A Landscape History of New England

A Landscape History of New England takes a view of New England'slandscapes that goes beyond picture postcard-ready vistas of white-steepled churches, open pastures,and tree-covered mountains. Its chapters, for example, describe the Native American presence in theMaine Woods; offer a history of agriculture told through stone walls, woodlands, and farm buildings;report on the fragile ecology of tourist-friendly Cape Cod beaches; and reveal the ethnicstereotypes informing Colonial Revivalism. Taken together, they offer a wide-ranging history of NewEngland's diverse landscapes, stretching across two centuries.

The book shows thatall New England landscapes are the products of human agency as well as nature. The authors trace theroles that work, recreation, historic preservation, conservation, and environmentalism have playedin shaping the region, and provide fresh perspectives on New England's many landscapes: forests,mountains, farms, coasts, industrial areas, villages, towns, and cities. Generously illustrated,with many archival photographs, A Landscape History of New England offers readersa solid historical foundation for understanding the great variety of places that make up NewEngland.

Blake Harrison holds a doctorate in geography from the University of Wisconsin and is the author of The View from Vermont: Tourism and the Making of an American Rural Landscape. Richard W. Judd is Professor of History at the University of Maine and the author of The Untilled Garden: Natural History and the Origins of American Conservation and other books.