A Description of the New York Central Park

A new facsimile edition of a classic work on New York s architectural masterpiece Central Park

As growing numbers of people are visiting Central Park and a wide range of New Yorkers are drawn into its restoration, researchers and enthusiasts have turned repeatedly to one special book: A Description of the New York Central Park. It tells a story that began in 1858 when landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the competition to design New York City s most democratic environment.

When the book was conceived in the mid-1860s, Olmsted and Vaux were battling to defend their plan. Threats to the park included a proposal to build ornate entrances, suggestive of French imperialism, and a proliferation of sculptures and monuments that were intruding in an otherwise natural setting. The volume s author, Clarence C. Cook, a noted Victorian art critic, was the designers ally in their cause. As Maureen Meister reveals in her new Introduction, evidence suggests that Olmsted and Vaux instigated the book s publication and advised Cook on what he wrote.

This delightful facsimile edition offers much to the modern reader. Complementing Cook s lively, often wry, text are the original images that were prepared by Albert Fitch Bellows. They depict many sites that still survive in the park today along with features that have been lost over time and long-lost structures that have been rebuilt recently.

Together the text and illustrations are an homage to a magnificent public park that has come to be regarded as New York City s greatest achievement and a model for the nation."

A new facsimile edition of a classic work on New York s architectural masterpiece Central ParkCentral Park receives millions of visitors every year, tourists and locals alike. A Description of the New York Central Park, published in 1869, is recognized today as the most important book about the park to appear during its early years. The lively, often wry, text was written by Clarence C. Cook, a distinguished Victorian art critic, while the illustrations were drawn by the popular Albert Fitch Bellows. The author and artist examine many sites in the park that survive to this day as well as features that have vanished over time.In a new Introduction, Maureen Meister reveals how the book came about. In the mid-1860s, the park s designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, were battling to defend their plan. Of greatest concern was a proposal to build ornate entrances, suggestive of French imperialism. If realized, the gates would have undermined the park s natural and democratic image. At the same time, the park was threatened by a proliferation of monuments. Meister tells how Olmsted and Vaux advised Cook on what he wrote, and she has found evidence to suggest that they initiated the book s publication. This book is their book.While the original volume offers much to delight the modern reader, Meister s Introduction sheds light on how the book served a greater purpose. It was published to champion Olmsted and Vaux and to advocate for their vision a dream for a magnificent public park that has come to be regarded as New York City s achievement and a model for the nation. "