This is the first full-length biography of Ossian Cole Simonds (1855-1931), a leading Midwestern landscape-gardener in the early decades of the twentieth-century. Meticulously researched by landscape historian Barbara Geiger, the book presents a thorough study of Simonds's career, from his apprenticeship with William LeBaron Jenney at Graceland Cemetery through his last commissions for the Morton Arboretum, the Alexander Graham Bell gravesite in Nova Scotia, and Gilbert Grosvenor's estate Wild Acres.

Often referred to as a “Prairie style” designer, Simonds pioneered the use of native species while continuing the naturalistic design tradition of Capability Brown, Humphry Repton, and Frederick Law Olmsted. His concern for preserving our natural water and forest resources was prescient in an age of unregulated mineral extraction.

With commissions from some of the era's most influential families, including the Pullmans and Lowdens, Armours, Deerings, and Pattens, Simonds worked with these tastemakers to create landscapes of subtle, refined beauty, appropriate to their locale. The extended Lathrop and Bryan families were of special significance to both Simonds's career and to the development of Chicago and are covered in an additional chapter exclusively devoted their stories.

The project list includes all known Simonds or Simonds, West, & Blair projects from circa 1880 through 1956. The bibliography and endnotes include a listing of primary and secondary sources by and about Simonds, providing resources for anyone researching a Simonds-designed property. Historic and contemporary photographs illustrate the scenic qualities of his work.

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UPCOMING LECTURES & BOOK SIGNINGS:

August 26, 2011: Lecture & Book Signing. Lake Forest, IL

September 19, 2011: Chicago Botanic Garden. Lecture & Book Signing, 7-8:30pm. Registration required. Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL

September 21, 2011: Illinois Institute of Technology/College of Architecture. Lecture & Book Signing, 6-7 pm. Crown Hall, 3360 S. State St., Chicago.

October 21, 2011: The Clare. Lecture & Book Signing (private). Chicago, IL

October 28, 2011: The Cliff Dwellers Club, sponsored by the Swedenborg Library. Cash bar 5:30-6 pm; presentation 6-7 pm ($10, cash or check; reservations required); 7:30-9 dinner ($30 includes lecture; reservations and payment  to Swedenborg Library by October 10). Contact the Swedenborg Library, generous sponsors of this event, at swedenborglib@sbcglobal.net to make reservations.