"In this collection of specially commissioned essays, nineteen of America's leading writers, artists, and scholars come together to ponder the question "What is landscape?" Recognizing that no one person or discipline can possibly provide the whole answer, George Thompson has chosen a range of viewpoints that, in his words, "attempts to make links between art and science, history and geography, photography and literature, a land ethic and environmental design, management, and planning."" "Landscape in America is the first book to explore the idea of landscape and place in such a broad-ranging way. Designed for the uncommon "common reader," it offers a distinctively American perspective on what landscape is, what it means, and what it represents that will be compelling to the widest possible audience."--Jacket.