Suggested Reading List

Interested in diving further into our educational resources? Check out Teaching with Historic Places, our award winning Good Neighbors program, and our Junior Ranger program.

 

Whether inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted, written by Olmsted, or written about Olmsted, hundreds have books have been produced on the father of American landscape architecture. Explore some titles, and perhaps get inspired!

 

 

Read by Olmsted

An Essay on the Picturesque by Uvedale Price- Read as a young boy, taught him about the picturesque, which he would use in his parks

Remarks on Forest Scenery, and Other Woodland Views, (relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty) Illustrated by the Scenes of New-Forest in Hampshire by William Gilpin- Read as a young boy, learned more about picturesque features and aesthetics.

Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening by Humphry Repton- Read as a young boy, and while he had observed many New England landscapes, this gave him the opportunity to explore landscapes in England.

The Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening by Humphry Repton- Read as a young boy, Repton was the professional landscape gardener whose writings influenced Olmsted the most.

 

About Olmsted's Life

Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted by Justin Martin- An introductory biography to life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted

A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century by Witold Rybczynski- Along with Genius of Place, another introductory biography to Frederick Law Olmsted.

F.L.O- A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted by Laura Wood Roper- Another biography, but a much deeper dive into Frederick Law Olmsted.

 

Written by Olmsted

The Cotton Kingdom by Frederick Law Olmsted- Frederick Law Olmsted's newspaper articles on the abuses of slavery down South were compiled, to give readers a view into the South from a Northern perspective.

Civilizing American Cities: Writings on Landscapes by Frederick Law Olmsted- Frederick Law Olmsted's writings on urban landscapes are still referenced today by landscape architects across the country.

Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England by Frederick Law Olmsted- Journey with Frederick Law Olmsted as a young man as he travels through England, commenting on the people he meets and the landscapes he explores.

Yosemite Valley and the Maripose Grove: A Preliminary Report, 1865 by Frederick Law Olmsted- The first time in recorded U.S. history that someone would write about preserving land for people, and not a profit. Though this report gets buried for being too controversial, it would contain the founding ideals for the National Park Service.

 

About Olmsted Projects

Biltmore Estate: Frederick Law Olmsted's Landscape Masterpiece by Pmela Lynn Messer- The Biltmore Estate was one of the last major deisgns Olmsted worked on; learn about what went into making the largest mansion in America.

The Park and The People: A History of Central Park by Elizabeth Blackmar and Roy Rosenzweig- Frederick Law Olmsted's first major design, learn about how Central Park came to be one of the most popular parks in the country.

Prospect Park: Olmsted and Vaux's Brooklyn Masterpiece by David Colley- After the popularity of Central Park, Olmsted and Vaux were asked to design Prospect Park; learn about the construction of the park and its differences to Central Park

Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System by Cynthia Zaitzevsky- Olmsted moves to Brookline, MA to design the first park of the Boston Park System, Back Bay Fens. Learn about the designs of all the jewels in the Park System, known as the Emerald Necklace.

Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea by Ethan Carr and Rolf Diamant- Learn about how the Civil War was the prompt to the founding of the National Parl Service.