Washington on View

Library Journal

Few histories of urban planning are visually appealing as well as scholarly, but the expert Reps has created a successful blend of well-written text and 172 handsome illustrations, mostly reproduced as plates. Spanning 1790 to 1985, the book is divided into 77 folios, each consisting of descriptions and criticisms drawn from period sources and relevant maps, prints, and drawings. Nine chapter essays divide the folios chronologically. The contributions of Pierre L'Enfant, James Hoban, Benjamin Latrobe, Andrew J. Downing, and Robert Mills, among others, are recorded. Helpful appendixes include definitions of print media and short biographies of writers quoted. Highly recommended for American history, architectural history, and urban planning collections.-- Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Histor ic Hudson Valley, Tarrytown, N.Y.