Garden

Rating:
Summary: A nice historical exploration, but not much to look at
Review: This book is rather ambitious in scope, and unfortunately, it doesn't deliver.

In his introduction the author indicates that he intends to look at gardens of the Western world from the Middle Ages to the present day and to look at how "the individual can express himself" in his garden space. The text is very enlightening and accessible but, while viewing the elaborate and often immense landscapes of chateaux and castles, one doesn't get the impression that he can replicate anything remotely close in his own backyard.

In terms of scope, Pizzoni devotes only 4 pages to North American gardens, ignoring entirely the estates of the great industrialists' homes (eg Ford, Vanderbilt, Busch, Hearst). He also ignores the enormus influence Asian, especially Japanese gardens had on (at least ordinary) 20th Century gardeners.

Finally, I was very disappointed with the production value of the book. There are too many small, black-and-white photos and far too many of the color photos were very poor quality. Many were grainy or out-of-focus and generally remind one of the guidebooks peddled outside the gates of European landmarks. It's final transgression is its lack of an index.

The text really is well-done, though, and the author often can't be blamed for the production values, so because I can't give it 2.5 stars, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and give it 3.