Arcadian America by Aaron Sachs
How a forgotten environmental tradition of the pre-Civil War era may prove powerfully useful to us now
“A book of great ambition that is charting a changing consciousness on the American scene as articulated through classic literature, the built environment, war, art, and invention. . . Powerful and evocative.”—Jonathan Holloway, Yale University -- Jonathan Holloway
“If you crossed Leo Marx's The Machine in the Garden with Rebecca Solnit's Savage Dreams you would have a book as original and insightful as Arcadian America. This lyrical, eye-opening work will reshape how readers think about American culture and their place within it.”—Louis P. Masur, author of Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union -- Louis P. Masur
“In Arcadian America, Sachs weaves personal memoir throughout an extraordinary review of 19th-century urban planners, horticulturalists and writers who also sought the Arcadian experience. Rich in scholarship, yet very readable, it is stylistically reminiscent of Thoreau’s, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, as both draw on personal experience and historic materials.”—Thomas Potter, Immediate Past-President, Thoreau Society -- Thomas Potter
"In Arcadian America, Aaron Sachs provides us with a genuine gift—indeed, with one of the most profound moral reflections ever penned by a historian. At times a loving paean to an unknown brother and an aging father, at times a pained reflection on the American way of death, this immensely moving work inspires us to reimagine the very boundaries of scholarly history. Deeply learned, Sachs ultimately transcends the intellectual to teach us how us how we might rediscover true hope in life—by grounding ourselves in our country’s most meaningful traditions of death."—Robert D. Johnston, author of The Radical Middle Class -- Robert D. Johnston
Won an Honorable Mention for the 2013 New England Book Festival given by the JM Northern Media Family of Festivals, in the General Non-Fiction Category. -- New England Book Festival * JM Northern Media *
“If you crossed Leo Marx's The Machine in the Garden with Rebecca Solnit's Savage Dreams you would have a book as original and insightful as Arcadian America. This lyrical, eye-opening work will reshape how readers think about American culture and their place within it.”—Louis P. Masur, author of Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union -- Louis P. Masur
“In Arcadian America, Sachs weaves personal memoir throughout an extraordinary review of 19th-century urban planners, horticulturalists and writers who also sought the Arcadian experience. Rich in scholarship, yet very readable, it is stylistically reminiscent of Thoreau’s, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, as both draw on personal experience and historic materials.”—Thomas Potter, Immediate Past-President, Thoreau Society -- Thomas Potter
"In Arcadian America, Aaron Sachs provides us with a genuine gift—indeed, with one of the most profound moral reflections ever penned by a historian. At times a loving paean to an unknown brother and an aging father, at times a pained reflection on the American way of death, this immensely moving work inspires us to reimagine the very boundaries of scholarly history. Deeply learned, Sachs ultimately transcends the intellectual to teach us how us how we might rediscover true hope in life—by grounding ourselves in our country’s most meaningful traditions of death."—Robert D. Johnston, author of The Radical Middle Class -- Robert D. Johnston
"A fascinating exploration of a neglected environmental tradition, Arcadian America is a timely and important book."—Jackson Lears, author of Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920
-- Jackson LearsWon an Honorable Mention for the 2013 New England Book Festival given by the JM Northern Media Family of Festivals, in the General Non-Fiction Category. -- New England Book Festival * JM Northern Media *
Aaron Sachs is associate professor of history and American studies, Cornell University.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780300176407 |
| ISBN 10 | 0300176406 |
| Title | Arcadian America |
| Author | Aaron Sachs |
| Series | New Directions In Narrative History |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Year published | 2013-01-08 |
| Number of pages | 496 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |