Republic of Shade

The American elm, elegant and highly adaptable, was an essential feature of Americas cultural landscape for more than a century, forming great verdant parasols aboveand giving its name tostreets all across the nation. The elm became a defining element in the spatial design of Americas villages, towns, and cities, first in New England, andwith the westward transit of Yankee cultureeventually throughout the United States. This fascinating and generously illustrated book traces the elms transformation from a fast-growing weed into a regional and national icon, and shows how Elm Street satisfied Americas quest for a pastoral urbanism imagined since the time of Jefferson.