Study and Reading 73 



mostly interiors. They are very fine" . . . "lots of fine 

 things of course — two finer than I ever saw of Landseer" 

 ..." I bought a number of books, cheaply at the auctions. 



After his father purchased for him the farm on Staten 

 Island, he began to think of a rounded-out collection of his 

 own. We find him writing to his brother: "There are a lot 

 of books that are essential to even a common library — or a 

 country tavern parlor — that I have not got. Such buy if you 

 can, without fail." 



The young farmer thought also of decorating his walls, 

 and wrote to his father about pictures (March 9, 1848): 

 ' ' You said I could have a lot out of the portf oHos ; I should be 

 exceedingly glad if you could spare me some frames. " The 

 "portfolios" doubtless included the one which Mr. Olmsted 

 referred to later in life in a reminiscent jotting : 



The first portfolio of prints that I ever saw was a possession 

 of my childhood and was a series of views of English park 

 scenery. Chance soon after put in my hand Gilpin's Forest 

 Scenery and Gilpin's and Marshall's Tours and criticisms of 

 parks. I have been studying the subject ever since. 



In February, 1849, Frederick mentioned in a letter to 

 his brother John that he had been reading and discussing 

 Modern Painters, for which he always continued to have a 

 high regard. Later in the month he referred to one of the 

 subjects in which he was then principally interested as 

 "Landscape Beauty and the Beauty of all Nature." His 

 tastes were varied, for he mentioned also several other 

 miscellaneous subjects including the "Theory of Language" 

 and the "Theory, Economy, etc. of Love." 



On his English tour in 1850 he acquired a number of 

 works on agriculture and gardening, of which unfortunately 

 we have no specific record ; and after his return he wrote over 

 to one of his travelling companions Charles Brace, still 

 abroad: "I want you to get or order in London in addition 

 to what I asked previously: Morton on Soils (up to $2.), 

 Hutchinson on Spring Draining (not over $2.), Hewit Davis 

 on Thin Sowing (a pamphlet), Prof Johnstone's Tables of 

 Experiments in Agficulture (a pamphlet, very important)." 



Mr. Olmsted's own book Walks and Talks came out in 

 1852. On a bill (1852) from G. P. Putnam & Co., Publishers 



