Icons of garden design / edited with an introduction by Carline Holmes ; with contributions by Helena Attlee ... [et. al.]

Sigiriya (SRI Lanka) -- Byodo-in (UJI, Japan) -- Alhambra (Granada, Spain) -- Alcazar Palace (Seville, Spain) -- Palazzo Piccolomini (Pienza, Italy) -- Topkapi (Istanbul, Turkey) -- Ryoan-ji (Kyoto, Japan) -- Daisen-in (Kyoto, Japan) -- Hampton Court Palace (Middlesex, England) -- Villa Medici (Florence, Italy) -- Boboli (Florence, Italy) -- Villa d'Este (Tivoli, Italy) -- Chenonceaux (Indre-et-Loire, France) -- Sacro Bosco (Bomarzo, Italy) -- Palazzo Farnese (Caprarola, Italy) -- Villa Lante (Bagnaia, Lazio, Italy) -- Tsarskoe Selo (St Petersburg, Russia) -- Aldobrandini (Frascati, Italy) -- Kinkaku-ji (Kyoto, Japan) -- Hellbrunn (Salzburg, Austria) -- Katsura Rikyu Imperial Villa (Kyoto, Japan) -- Isola Bella (Lake Maggiore, Italy) -- Taj Mahal (Agra, India) -- Villa Garzoni (Collodi, Italy) -- Tuileries (Paris, France) -- Vaux-le-Vicomte (Seine-et-Marne, France) -- Versailles (Yvelines, France) -- Veitshochheim (Near Wurzburg, Germany) -- Het Loo (Apeldoorn, Holland) -- Chatsworth (Derbyshire, England) -- Levens Hall (Westmorland, England) -- Schonbrunn (Vienna, Austria) -- Castle Howard (Yorkshire, England) -- Blenheim Palace (Woodstock, England) -- Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, VA, USA) -- Peterhof (St Petersburg, Russia) -- Stowe (Buckingham, England) -- Villa Gamberaia (Settignano, Italy) -- Schwetzingen (Near Heidelberg, Germany) -- Rousham (Oxfordshire, England) -- Painshill (Cobham, England) -- Middleton Place (Charleston, South Carolina, USA) -- Stourhead (Wiltshire, England) -- Sanssouci (Potsdam, Germany) -- Queluz (Lisbon, Portugal) -- 'New' Summer Palace (Beijing, China) -- Master of the Nets Garden (Suzhou, China) -- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London, England) -- Worlitz (Near Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) -- Ermenonville (Oise, France) -- Monticello (Virginia, USA) -- Arkadia (Near Warsaw, Poland) -- Haga (Solna, Sweden) -- Heligan (Cornwall, England) -- Sezincote (Gloucestershire, England) -- Munstead Wood (Surrey, England) -- Naumkeag (Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA) -- Giverny (Eure, France) -- Biltmore (Asheville, North Carolina, USA) -- Hestercombe (Somerset, England) -- Old Westbury Gardens (Long Island, NY, USA) -- Villandry (Indre-et-Loire, France) -- Hidcote Manor (Gloucestershire, England) -- Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (Cap Ferrat, France) -- Villa Vizcaya (Miami, Florida, USA) -- Viceroy's Garden (New Delhi, India) -- Dumbarton Oaks (Washington, DC, USA) -- Sissinghurst (Kent, England) -- Ninfa (Ninfa, Italy) -- Fallingwater (Bear Run, Pennsylvania, USA) -- Villa Mairea (Noormarkku, Finland) -- El Novillero (Sonoma, California, USA) -- J Irwin Miller Garden (Columbus, Indiana, USA) -- Little Sparta (Stonypath, Lanarkshire, Scotland) -- San Cristobal Stables (Mexico City, Mexico) -- Shute House (Shaftsbury, England) -- Parc Andre Citroen (Paris, France).

'Gardening' declared the London Times recently 'is the new sex' and certainly interest in horticulture has never been more fevered. The latest in Prestel's highly successful Icons series looks at the masterpieces of garden design and how their influence has affected our understanding of this ancient and complex art.

Through 77 iconic gardens, illustrated with over 300 colour images, this book traces the development of garden design worldwide from medieval gardens to the contemporary creations of twenty-first-century designers. As well as the classic gardens of Le Notre and 'Capability' Brown -- Blenheim, Versailles, Stowe, Vaux-le-Vicomte -- the book includes gardens of the East -- Daisen-in and Katsura Rikyu in Japan, the 'New' Summer Palace Gardens in Beijing -- and Indian, Finnish, Russian, Swedish, Polish, American and Sri Lankan gardens among many others.

Written by an international team of garden historians, the texts on each garden discuss their development and influences, and the book includes a glossary and bibliographical references for further reading. A wide-ranging Introduction by Caroline Holmes explores the pre-history of gardening and sets the contribution of each icon in its broader context. The result is a fascinating and informative contribution to the past and future history of garden design.