Description: Architects of an American Landscape by Hugh Howard A dual portrait of Americas first great architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, and her finest landscape designer, Frederick Law Olmsted--and their immense impact on AmericaAs the nation recovered from a cataclysmic war, two titans of design profoundly influenced how Americans came to interact with the built and natural world around them through their pioneering work in architecture and landscape design.Frederick Law Olmsted is widely revered as Americas first and finest parkmaker and environmentalist, the force behind Manhattans Central Park, Brooklyns Prospect Park, Biltmores parkland in Asheville, dozens of parks across the country, and the preservation of Yosemite and Niagara Falls. Yet his close friend and sometime collaborator, Henry Hobson Richardson, has been almost entirely forgotten today, despite his outsized influence on American architecture--from Bostons iconic Trinity Church to Chicagos Marshall Field Wholesale Store to the Shingle Style and the wildly popular "open plan" he conceived for family homes. Individually they created much-beloved buildings and public spaces. Together they married natural landscapes with built structures in train stations and public libraries that helped drive the shift in American life from congested cities to developing suburbs across the country.The small, reserved Olmsted and the passionate, Falstaffian Richardson could not have been more different in character, but their sensibilities were closely aligned. In chronicling their intersecting lives and work in the context of the nations post-war renewal, Hugh Howard reveals how these two men created original all-American idioms in architecture and landscape that influence how we enjoy our public and private spaces to this day. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Hugh Howard is the author of numerous books on architecture and design, including Architectures Odd Couple; Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson; Thomas Jefferson: Architect; Houses of the Founding Fathers; and a memoir, House-Dreams. He lives in New Hampshire. Review Praise for Architects of an American Landscape: Winner of the 2022 Victorian Society in America Book AwardFinalist for the Marfield Prize"Architects of an American Landscape, a readable, intelligently paced dual biography, is the literary equivalent of a rolling, Olmstedian greensward. By the final chapter, the reader fully appreciates the short, productive life of Richardson, whom Henry Adams, the intimate of senators and presidents, called the only really big man I ever knew. The Olmsted material feels like a welcome bonus, with erudite retellings of his conservation work in the Yosemite Valley, his pioneering efforts in forestry management for the Vanderbilts Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, and of course his many collaborations with Richardson. . . . Perhaps the moral conveyed by this excellent dual biography is that a built aesthetic is doomed to crumble, while confected natural landscapes will stand the test of time. That said, Mr. Howard makes a strong case that we should give Richardsons prodigious accomplishments an educated second look."--Alex Beam, Wall Street Journal"Hugh Howard, in his smart and immensely readable Architects of an American Landscape, brings the friendship of Olmsted and Richardson to the foreground. In this double portrait, he allows Richardson, who is not a household name the way Olmsted is, to step slightly closer to the easel . . . Much of America is today touched by the legacy of Richardson, Olmsted, and their proteges. One part of that legacy is a long view of time. Architects, whether of landscapes or of buildings, are conscious of their obligation to a future they will never see. Howard underscores this quality, so rare today, and the affection and loyalty it elicits."--Cullen Murphy, Air Mail "Hugh Howard gets it marvelously right in Architects of an American Landscape, his joint biography of two Gilded Age luminaries. Both men are strikingly important in our nations cultural history, and the author nails his pairing of the two with solid scholarship and graceful, vivid writing . . . Superb."--Washington Independent Review of Books"Hugh Howard examines the lives of two early titans of American design: Frederick Law Olmsted and Henry Hobson Richardson . . . Offers insights into two classic American artists."--Christian Science Monitor "A work of serious scholarship. But it also felt like a paid vacation, traveling back to the horse and buggy days of the 19th century through the nations transformation into a fledgling world power . . . One of the books many pleasures is Hugh Howards talent for describing buildings from the ground up."--Ralph Gardner, Jr., WAMC Northeast Public Radio"The joint approach is deeply merited here, considering these two figures brought the American built landscape to a preeminence it had not previously known in their respective spheres of architecture and landscape design . . . The pair made a great difference in their respective fields, and their joint works remain a treasure."--American Conservative"In a vivid, deeply researched dual biography, Howard, a historian of architecture and design, pays homage to two men who exerted a huge influence on Americas homes, parks, and public spaces . . . As he did in Architectures Odd Couple, the author brings the architectural world to life on the page. An absorbing and informative history from a significant historian/biographer."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A solid dual biography of pioneering landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and his influential friend, neighbor, and frequent collaborator, building architect Henry Hobson Richardson . . . Howard succeeds in shining a spotlight on the lesser-known Richardson and documenting Olmsteds innovations as a democratic designer of places that belonged to everyone. Architecture buffs will be engrossed."--Publishers Weekly"A well-researched dual biography, rich in historical context, presenting two gifted architects who as robust allies utterly transformed the look of American buildings and landscapes."--Booklist"Hugh Howards tandem biography of two American visionaries--the polymath Olmsted and the Rabelaisian Richardson--ranges across the intertwined fields of nineteenth century American design, innovative architecture, and the infant art of landscape preservation, ranging from the staid precincts of Boston, to the churning commercial metropolis of Chicago, to Washington, D.C. as it stood at the cusp of imperial grandeur, to the near-wilderness of Californias Yosemite. Erudite and propulsively readable, it vividly captures the driving energy of its principal subjects and their circle of remarkable friends as well as the larger creative spirit of the post-Civil War nation as it began to shape the physical fabric of America as we know it today."--Fergus M. Bordewich, author of Congress at War: How Republican Reformers Fought the Civil War, defied Lincoln, Ended Slavery, and Remade America"In this beautifully written book, Hugh Howard reveals how two brilliant American artists melded their creativity to reinvent Americas architecture and landscaping. The parks of Frederick Law Olmsted are rightly treasured, but it is wonderful to see the Falstaffian Henry Hobson Richardson again getting his due as one of the towering giants of American architecture. Richly detailed and filled with deft character sketches of nineteenth century celebrities, Architects of an American Landscape is a delight."--Edward Achorn, author of Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln"Like a perfectly laced boot, Hugh Howards chapters alternate between these two giants of American architecture, until they come together in personal friendship and professional collaboration to produce some of the greatest buildings and natural spaces in our history."--John Wilmerding, Sarofim Professor of American Art, emeritus, Princeton UniversityPraise for Architectures Odd Couple: "Distinguished by clarity, narrative energy and evocative description . . . An appealing primer in 20th-century American architecture, with myriad insights into the vanity and interpersonal politics of the two men who dominated American architecture for a century." --Washington Post "This informative dual biography argues that despite their difference the two architects influenced each others work." --New York Times Book Review "Architectures Odd Couple satisfies an American need for gigantic personalities in adversarial postures . . . There [may] have been better books about Frank Lloyd Wright, but never a better account of Philip Johnson." --Spectator "Read Architectures Odd Couple for an introduction to Wrights beautiful buildings, his spectacle of an ego, his architectural-political philosophy, and for his influence on Johnson--the younger, fame-hungry architect who ends up serving as Wrights aperitif." --Washington Free Beacon "Howards prose is fluid, and he deftly explains technical terms without slowing the story. The result is narrative non-fiction of a high order, enlivened by anecdotes and quotations from two very outspoken and colorful characters." --Publishers Weekly "An in-depth portrait of two grand men of American architecture . . . New light is shed on both architects in this absorbing, well-organized, delightfully told story." --Kirkus Reviews "Hugh Howards nimble narrative . . . is about the on-again off-again relationship between Wright and Philip Johnson, a pairing that a novelist couldnt have improved upon . . . Howard moves fluidly from Wright to Johnson and back in chapters that alternate between key moments of intersection between the two men and their major works . . . A lively and insightful chapter of American architectural history." --Buffalo News "Howard, a noted historian and author of eleven architecture titles, paints an expert picture of the relationship, during which the architects challenged each other and ultimately produced some of the nations most enduring architectural works." --Architectural Digest Review Quote Praise for Architectures Odd Couple: "Distinguished by clarity, narrative energy and evocative description . . . An appealing primer in 20th-century American architecture, with myriad insights into the vanity and interpersonal politics of the two men who dominated American architecture for a century." --Washington Post "This informative dual biography argues that despite their difference the two architects influenced each others work." --New York Times Book Review "Architectures Odd Couple satisfies an American need for gigantic personalities in adversarial postures . . . There [may] have been better books about Frank Lloyd Wright, but never a better account of Philip Johnson." --Spectator "Read Architectures Odd Couple for an introduction to Wrights beautiful buildings, his spectacle of an ego, his architectural-political philosophy, and for his influence on Johnson--the younger, fame-hungry architect who ends up serving as Wrights aperitif." --Washington Free Beacon "Howards prose is fluid, and he deftly explains technical terms without slowing the story. The result is narrative non-fiction of a high order, enlivened by anecdotes and quotations from two very outspoken and colorful characters." --Publishers Weekly "An in-depth portrait of two grand men of American architecture . . . New light is shed on both architects in this absorbing, well-organized, delightfully told story." --Kirkus Reviews "Hugh Howards nimble narrative . . . is about the on-again off-again relationship between Wright and Philip Johnson, a pairing that a novelist couldnt have improved upon . . . Howard moves fluidly from Wright to Johnson and back in chapters that alternate between key moments of intersection between the two men and their major works . . . A lively and insightful chapter of American architectural history." --Buffalo News "Howard, a noted historian and author of eleven architecture titles, paints an expert picture of the relationship, during which the architects challenged each other and ultimately produced some of the nations most enduring architectural works." --Architectural Digest Description for Sales People For readers of Simon Winchester, Witold Rybczynski, and Andrea Wulf, Architects of an American Landscape chronicles the lives and work of two titans of American culture--great friends and often collaborators--who reimagined how Americans could interact with the built and natural worlds around them. Olmsted is well-remembered, but Richardson has been almost completely forgotten, even though he revolutionized American architecture and was a larger-than-life character. No proper biography of Richardson has appeared since 1888, two years after his death. Discovering his contributions will be a revelation for readers. Hundreds of thousands of people every day enjoy parks designed by Olmsted or structures built or influenced by Richardson without any awareness of their genius. This book will forever change their outlook. We are publishing in advance of the 200th anniversary of Olmsteds birth on April 26, 1822, and expect this will give opportunities for events, media, and promotion. Architects of an American Landscape is fully illustrated throughout with some 70 archival photographs, blueprints, and drawings that illuminate the narrative. Previous books by Hugh Howard have received glowing reviews in major media outlets, and blurbs from such luminaries as Walter Isaacson, Joseph Ellis, and Douglas Brinkley. We expect similar response to his new book. His widely praised dual portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson, Architectures Odd Couple , is a model for this new book. Details ISBN0802159230 Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 0802159230 ISBN-13 9780802159236 Format Hardcover Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Pages 416 Publisher Black Cat Imprint Black Cat Publication Date 2022-01-25 AU Release Date 2022-01-25 NZ Release Date 2022-01-25 US Release Date 2022-01-25 UK Release Date 2022-01-25 Author Hugh Howard Subtitle Henry Hobson Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Reimagining of Americas Public and Private Spaces DEWEY 720.92273 Audience General Illustrations Illustrations We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:158405533;
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Book Title: Architects of an American Landscape