Revisiting The Landscape of Man
“There is nothing else like it in the canon of literature devoted to landscape and garden architecture,” opens garden writer Tim Richardson’s introduction inside the revised edition of The Landscape of Man.
Originally written and published by Geoffrey Jellicoe and his wife Susan Jellicoe, the book explores the social and intellectual background of landscapes across the world. From the architectural footprint of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat or the Japanese temples of Kyoto, the Jellicoes look into what each landscape tells us about the civilisations that created them, and vice versa.
Author and former landscape editor of Wallpaper magazine, Richardson was asked to bring the book up to date. First published in 1975, with revised editions in 1987 and 1995, the book had 30 years to catch up on. “Over the years, projects have superseded the preoccupations that Jellicoe had which were largely to do with Jungian psychology,” explains Richardson.
The modern world
Capable of deciphering the collective unconscious landscape, Jellicoe focussed on the archetypal images embedded in all humanity. From shared human cultures, dreams, myths and art, he analyses those connections in landscapes across the world.
Obsessed with modern art, modernism and communitarian modernism, Richardson explains Jellicoe may have been scared of post industrialism and chose to avoid it. In turn, Richardson felt he had a duty to cover city regeneration, for example in docklands and near rivers. A full page of work is dedicated to the late Professor Kongjian Yu, founder of Turenscape. “I don’t know how many people know about this landscape architecture company, but it’s my task to tell people about the biggest landscape company in the world,” explains Richardson. He continues:
“It was important to include landscapes and cities such as the ones Yu worked on, and others that just weren’t on Jellicoe’s radar.”
On top of this, Jellicoe “wasn’t interested in planting,” adds Richardson. Susan, however, who is co-credited in the book, had a real passion for horticulture. Responsible for the planting design in Jellicoe’s designs, Susan’s influence didn’t have much remit within the book, understands Richardson. “Although I haven’t got conclusive proof, I believe that Geffrey [Jellicoe] essentially wrote the text because there’s a consistent tone and style throughout.”
In the original texts, Susan’s photographs were featured consistently, but a lot of these were replaced with colour images inside the revised and updated edition. A difficult decision, Richardson and the publishing team at Thames & Hudson decided it would be best to only include her images as each section begins to avoid a scattered mixture of colour and black and white images on the page.
“Susan still deserves her place on the front cover of the book because it was a joint endeavor between them. They had to travel so much together, and Geffrey [Jellicoe] would have never managed it on his own, frankly. They would have gone quite a long way to see these sites, particularly the ancient sites, which are the most amazing thing in the book. So while Geffrey was with her, he was able to see the entire landscape so that she could get the shot.
“She was also very good practically. From a diplomatic family, she spoke several languages and was very well connected, which would’ve helped.”
The Human Landscape
Careful not to rewrite the entire text, Richardson approached the book with an open brief. However, when the question of changing the book’s name cropped up – it was something he didn’t want to do.
“Although it’s dated in some areas, I didn’t want to rewrite it at all because this is the classic text. So, if I’m not going to really change a word of the text inside the book, why change the title?”
Admitting The Landscape of Man is “obviously patriarchal” and “an archaically gendered title,” he reflects it would’ve been “common usage at that time.” Mentioned within his conclusive note at the end of the book, he says:
“The Human Landscape was mooted as an alternative, but a decision was made to retain the original title as redolent of its own time, and as the name by which the book has always been known.”
On top of this, he notes “Susan approved of it at the time.” He adds: “Jellicoe wrote about 18th century gardens, which is my specialism, and there are a few date assumptions and near errors. While he slightly missed the point, I kept it in the copy. It’s still valid, not desperately inaccurate and it wasn’t my job to rewrite the text.”
A founding member of the Landscape Institute and founding president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, it is clear that Jellicoe has made his mark within the industry. An important book that covers the works of human hands in shaping the physical landscape, “Jellicoe seems a bit forgotten, and that’s why I’m thrilled the book has been republished,” finishes Richardson.
The Landscape of Man stands as a real landmark point in Jellicoe’s career as a designer and his work remains important to the industry.