More Books of. the Week
(Ccnt.nucd from page 58.)
.A History of Garden Art in two volumes, an English trans- lation of Marie Luise Gothein's work, which was first published in Germany in 1918, has now been translated by Mrs. Archer- Hind, edited by Walter P. Wright and published by Messrs. Dent at four guineas: No book on the history of gardens has ever been so comprehensive. From the time of tree gardens in Ancient Egypt, cultivated for the profit derived from their fruit, timber, and shade rather than for their beauty, the development of gardens is traced in Greece, under the Roman Empire, in Italy, Spain, France, China, Japan, and in England. It is a- scholarly work, too long 'and too detailed 'for the average reader, but of exceptional interest and service to garden or landscape designer. The style in which it is written is not quite natural, but perhaps this is the fault of the translator rather than of .the author. The illustrations are so profuse that it is possible to learn a considerable amount about the history of gardens just by looking at them.
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