Book Launch 6/20: The Man Who Loved Trees by Annaliese Bischoff

You may know that Frank A. Waugh (1869-1943) was the founder of our department in 1903 and a pioneering advocate of native planting design. But did you know that he was also an amazing artist with a love for trees?

In her new book, The Man Who Loved Trees, LARP Professor Emerita Annaliese Bischoff explores Waugh's life as a professional landscape architect, prolific writer, and inspirational printmaker. The book centers on Bischoff's discovery of the prospectus for Waugh's planned book on tree portraits, which she found packed away in an orange crate with over 150 etchings and drawings by Waugh.

Cataloguing these little known works, The Man Who Loved Trees shares Waugh's loving portrayal of trees as individuals, families, and social groups. The etchings offer new insights on Waugh's respect for nature and his approach to landscape design that continues to inspire generations of students at LARP and beyond.

Learn more at The Man Who Loved Trees' book launch on June 20th from 6-7PM at Amherst Books, 8 Main St, Amherst, MA 01002.

Book royalties will be generously donated this year to the Frank A. Waugh LARP Alumni Scholarship, which provides ongoing professional development support for all LARP students.

Praise for The Man Who Loved Trees 

"A powerful and beautifully illustrated homage to a remarkable pioneer in sustainable urban forest management..."  -Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of Our Green Heart

“Annaliese Bischoff has provided a real treasure in The Man Who Loved Trees, the story about a most remarkable man and his remarkable portraits of trees. In the early 20th century, Frank A Waugh was one of the most prolific writers and advocates for horticulture, landscape design, and conservation of the American landscape, but he is not well known today. He wished for us to see beauty in the common places around us, particularly in trees. Thanks to Annaliese Bischoff, we, too, can share his deep love of trees captured in this inspiring collection. This book will inspire a new generation!” - Robert E. Grese, FASLA, FCELA, Professor Emeritus of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

“Rooted in the land, Waugh engaged and taught about landscape joyfully. This well-crafted highly illustrated book brings Waugh to us, through his perception and art to honor trees as one vector in a rich purposeful life. We all know how important trees are to our planet and all life, so this collection offers us a new window onto their value. Thank you, Annaliese Bischoff, for uncovering this delightful legacy.” - Patricia M. O’Donnell, PLA, FASLA, AICP, Founder and Partner, Heritage Landscapes 

"Bischoff’s impeccable scholarship combines with her background as an artist and a landscape architect who taught a generation of students in the very department that Frank Waugh founded at UMass." -Mark Resnick, Founder, Resnick Arts and Culture Consulting and author of The American Image 

“The Man Who Loved Trees presents the final legacy of pioneering landscape educator and popularizer Frank A. Waugh.  Now appearing more than 80 years after his death, this portfolio of etched prints and pen and ink drawings amplifies the underlying artistic motive of his versatile and legendary career which influenced several generations of landscape architects, town planners, and home gardeners in the twentieth century[ ... ]Prof. Bischoff -- whose own career as a landscape architect and training in the fine arts led to the rediscovery of Waugh’s prints -- provides an insightful, well-researched text and presents a comprehensive gallery of images tracing Waugh's evolution as an artist in the last ten years of his life." - Linda Flint McClelland, author of “Introduction to the Reprint Edition.” 2007, Book of Landscape Gardening by Frank A. Waugh, originally published Orange Judd Pub. Co., 1926.