"The Rockefeller Family Gardens: An American Legacy, with lush photographs by Larry Lederman, captures how gloriously each generation expressed its personal character on a monumental canvas." - The New York Times
"Lederman captures moments in nature imbued with atmospheric light, reminiscent of the impressionist style. A delight for garden historians and botanical photographers." - Library Journal
"The new book features the photographs of Larry Lederman, a man apparently undeterred by inhospitable weather conditions, who seems to have discovered every tiny nook and cranny of the place. He shows us Rockefeller’s creation over a period of years in all seasons and in all kinds of light. We see it early in the morning and at dusk, under gray skies and gleaming in the sun, bursting into bloom in spring, blazing with hot fall color and serenely quiet after a snow fall." - Gardenista
"We may not care to admit it, but the gardens of the rich and famous hold a special allure for most of us. Now, thanks to photographer Larry Lederman’s discerning eye, we get a whole-book look at two gardens belonging to the Rockefeller family - both designed in the early 20th century and both of great historical interest.... We should be grateful for Lederman’s patience: It means we can now experience each garden in its full glory." - 1st Dibs
"Photographer Larry Lederman shot the retreats over five years, adding yet another contribution - this time, serene beauty - to the Rockefeller dynasty's long list." - Manhattan magazine
"What Lederman's photographs of the gardens at Kykuit and Eyrie display is a fascinating study of one family's sustained devotion to place, manifested in each generation's evolving philosophy and approach to space." - Flower magazine
"In sumptuous photographs, this book documents the progress of the seasons through two gardens: Kykuit (Dutch for ‘look-out’), perched high above the Hudson River in the countryside near New York, and Eyrie, the garden in Maine of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, John D.’s art-collecting daughter-in-law and the driving force behind MOMA in New York... The short essays are strong on historical detail, sparking interest in further research. But the meat of this book lies in Lederman’s splendid images." - Historic Garden Review
06/01/2017
Photographer Lederman (Magnificent Trees of the New York Botanical Garden) guides readers through a comprehensive tour of the Rockefeller family gardens in New York's Hudson Valley and Seal Harbor, ME. The main estate Kykuit in Sleepy Hollow has a large formal Beaux-Arts garden, to which patriarch Nelson Rockefeller added a collection of modern sculpture. A second but lesser-known Japanese garden is also located here. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller garden at the family summer retreat, Eyrie, is a walled area designed with Asian influence and planted in a traditional style with masses of perennials and colorful flowers. All three spaces are open to the public. The photographs are conceived around viewing seasonal changes and observing effects of light upon the plants, trees, architecture, and artworks. Each garden has its own section in the book. Essays by Todd Forrest of the New York Botanical Garden, Cassie Banning of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, and Cynthia Bronson Altman of Kykuit accompany the photos and provide expert commentary on their history, plantings, and design. Lederman captures moments in nature imbued with atmospheric light, reminiscent of the impressionist style. VERDICT A delight for garden historians and botanical photographers.—Deborah A. Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Dunwoody