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The Architecture of Trees
"Any landscape architect worth their soil should pick up The Architecture of Trees , an all-encompassing atlas of all things tree-related."— The Architect's Newspaper
A 2019 Oprah's Favorite Things Pick
A gorgeous, large format volume that shows each hand-drawn illustration in stunning detail. The Architecture of Trees is the result of over twenty years of dedicated study by landscape architects Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi. This new edition preserves the original magnificent illustrations and text, translated into English for the first time.
Features more than 550 exquisite quill-pen drawings of trees. Each of the 212 tree species are drawn to a scale of 1:100, with and without foliage. Complete with tables of seasonal color variation and projections of shadows cast during the hours of daylight and season by season, no other tree book contains such detailed and scientific drawings.
A legendary and unsurpassed botanical masterwork. Considered a standard in many landscape architecture firms, the drawings, essays, and detailed charts are essential for large scale landscaping projects and a helpful tool for backyard renovations. Landscape designers will think in new ways about the effect of seasons and the time of day on trees, and anyone interested in nature and trees will be captivated by the stunning illustrations.
"This book could be considered the Bible for tree lovers."— Western Art & Architecture
An incredible book for anyone interested in
• An oversized, captivating coffee table book for lovers of art and nature illustrations
• A helpful tree identification book with accurate drawings of trees and detailed looks at branches, leaves, and fruit
• A reference for students of landscape architecture, botany, dendrology, architecture, and illustration
A 2019 Oprah's Favorite Things Pick
A gorgeous, large format volume that shows each hand-drawn illustration in stunning detail. The Architecture of Trees is the result of over twenty years of dedicated study by landscape architects Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi. This new edition preserves the original magnificent illustrations and text, translated into English for the first time.
Features more than 550 exquisite quill-pen drawings of trees. Each of the 212 tree species are drawn to a scale of 1:100, with and without foliage. Complete with tables of seasonal color variation and projections of shadows cast during the hours of daylight and season by season, no other tree book contains such detailed and scientific drawings.
A legendary and unsurpassed botanical masterwork. Considered a standard in many landscape architecture firms, the drawings, essays, and detailed charts are essential for large scale landscaping projects and a helpful tool for backyard renovations. Landscape designers will think in new ways about the effect of seasons and the time of day on trees, and anyone interested in nature and trees will be captivated by the stunning illustrations.
"This book could be considered the Bible for tree lovers."— Western Art & Architecture
An incredible book for anyone interested in
• An oversized, captivating coffee table book for lovers of art and nature illustrations
• A helpful tree identification book with accurate drawings of trees and detailed looks at branches, leaves, and fruit
• A reference for students of landscape architecture, botany, dendrology, architecture, and illustration
424 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2019
8 people are currently reading
729 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 25, 2019
I took advantage of spotting this in a shop yesterday to look at it. A hell of a lot of trees, both clothed and naked so you can see their structure. It's massive and definitely wasn't going in my suitcase for the homeward bound trip, but I can see it would be an indispensible reference. Not a coffee table book.
December 3, 2020
Although very detailed and provided vast selections of trees, there weren’t any actual pictures; only detailed drawings of trees. And it provides the scientific names of trees, not the common names.
Still, an excellent resource book but not at all what I was looking forward to satisfying my love of pictorial aspects of trees.
Still, an excellent resource book but not at all what I was looking forward to satisfying my love of pictorial aspects of trees.
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October 23, 2022mesmerizing
January 29, 2022
A very expensive and very large book that is possibly one of my favorites. It has zero descriptions of the plants, just genus, and species organized by angiosperms and gymnosperms. It is a compilation of drawings of how these trees look in black and white to a 1:100 scale. It is gorgeous and it also made me take out my other plant books (including Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs), and read about each species that I could find. I spent every weekend slowly working my way through this book in some mad self-imposed research assignment.
I have one main goal for 2022, and that is to learn all of the names (common and genus names) of the trees in this area. This book was a beautiful catalyst to this goal. It's a rare book that I read and wish I had made it, but there you have it, I am jealous of the illustrators. I also show off this book to house guests. My love for this book is insufferable.
I have one main goal for 2022, and that is to learn all of the names (common and genus names) of the trees in this area. This book was a beautiful catalyst to this goal. It's a rare book that I read and wish I had made it, but there you have it, I am jealous of the illustrators. I also show off this book to house guests. My love for this book is insufferable.
November 18, 2023
An encyclopedic journey among trees, each presented in the same scale, drawn in pen-and-ink from individual, carefully photographed from specimen trees. Each presented in summer and in winter.
The introduction includes an eye-opening history of botanical illustration, and the methodology for development of the catalog of trees represents a lifetime of devotion.
The book as an artifact is impeccably printed and bound, of highest quality materials. Print quality of the images is nothing short of perfection.
Though this is decidedly not a book I feel any need to add to my personal library, it would be an essential element in the resources of a landscape architect.
The introduction includes an eye-opening history of botanical illustration, and the methodology for development of the catalog of trees represents a lifetime of devotion.
The book as an artifact is impeccably printed and bound, of highest quality materials. Print quality of the images is nothing short of perfection.
Though this is decidedly not a book I feel any need to add to my personal library, it would be an essential element in the resources of a landscape architect.
January 18, 2023
I am absolutely obsessed with all facets of this book, but I have to take one star off for the American sycamore illustration. It's my favorite tree and I just felt a little personally wronged... Other illustrations were amazing though.
March 15, 2024
A magnificent, eccentric, thorough, tome.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews