Jens Jensen

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Writings Inspired by Nature

Edited by William H. Tishler

An inspiring collection of writings by one of America’s most distinguished landscape architects and a pioneering conservationist.

184 pages, 6 x 9, 7 b&w photos
Hardcover: $24.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-490-6
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-605-4
Publication Date: 9/28/2012

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Description

Jens Jensen (1860–1951) was one of America’s most distinguished landscape architects and a pioneering conservationist. During his long and productive career, this Danish-born visionary worked for and with some of the country’s most prominent citizens and architects, including Henry Ford, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright. He became internationally renowned for his design of landscapes throughout the Midwest and beyond, his contributions to the American conservation movement, and his design philosophy that emphasized the significance of nature in people’s lives. He found inspiration in the landscape, particularly the plants native to a region, and was an environmentalist long before the term became popular.

Today, Jensen is perhaps best remembered for establishing the Clearing on Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula. But the outspoken views in his writings—many of which were included in ephemeral planning reports, early newspapers, and now out-of-print journals—are virtually forgotten, with the exception of his two small books. Jens Jensen: Writings Inspired by Nature is an anthology of Jensen’s most significant yet lesser-known articles, including a Saturday Evening Post piece that enabled him to reach the largest audience of his publishing career. The scope of Jensen’s thoughts represented in this collection further solidify his legacy and rightful place alongside conservation leaders such as John Muir and Aldo Leopold.

Author Bio

William H. Tishler

William H. Tishler, FASLA, is professor emeritus of landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his work has focused on historic preservation, landscape architectural history, vernacular architecture, and preservation issues relating to Upper Midwest cultural landscapes. He is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and has been a senior fellow in landscape studies at Dumbarton Oaks and an Attingham Fellow in England. Tishler is the author of more than 170 publications. Several of his books and articles, as well as his documentary film, Jens Jensen: A Natural History, have won national awards.

Jens Jensen was a leading voice for two distinctly American movements during the first half of the twentieth century: the ‘prairie style’ of landscape architecture and land conservation. His work helped change the way we regard land and landscapes.

Michael Schneider

Executive Director, The Clearing Folk School

“Visionary landscape architect, conservationist, and social reformer Jens Jensen believed that nature has the power to heal, uplift, and inspire all people. William H. Tishler brings to light Jensen’s most poetic and meaningful prose.”

—Julia S. Bachrach, landscape historian and author of The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago’s Parks

“Many of the essays in Jens Jensen: Writings Inspired by Nature are short, perfect for quiet contemplation of the wisdom and emotion held within Jensen’s words. While the landscapes most often examined in his writings are those of the upper Midwest, this collection will be of great interest to readers of conservationists such as Aldo Leopold and John Muir, as well as landscape gardeners alike.”

—Jennifer Fandel, ForeWord Reviews

“Jens Jensen: Writings Inspired by Nature contains three dozen Jensen essays that solidify his position as one of the great naturalists and landscape architects, especially in the upper Midwest. Included are pieces that discuss his best-known projects: Chicago’s West Park System, the Indiana Dunes, and The Clearing in Door County.”

—Bobby Tanzilo, On Milwaukee.com

“Until now, Jens Jensen’s writings were dispersed across a range of ephemeral and today-obscure sources. William H. Tishler has skillfully and admirably assembled a broad cross section of Jensen’s written output.”

—Christopher Vernon, Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts, University of Western Australia

“Bill Tishler’s selection of writings by Jens Jensen presents a compelling portrait of a man who was practical, political, and philosophical. His essays offer advice on the use of plants as well as his reflections on the importance of gardens and parks for educating the young, restoring the soul, and reminding us of our dependence on the natural world.”

—John Mark Nielsen, Executive Director, the Danish Immigrant Museum, Elk Horn, Iowa