Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.

"The Years of Olmsted, Vaux & amp Company, 1865-1874 documents one of the most productive periods of Olmsted's career. During these years he and Vaux created their classic design for Prospect Park in Brooklyn, drew up plans for Riverside and Morningside parks in Manhattan, and designed Chicago's South Park. Its rich assortment of documents will be of interest to historians, landscape architects, urban planners, and anyone concerned with the roots of modern America"-- Publisher.

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) designed New York City's Central Park, Brooklyn's Prospect Park, Chicago's South Park and Jackson Park, Montreal's Mount Royal Park, the park systems of Boston and Buffalo, and many others. But Olmsted's concerns extended beyond the hills and lakes, the flora and fauna of the park: he also designed parkways and neighborhoods, reshaping cities around their parks. He thus reinvented the American urban landscape as a democratic outdoor setting that encouraged a new kind of participation in city life. Olmsted was one of the most gifted of American writers of his generation: prior to designing Central Park, he had written five important books, including The Cotton Kingdom (an account of his travels in the slave states, also available from Da Capo Press); and his writings on American landscapes are unfailingly lively, eloquent, and passionate. Civilizing American Cities collects Olmsted's plans for New York, San Francisco, Buffalo, Montreal, Chicago, and Boston; his suburban plans for Berkeley, California and Riverside, Illinois; and a generous helping of his writings on urban landscape in general. These selections, expertly edited and introduced, are not only enjoyable but essential reading for anyone interested in the history - and the future - of America's cities.

"Olmsted came to Texas in the 1850s. He had a trained eye for land and its use. He visited Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Eagle Pass, the German settlements (his favorite settlers) and the coastal towns and plantations. It is perceptive and intelligent reporting and reaming good reading." --A.C. Green THE 50 BEST BOOKS ABOUT TEXAS