The Oxford Companion to Gardens. 1986. 24 colour plates. many black & white figures. XVI, 635 p. gr8vo. Cloth.

"The Oxford Companion to Gardens" takes as its subject the history and design of gardens all over the world from the earliest known examples to the present day, and is the first comprehensive reference work of its kind. It is a descriptive account of actual gardens in all their manifestations and of the elements involved in their making, rather than a practical manual on how to design and maintain a garden.

The 1500 or so entries, written by an international team of expert contributors, range from detailed articles on the history of garden design in one country to short definitions of terms, like the French buffet d'eau and the Chinese concept of jie jing. Over 700 gardens have individual entries describing their layout, special characteristics and significance, including many not normally open to the public and others which no longer even exist.