Lewis Mumford and Patrick Geddes: The Correspondence

by Frank G. Novak Jr. (Editor)

I am a disciple of Patrick Geddes, and I am an abject admirer of everything he has said and done. The tantalizing nearness of everything we most want; were it not for some fatal, stubborn grain in both of us, Geddes and I, linked together, intellectual and emotional, might still conquer the world. For lack of this, he will be imperfectly articulate and I, perhaps, will have nothing to say.

402 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 1995

Reviews

[Saumya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though an important archive, it doesn't do more than being just that. Will be of value if someone is specifically interested in their relationship. But not really useful to someone who wants to understand their professional influences on each other. One will have to skim through each and every letter to cull something out; whereas in my opinion the introductory pages by the editor should have given more insight into the growth of their theories rather than just summarising the whole correspondence and repeatedly talking about the events and personal relationship. Introductory and concluding comments by the editor are too repetitive - I skimmed through the book in 2 hours and kept on finding the fact that Mumford was in awe of geddes and yet their two meetings in person didn't go well. Why does this fact matter so much that in a 2 hr skimming through the book all I can remember coming across is this. This is the only book in my read books that I haven't read from first page to last page word by word and am still considering it as read. Three stars only for successfully bringing the correspondence of two brilliant minds in one place.