Republic of Shade

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