Hundred Best Books on Landscape Architecture Peter Monro (Principal, Monro Associates Landscape Planning & Design 565 Congress St. #308-309, Portland, ME 04101-3308 USA (207) 874-4774, voice & fax;
[email protected] ) had the interesting idea of assembling a list of the '100 best books in landscape architecture' and compiled the following in 1998. His list is reproduced below and comments are invited (eg using the online discussion forum) DESIGN PRINCIPLES A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction Christopher Alexander et al (Oxford University Press, New York, 1977) Design with Nature, Ian McHarg (1994 reprint, 208 pp., b/w illus., PB,$49.95) HISTORY of LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE The Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Humphrey Repton (London, 1803) Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, adapted to North America, with a View to the Improvement of Country Residences A.J. Downing (New York, 1841) The Wild Garden William Robinson (London, 1870) Colour in the Flower Garden Gertrude Jekyll (Country Life Ltd., London, 1908) Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System Cynthia Ziatzevsky. Pioneers of American Landscape Design: An Annotated Bibliography, Edited by Charles A. Birnbaum and Lisa E. Crowder (U.S. Dept. of Interior, Wash., D.C., 1993) and Vol. II (1995) HUMAN RESPONSES TO LANDSCAPES The Experience of Landscape, Revised Ed. Jay Appleton (1996, 300 pp., 47 b/w illus., PB, $47.95) The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces William H. Whyte ( The Conservation Foundation, Wash. DC, 1980) Discovering the Vernacular Landscape J. B. Jackson (1984, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT) The Death and Life of Great American Cities Jane Jacobs. REFERENCE Time-Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture, 2nd Ed. Nicholas Dines and Charles Harris (1997, 960 pp., 2,000 illus., HB., $125.00) Construction Design for Landscape Architects Albe E.Munson (McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York 1974) Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the U.S. and Canada the staff of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University (1976, Macmillan Publishing Co., New York) Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia Michael A. Dirr, (1997, 492 pp., color photos, tables, HB, $69.95) Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Urban and Rural America: A Planting Design manual for Environmental Designers Gary L. Hightshoe (1988 Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York) American Plants for American Gardens: Plant Ecology - The Study of Plants in Relation to Their Environment Edith A. Roberts & Elsa Rehman, foreword by Darrel G. Morrison. (University of Georgia Press, 1996) County Soil Surveys by the USDA Soil Conservation Service. (US Govt.) THE ARTS Color Drawing Michael Doyle (Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York,1979) OVERVIEWS Landscape Architecture, 3rd Ed. John Simonds (1998, 405 pp.,color and b/w illus., HB, $70.95) Introduction to Landscape Architecture Michael Laurie (1986, 248 pp., b/w illus., HB, $44.95) Design on the Land: The Development of Landscape Architecture Norman T. Newton (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1971) Tom Turner's Comment Peter Monro's list is interesting and reveals that one needs to be specific about the scope of a list of 'One hundred best books'. His list might be subtitled 'for a landscape practice'. Tom Turner offers another list (below) of 40 books which, he suggests, 'every landscape student should have seen': Alexander, C. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction Oxford University Press New York 1977 Alexander, C. The Timeless Way of Building Oxford University Press New York. 1979 Appleton, J. The Experience of Landscape John Wiley London 1975 Bacon, E. Design of Cities Thames & Hudson London 1967 Beardsley, J. Earthworks and Beyond Abbeville Press New York 1984 Chadwick, G.F. The Park and the Town Architectural Press London 1966 Clark, K. Landscape into Art John Murray London 1976 Cranz, G. The Politics of Park Design MIT Press Cambridge, MA. 1982 Cullen, G. Townscape Architectural Press London 1961 Forman, R.T.T. and Godron, M. Landscape Ecology John Wiley New York 1986 Francis, M. The Meanings of the Garden MIT Press Cambridge, MA. 1990 Geddes, P. Cities in Evolution Williams & Norgate London 1915 Howard, E. Garden Cities of Tomorrow Faber & Faber London 1946 Hunt, J.D. Gardens and the Picturesque: Studies in the History of Landscape Architecture MIT Press Cambridge MA. 1992 Hunt, J.D., Greater perfections: the practice of garden theory Thames and Hudson London 2000 Hussey, C. The Picturesque Frank Cass London 1967 Jacobs, J. The Death and Life of great American Cities Jonathan Cape London 1962
Jellicoe, G.A. et al Oxford Companion to Gardens Oxford University Press Oxford Jellicoe, G.A. The Guelph Lectures on Landscape Design University of Guelph Canada 1983 Jellicoe, J.A. and Jellicoe, S. The Landscape of Man Thames & Hudson London 1975 Jencks, C. The Language of Post-Modern Architecture 6th edn Academy Editions London 1991 Jencks, C. Towards a Symbolic Architecture Academy Editions London 1985 Jones, J.C. Design Methods John Wiley & Sons London 1980 Jung, C.G. Man and His Symbols Aldus London 1964 Kaplan, R., Kaplan, S., Ryan, R., With people in mind: design and management of everyday nature Island Press Washington DC 1998 Kassler, E.B. Modern Gardens and the Landscape Museum of Modern Art New York 1964 Leopold, A. A Sand County Almanac Sierra Club San Francisco 1970 Little, C.E. Greenways for America Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1990 Loudon, J.C. The Landscape Gardening and Landscape Architecture of the Late H. Repton Esq. London 1840 McHarg, I. Design with Nature Falcon Press Philadelphia 1971 McLoughlin, J.B. Urban and Regional Planning: A Systems Approach, Faber & Faber London 1969 Meason, G.L. The Landscape Architecture of the Great Paintings of Italy 1828 Newman, O. Defensible Space Architectural Press London 1973 Newton, N.T. Design on the Land Belknap Press Harvard 1971 Potteiger, M, Purinton, J., Landscape narratives: design practices for telling stories John Wiley New York 1998 Rackham, O. The History of the Countryside J.M. Dent & Sons London 1990 Thompson, I.H., Ecology, community and delight: sources of values in landscape architecture E&FN Spon London 2000 Vitruvius, P. The Ten Books on Architecture Dover Publications New York 1914 edn Walker, P. and Simo, M. Invisible Gardens -- The Search for Modernism in the American Landscape MIT Press Cambridge MA. 1994 Whyte, W.H. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces The Conservation Foundation Washington 1980
