Though it is not uncommon for historians to have something to say concerning philosophical strands in Jefferson s thought, that something is usually insubstantial often misleadingly so or inchoate. Overall, precious little has been said. The significance of the man and the richness of his thought demands that this defect be remedied. Thomas Jefferson and Philosophy is a collection of nine new essays on philosophical elements in Jefferson s writings. The first of its kind, this collection should lead to further philosophical analysis of Jefferson s thinking especially by philosophers, who tend to appreciate Jefferson only as the author of the Declaration of Independence and to greater appreciation for the man who gave to statesmanship a large number of the prime of his years out of a moral sense of duty to others. In that regard, Jefferson was always first a philosopher. This book will be a valuable read for students and scholars of history, political theory, and philosophy, as well as anyone interested in the thought of Thomas Jefferson."

The Mount, Edith Wharton's country place in the Berkshires, is truly an autobiographical house. There Wharton wrote some of her best-known and successful novels, including "Ethan Frome "and "House of Mirth." The house itself, completed in 1902, embodies principles set forth in Wharton's famous book "The Decoration of Houses," and the surrounding landscape displays her deep knowledge of Italian gardens. Wandering the grounds of this historic home, one can see the influence of Wharton's inimitable spirit in its architecture and design, just as one can sense the Mount's impact on the extraordinary life of Edith Wharton herself.
The Mount sits in the rolling landscape of the Berkshire Hills, with views overlooking Laurel Lake and all the way out to the mountains. At the turn of the century, Lenox and Stockbridge were thriving summer resort communities, home to Vanderbilts, Sloanes, and other prominent families of the Gilded Age. At once a leader and a recorder of this glamorous society, Edith Wharton stands at the pinnacle of turn of the twentieth-century American literature and social history. The Mount was crucial to her success, and the story of her life there is filled with gatherings of literary figures and artists. "Edith Wharton at Home" presents Wharton's life at The Mount in vivid detail with authoritative text by Richard Guy Wilson and archival images, as well as new color photography of the restoration of The Mount and its spectacular gardens.
"The Mount was to give me country cares and joys, long happy rides and drives through the wooded lanes of that loveliest region, the companionship of dear friends, and the freedom from trivial obligations, which was necessary if I was to go on with my writing. The Mount was my first real home . . . its blessed influence still lives in me." --Edith Wharton, 1934

This diverse new collection of essays, written by scholars, practitioners, and public-land managers, considers the history of public park design, as well as the parks themselves as repositories of cultural values.

In exploring the role design has played in these public spaces, the contributors look not only at noticeably planned, often urban, landscapes such as Central Park or Boston's Back Bay Fens but also at parks such as Yosemite with naturally occurring scenic qualities, which require less development. The essays present design as encompassing not simply a park's appearance--its buildings and landscape features--but also its functions, how it delivers a culturally significant experience to visitors.

Much park design has been fed into or organized by systems promoting preservation (the National Park Service being only the most obvious example), and many of this book's contributors stress park design's relationship to preservation, as Americans have become aware of a natural heritage they identify with strongly and want to experience. Other essays treat such engaging topics as European influences on early American parks, the peculiar nature of U.S. regional parks, the effect of the automobile on the outdoor recreational experience, and--in an international context--parks and national identity.

ContributorsTal Alon-Mozes, Israel Institute of Technology * Catherin Bull, University of Melbourne * Theodore Catton, University of Montana * Esther da Costa Meyer, Princeton University * Timothy Davis, U.S. National Park Service * Elizabeth Flint Engle, Western Center for Historic Preservation, Grand Teton National Park * Christine Madrid French, independent scholar * Heidi Hohmann, Iowa State University * John Dixon Hunt, University of Pennsylvania * Brian Katen, Virginia Tech * Richard Longstreth, George Washington University * Neil M. Maher, New Jersey Institute of Technology * Catharina Nolin, Stockholm University * Nicole Porter, University of Nottingham * Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, Foundation for Landscape Studies * Katherine Solomonson, University of Minnesota * Lucienne Thys- enocak, Koc University, Istanbul"

The mansion along with its magnificent furnishings, art, gardens, and the owners' striving, hubris, and ultimate failure are the dramatis personae of this saga. Stanford White, the architect, wrote, "with the exception of Biltmore, I do not think there will be an estate equal to it in the country." An extravagant product of the desire for social acceptance, the portrait encompasses western mining and old versus new wealth, religious differences and the building of a church, art collecting, and the many people, from the architects, builders, and workers to the servants and staff who ran the house and gardens. Harbor Hill's story includes elements of farce and tragedy; in a sense it is an American portrait.