Discovering the Vernacular Landscape

It's a classic!

Good for The price

How can people have missed the point of JB Jackson? JB Jackson is one of the finest geographers of the past fifty years. He taught at Harvard and Berkeley and wrote numerous essays, papers, and books. He had a profound influence on the way many geographers think about landscape -- a concept which has drifted back into mainstream of the way scholars in several disciplines think about the land and the people who live there. I personally can't imagine a better author to read to begin understanding what it is that we are seeing, walking and driving through, and having impressed on our brains as what it is that constitutes the familiar and the unfamiliar. As Amazon notes -- more than 100 books have cited this book as a source. That's a pretty good sign that this one is worth reading. And comprehending.

I was attracted by the title of this book; there's so much to be learned by observing the suburban or rural landscape, which most of us drive through without really noticing or reflecting upon it. Someday a wonderful book will be written on this topic, but this is not it. Instead, John Jackson presents us with a series of 'musings,' for lack of a better word, about the vernacular landscape. At times, the writing takes on a stream-of-consciousness quality that leans too heavily toward personal reflection. Topics include the grid-road network of the US midwest, placement of county courthouses within town plans, the history of the 'box house,' evolution of the Arts & Crafts style of architecture, and the author's experiences in the US Army in Europe during WWII. Intertwined among these topics are passages in which the author reflects upon the notion of 'landscape' and what it means to him.

This is a rather interesting book. The perspective it takes on history is unique. The basic premise is that you can learn a great deal about a society by the way they talk about and treat the land around them. I must admit, it made me look at my surroundings differently. It is a bit slow in places, and after a while I started to loose interest. However, overall I would say that this collection of essays is rather good. You should check it out if you have any interest in the field of landscape studies.

the book arrived quiclky and I'm happy with it nevertheless it as some underlined sentences (used books are usually like this) but it's quite ok.

Brilliant read. Great for students and academics alike