The best single piece of advice a teacher can give to a budding scholar is this: Go to the original source! On the other hand, a thorough and well-integrated biography can profitably lead one to seek the original data. In this new biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, author Witold Rybczynski creates a portrait of Olmsted few could glean from even a careful perusal of the Olmsted archives. Rybczynski traces Olmsteds life, allotting equal emphasis to Olmsteds peregrinating early career, one that meandered aimlessly through seemingly incompatible by-ways yet almost predictably emerging with him as a pioneer landscape architect. Olmsteds career, starting in 1858 with the design of Central Park in New York City, resulted in an astounding achievement nationally, only recently being generally appreciated. New Yorkers and Brooklynites were only the early beneficiaries of his genius. Though Rybczynski credits the series, a serious reader must turn to the original materials available in the magnificent series, The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted (Johns Hopkins Press). Projected for twelve volumes, seven are now published, with an auxiliary companion volume to volume one. Additionally, there has grown up a large corpus of works about Olmsted. This new biography is a first-rate addition and a fitting place to begin a study. (Reviewed by Allan Shields in Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol 15 No 2, Winter 1999-2000. Copyright © by Allan Shields.)
To me, a biography is successful if the author conveys both the subjects accomplishments and the influences that helped to shape these deeds. Rybczynski easily meets these standards in this entertaining, instructive study. Rybczynski spends a lot of time discussing the significance of Olmsteds major projects, like Prospect Park and Mount Royal. The innovations that Olmsted brought to the field of landscape architecture in these projects are clearly laid out for the reader. However, these discussions were not the main point that I took from the book. Instead, I was enthralled with the discussions of the various jobs and travels that Olmsted undertook throughout his life, particularly in his formative years. Rybczynski does an excellent job of showing that these diverse experiences not only satiated Olmsteds curiosity, but also were essential to the development of Olmsteds views on landscape architecture. It is refreshing to find an example of the belief that a variety of experiences are necessary to bring out new talents, enhance existing skills, and create a well-rounded individual. I highly recommend A Clearing In The Distance for many reasons. These reasons include a concise writing style and a multi-faceted subject. But, above all, the book brings attention to an individual deserving of such study. It is this quality that makes A Clearing In The Distance a "must-read" for not only admirers of Olmsteds works, but for anyone who is interested in the creative development of an innovator in their field.
Olmsteds life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging. In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things. For example, he writes page after page about Olmsteds failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasnt much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years. There, I said it in one sentence. Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsteds projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsteds psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.
