English-style garden, and one that's intensely French, with topiaries, espaliered bushes, and a copper-roofed teahouse. Each woman is a plant collector of sorts, and each garden description is accompanied by a list of recommended plants. This is a joyous, soulful book that explores the complexity of garden-building and the effect it has on gardeners' lives.
Customer Reviews:
Not for women only!!.......2007-03-27
Men: please do not be put off by the title! This book is an inspiration that proves to be accessible to both sexes. Beauty in the garden cannot be bounded by gender lines. The photographs (many of which are full-page, with lovely sepia and white prints of the women themselves) are stunning, and this is one of the few gardening books where I actually read the accompanying text.
This is not a how-to-do-it, but more of a how-they-did-it; the stories really capture the continuity that results from a years-long commitment to one's land. For instance, one photo shows how a single plant purched in the 50s has grown into a sweeping carpet along a stone wall.
18 women and their US spaces are showcased here. (However, Alaska and Hawaii are not featured and I think this could have made the book even more wonderful.) Each woman gets a separate chapter, complete with pages and pages of well-captioned glossy photos, very readable text, a hand drawing of their garden designs, and several relevant lists. Some of the lists cover woodland carpet plants, white annuals/perennials/bulbs, and personal recommendations.
All sorts of gardens - alpine, rock, seaside, miniature/bonsai, water, citrus, huge-scale, small-scale, woodland - make up this large compendium. The book is 12.5 by 9 inches - a great contribution to a field where books seem to be getting smaller and smaller, and its size is really appropriate for the subject matter.
This is a book that I would have been thrilled with, sight unseen, and it would make a marvelous gift for someone special in your life, if you could bear to part with it. This one's a keeper, and it will not sit still on your coffee table!!
Refreshing Approach to Gardening.......2004-07-06
I love gardening how-to and reference books. Although this book is neither, I love it nevertheless. The idea behind this book is simple. 18 women and their gardens. Each woman is interviewed, there are many many photographs of both the gardens and the gardener. You get to hear each woman's voice and hear her wisdom. You get to see plant lists, garden plans as well and understand the philosphy and approach that each woman has taken in her gardening endevour. If the context of this book were a village, it would serve as a storyteller of the female elders and their creation of special space. Gardening is most than simply landscaping. Reading this book you understand the difference. I only with there were more women gardeners in this edition!
Beautiful women, beautiful gardens.......2002-11-24
Another fabulous Clarkson Potter Publishers book, Earth on Her Hands is a series of short biographies of 18 women who are non-professional, private gardeners and who have spent a lifetime growing and creating outstanding gardens. Each biography includes stunning color photos of the gardens and lovely sepia toned photos of the gardeners themselves as well as garden diagram sketches and individual gardener plant or project recommendations from their personal experiences. Ideas, inspiration and knowledge abound from these women (use flower arrangements IN the garden for areas where color is needed; 'Jersey Knight' asparagus is male and will not seed making it more productive) and their lifelong committment to their land, spaces, and plants gives every gardener something to aspire to. Any gardener worth her soil will find this an inspirational gift to give and receive, and a delightful off-season read.
An inspiring book.......2001-11-10
This is definately one of the most beautifully photographed books I have seen. Eighteen women gardeners from across the U.S. and their stunning gardens are profiled. Most of the women gardeners here are older and have been working on their gardens for decades. Some of them are also active in their local communities in garden clubs, parks and botanical gardens. If you enjoy looking at other people's gardens, you will love this. The photos are mouth watering. Each profile (about 10 pages in length) is wrapped up with a list of the gardener's recommended plants. This would be a good companion to Rosemary Verey's excellent book "The American Man's Garden".
Won American Horticultural Society's 1999 Annual Book Award.......1999-08-05
Starr Ockenga's luminary profiles of some of North America's most dedicated women gardeners are inspirational for anyone who gardens. This book is a wonderfully designed blend of fine photography and eloquent writing. A must for the avid gardener.
Books:
- Classic Irises And the Men And Women Who Created Them
- Creating Your Own Japanese Garden
- Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook
- Designing with Succulents
- Designing with Succulents
- Easy Gardens for South Florida
- Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist, Second Edition
- Essential COM
- Fatal Flaw: A True Story of Malice and Murder in a Small Southern Town
- From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine
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