A Description of the New York Central Park - Hardcover

$30.24

A Description of the New York Central Park - Hardcover

Name: A Description of the New York Central Park - Hardcover
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9781479877461
Price: 30.24 USD
Availability: InStock

by Clarence C. Cook

$30.24

Book Overview

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by Clarence C. Cook (Author), Maureen Meister (Introduction by)

A new facsimile edition of a classic work on New York's architectural masterpiece--Central Park

Central Park receives millions of visitors every year, tourists and locals alike. A Description of the New York Central Park, published in 1869, is recognized today as the most important book about the park to appear during its early years. The lively, often wry, text was written by Clarence C. Cook, a distinguished Victorian art critic, while the illustrations were drawn by the popular Albert Fitch Bellows. The author and artist examine many sites in the park that survive to this day as well as features that have vanished over time.

In a new Introduction, Maureen Meister reveals how the book came about. In the mid-1860s, the park's designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, were battling to defend their plan. Of greatest concern was a proposal to build ornate entrances, suggestive of French imperialism. If realized, the gates would have undermined the park's natural and democratic image. At the same time, the park was threatened by a proliferation of monuments. Meister tells how Olmsted and Vaux advised Cook on what he wrote, and she has found evidence to suggest that they initiated the book's publication. This book is their book.

While the original volume offers much to delight the modern reader, Meister's Introduction sheds light on how the book served a greater purpose. It was published to champion Olmsted and Vaux and to advocate for their vision--a dream for a magnificent public park that has come to be regarded as New York City's achievement and a model for the nation.

Number of Pages: 240

Dimensions: 0.9 x 9 x 6.2 IN

Illustrated: Yes

Publication Date: May 23, 2017

ISBN	9781479877461
Author	Clarence C. Cook
Publisher	Washington Mews Books/Nyu Press
Genre	History, Travel, and Design
Format	Hardcover
Published	May 2017
Language	ENG- English
Pages	240
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print