Thursday April 26, 2012 at 5:30pm
Colony House, Washington Square
$5 per person, $1 NHS members
RSVP to 401-841-8770
Frederick Law Olmsted is arguably the most important historical figure that the average American knows the least about. The Newport Historical Society is pleased to help change that when we host Justin Martin, author of the new book Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted.
Best remembered for his landscape architecture–such as New York’s Central Park, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, Stanford University’s campus, and the Biltmore Estate–Frederick Law Olmsted was also an influential journalist, early voice for the environment, and abolitionist credited with helping dissuade England from joining the South in the Civil War. Justin Martin will share highlights from Olmsted’s career and discuss the timeless intent that stands behind Olmsted’s designs, allowing his work to survive to the present day.
Martin’s biographies have received much critical success. The Wall Street Journal described Genius of Place as “engaging,” Kirkus Reviews called it, “revealing,” and the Boston Globe said it is “illuminating.” Genius of Place was also “highly recommended” by The New York Journal of Books. Martin’s two previous biographies, Greenspan: The Man Behind the Money and Nader: Crusader, Spoiler, Icon, were also widely influential. The Greenspan biography was selected as a 2001 notable book by The New York Times Book Review and the Nader biography was a primary source for the Academy Award nominated documentary An Unreasonable Man.