From Powells.com
Rarely
are biographer and subject so well-matched as in Witold Rybczynski's seminal
biography of the great nineteenth century landscape architect, Frederick
Law Olmsted. In such classic works as Home:
The Short History of an Idea and City
Life, Rybczynski, Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania,
has established his reputation as America's most insightful and eloquent
commentator on the environments we create for ourselves. And though it
is true that landscaping has hardly remained a great American art form,
one of the greatest benefits of reading this book is the realization that
it once was, and that Olmsted was possibly its greatest proponent.
Though today he is most often remembered as the designer of New York's
Central Park, in his own time Olmsted was known for his diverse and prodigious
accomplishments. World traveler, noted journalist (he cofounded The
Nation), early abolitionist, and high level bureaucrat (during the
Civil War he served as general secretary to the United States Sanitary
Commission, the precursor of the Red Cross), Olmsted's life reads like
the quintessential nineteenth century, larger-than-life, can-do visionary.
But Olmsted's greatest legacy was the impact he had on the way we shape
the communities we live in. He designed the first large suburban community
in the United States, foresaw the need for national parks, and devised
one of the country's first regional plans. What makes this book such a
pleasure is Rybczynski's ability to convey to his readers the passion
he clearly feels for his subject and to demonstrate the enormous effect
this largely unknown character had on the lives we live today. A Clearing
in the Distance also demonstrates the need for a thoughtful, informed
discussion of which aspects of Olmsted's vision should be remembered and
reclaimed. Farley, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In a brilliant collaboration between writer and subject, Witold Rybczynski, the bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Homeandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;City Life,andlt;/iandgt; illuminates Frederick Law Olmsted's role as a major cultural figure at the epicenter of nineteenth-century American history.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;We know Olmsted through the physical legacy of his stunning landscapesand#8212;among them, New York's Central Park, California's Stanford University campus, and Boston's Back Bay Fens. But Olmsted's contemporaries knew a man of even more extraordinarily diverse talents. Born in 1822, he traveled to China on a merchant ship at the age of twenty-one. He cofounded andlt;iandgt;The Nationandlt;/iandgt; magazine and was an early voice against slavery. He managed California's largest gold mine and, during the Civil War, served as the executive secretary to the United States Sanitary Commission, the precursor of the Red Cross.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Rybczynski's passion for his subject and his understanding of Olmsted's immense complexity and accomplishments make his book a triumphant work. In andlt;iandgt;A Clearing in the Distance,andlt;/iandgt; the story of a great nineteenth-century American becomes an intellectual adventure.
Review
"Goes a long way toward capturing Olmsted the man.... [A] biography that communicates, with feeling, the ups and downs of Olmsted's career as well as of the profession he helped to invent." The Wall Street Journal
Review
"[An] excellent biography.... a straightforward work, thorough and respectful, yet easeful in a way that is reminiscent of Olmsted himself." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Rybczynski allows Olmsted's belief in the edifying affects of landscape to emerge gradually within his involving account of Olmsted's extraordinarily productive life, leaving readers impressed with and grateful for Olmsted's vision and his ability to express it on such a grand and significant scale." Donna Seaman, Booklist
Review
"Rybczynski is a fine writer and thinker, and this is a magisterial biography of a man who deserves the widest possible recognition." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In a brilliant collaboration between writer and subject, Witold Rybczynski, the bestselling author of Now I Sit Me Down, illuminates Frederick Law Olmsted's role as a major cultural figure at the epicenter of nineteenth-century American history.
We know Olmsted through the physical legacy of his stunning landscapes among them, New York's Central Park, California's Stanford University campus, and Boston's Back Bay Fens. But Olmsted's contemporaries knew a man of even more extraordinarily diverse talents. Born in 1822, he traveled to China on a merchant ship at the age of twenty-one. He cofounded The Nation magazine and was an early voice against slavery. He managed California's largest gold mine and, during the Civil War, served as the executive secretary to the United States Sanitary Commission, the precursor of the Red Cross.
Rybczynski's passion for his subject and his understanding of Olmsted's immense complexity and accomplishments make his book a triumphant work. In A Clearing in the Distance, the story of a great nineteenth-century American becomes an intellectual adventure."
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 429-460) and index.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Witold Rybczynskiandlt;/Bandgt;, born in Edinburgh, raised in Canada, and currently living in Philadelphia, is the Meyerson Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written on architecture and urbanism for andlt;i andgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;The Atlanticandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;i andgt;Slateandlt;/iandgt;, and is the author of the critically acclaimed andlt;i andgt;Homeandlt;/iandgt; and the andlt;i andgt;A Clearing in the Distanceandlt;/iandgt;, a biography of frederick Law Olmsted, for which he was awarded the J. Anthony Lukas Prize. He is the recipient of the National Building Museumand#8217;s 2007 Vincent Scully Prize.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Forewordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Schemesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;1. "Tough as nails"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. Frederick goes to schoolandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. Hartfordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. "I have no objection"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5. New Yorkandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6. A year before the mastandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7. Friendsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8. Farmingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9. More farmingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10. A walking tour in the old countryandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Jostling and Being Jostledandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;11. Mr. Downing's magazineandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12. Olmsted falls in love and finishes his bookandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13. Charley Brace intervenesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14. Yeomanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15. A traveling companionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16. The Texas settlersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17. Yeoman makes a decisionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18. "Much the best Mag. in the world"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19. Abroadandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hitting Headsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;20. A change in fortuneandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21. The Colonel meets his matchandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22. Mr. Vauxandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23. A brilliant solutionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24. A promotionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25. Frederick and Maryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26. Comptroller Greenandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;27. King Cottonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;28. A good big workandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;29. Yeoman's warandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;30. "Six months more pretty certainly"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;31. A letter from Danaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32. Never happierandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;33. Olmsted shortens sailandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;34. A heavy sort of bookandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;35. Calvert Vaux doesn't take no for an answerandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;36. Loose endsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Magnificent Openingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;37. Olmsted and Vaux plan a perfect parkandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;38. Metropolitanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;39. A stopover in Buffaloandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;40. Thirty-nine thousand treesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;41. Best-laid plansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;42. Henry Hobson Richardsonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;43. Olmsted's dilemmaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;44. Aloneandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;45. "More interesting than nature"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;46. Olmsted in demandandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;47. "I shall be free from it on the 1st of January"andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Standing Firstandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;48. An arduous convalescenceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;49. Fairsteadandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;50. The character of his businessandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;51. The sixth parkandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;52. Olmsted meets the Governorandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;53. Olmsted and Vaux, together againandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;54. "Make a small pleasure ground and gardens"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;55. Olmsted drives hardandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;56. The fourth museandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;57. Dear Rickandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;58. Sunsetandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Olmsted's Distant Effectsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Distant Effectsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;A Selected List of Olmsted Projectsandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Illustration and Photograph Credits