I got this book for a Landscape Architecture History class and didn't use it much. From what my teacher told me and the few chapters I did read (they're pretty long chapters, by the way) the author tends to go on and on, verging on losing the readers attention at times. What's great about this book though is that you can pick it up and read about a particular site (with great photos to accompany the text) for 10 or 15 minutes, which makes it a great coffee table book.