Garden Ornaments

Mary Harrod NorthendProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 181K words
Chapters: 19

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Garden Ornaments by Mary Harrod NorthendAuthor: Northend, Mary Harrod, 1850-,Language: English, Class: SB: Agriculture: Plant culture, Release Date: Jan 8, 2011

Editor's review

This book is an early monograph on garden ornaments by Mary Harrod Northend and belongs to the public-domain literature of horticulture and garden culture. Its value lies not in serving as a fashionable contemporary gardening style guide, but in presenting the concrete appearance of early twentieth-century Western garden taste: how elements such as flower-bed edgings, sundials, birdbaths, terracotta pots, trellises and seats were organized into the spatial order of private gardens. The author describes the forms, materials and placement of various ornaments in prose that carries the composure and attentiveness of its era, and readers can recognize many classic gardening terms still in use today. For readers studying garden history, decorative arts or the tradition of English garden writing, this is a primary text worth close reading; for ordinary gardening enthusiasts, it is more a small book to dip into for inspiration than an instruction manual. It is best read with an understanding of its historical context, rather than treated as a modern construction or purchasing guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Western garden history and the evolution of garden ornaments
Those engaged in garden writing or landscape design who need historical material
Readers who enjoy classic English garden essays and are willing to read slowly
Collectors of public-domain gardening literature and decorative arts materials

Not a good fit for

Practical gardeners seeking modern construction standards and materials lists
Beginners hoping for color plates or step-by-step tutorials
Those who only want quick access to plant-care methods

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and jump between sections by ornament type rather than reading straight through.
Jot down the names of objects mentioned as you read, so you can compare them with modern gardening terms.
Read alongside works on garden history or the history of decorative arts to fill in the period background.
The English original is limited in length; read a short section each day and take brief notes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as a guide to modern garden renovation?

No. It is an early document of garden writing that describes the forms and aesthetics of garden ornaments of its time and does not cover modern materials, construction standards or purchasing channels. It is better treated as a historical work and a source of inspiration; for actual construction, consult contemporary professional materials.

How difficult is the English?

The original is early twentieth-century English garden prose with fairly long sentences, but its subjects are concrete and its terminology highly repetitive, so readers with intermediate English can finish it with a dictionary. It is advisable to read the passages describing specific objects first and then move on to the more discursive sections.

Does the book contain illustrations or photographs?

The available information does not confirm whether it is illustrated. Public-domain electronic editions are usually text-based, and some versions may lack plates. If you need images, look for garden picture books or decorative arts catalogs from the same period to read alongside it.

Comments

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About the author

Mary Harrod Northend Author · American · 1850–1926

Mary Harrod Northend (1850–1926) was an American author born in Salem, Massachusetts. She specialized in American colonial architecture and household furnishings, beginning her writing career in her fifties. Four of her works are held in this collection, including Historic Homes of New England, Colonial Homes and Their Furnishings, Garden Ornaments, and Remodeled Farmhouses. Her writing focuses on detailed descriptions of specific buildings and interior furnishings, combining historical documentation with a guidebook quality. She also left behind thousands of photographs of historic New England buildings, preserving visual material for later study of colonial architecture in the region. Public information on other details of her life is limited.