Tightly woven bio explores Olmstead

GENIUS OF PLACE: The Life of Frederick Law Olmstead (Abolitionist, Conservationist and Designer of Central Park). By Justin Martin. Da Capo Press. 496 pages. $30.

Justin Martin quipped in an interview that he had been "living with (Frederick Law) Olmstead" for two years.

For better and for worse, that description is apt. Reading "Genius of Place" feels like listening to Olmstead's best friend dishing about the private life of a real person. But close friends forgive our character flaws, and occasionally Martin seems to soft pedal Olmstead's faults, particularly his overbearing fixation on the son who would inherit his landscape architecture firm, excusing some downright mean outbursts as late-life side effects of frustration and failing health.

Martin, a biographer, takes readers on a journey through Olmstead's many careers, from his work as a farmer piloting cutting-edge scientific farming techniques to his stint as a journalist, his work for the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War, and his preservation of wilderness sites such as Yosemite and Niagara.

We know him today as a landscape architect, the designer of iconic spaces, public (Central Park, Boston's "Emerald Necklace") and private (Biltmore), but Martin makes a convincing argument that Olmstead saw all of his work, from park-making to gold mining, as social reform.

He points out the subtle ironies of Olmstead's life and provides historical and personal background without bogging the reader down or disrupting the flow of the narrative.

And even if Martin tends to romanticize his subject, "Genius of Place" is far more than a survey of Olmstead's creations. It's a tightly woven narrative that ties together his personal life, his many vocations and his impact on a turbulent era.