The Garden : Visions of Paradise

by Gabrielle Van Zuylen

The garden is an expression of our ability to make nature into art. This pocket-sized book of the "New Horizons" series examines the evolution of the garden over more than 2000 years, exploring some of the most beautiful gardens in the world, from antiquity, medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy, classical France, 18th-century England and the modern day.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1995

Reviews

[Eileen]

I read the Italian version Il Giardino Paradiso del Mondo. It's a nice book. There are lots of images of artwork depicting gardens from various periods of history. Keep in mind that this book is about public gardens and the gardens enjoyed by the elite class (ex. the gardens of palaces) - this isn't about personal gardens a middle or lower class individual would have. The book discusses how the style of gardens changed over the centuries and how it reflects the culture, philosophy, and values of the time. You'll find it interesting if you're a garden lover who also likes history. It's organized well and presented in a way that's easy to follow.

[Karen Patrick]

The layout of the text in this book frustrated me and made the reading experience unpleasant. I understand this book is a translation from French. However, the vocabulary is overly dense, technical and too dry for me to enjoy. I dislike how the paragraphs are cut off by ill-placed photos here and there, disrupting the flow of reading. I skimmed through it and felt really bored and frustrated by it. I don't think I will be keeping this book any longer and I understand why it was on sale at a cheap price. Clearly, it is too dull and heavy for light reading despite its small size.

[Amanda Witt]

A small but very detailed book, describing gardens from the beginning of time, through to modern day parks.
Also has black and white photos and colour of reconstructed ancient gardens.

Included at the back is a list of great gardens of Europe, a glossary of common terms and examples of gardens from literature over the last 400 years.

[Jan Heeren]

Nice long lines from Mesopotamia till now. Continuity an connectivity are made clear. And nature leads to beauty.
But..: the pictures and illustrations are way to small. This book has to grow twice his size.

[Emily]

A good introduction to the history of gardens, particularly in Europe.

[Sobia Makhdoom]

A comprehensive book on the history of Gardening. It's a must for both History and gardening lovers, like me!