Photography by Ping Amranand History by Philip Kopper Washington: Seasons of the Capital is a world-class portrait of one of the world's great cities. This illustrated history celebrates Washington's magnificence, what author Philip Kopper calls "a spectacular convergence of natural assets, human resources, and political possibilities." Ping Amranand's images survey the landmarks that draw visitors to Washington and the seasonal changes that charm the city's residents. A veteran garden photographer, Amranand's pays special attention to the majestic trees and gardens which temper and transform the "mighty architectural presence" of Washington's famous buildings. Washington: Seasons of the Capital portrays the elegance of elms along the Mall and the sophistication of formal gardens at Dumbarton Oaks, the exuberance of daffodil beds y the Potomac and the refreshing wildness of Rock Creek Park. The remarkable people who shaped Washington are the topic of Philip Kopper's lively text. As he tells it, nineteenth-century Washington had its share of growing pains; it was sacked by the British in 1814, congested with Union troops during the Civil War, and rocked by political scandals as the century waned. Yet with the backing of strong-willed patrons and planners, the city clamored toward respectability. From Pierre Charles L'Enfant, George Washington's hand-picked, hot-headed city planner, to Alexander Shepherd, the Gilded Age civil servant who spent more on the city than all his predecessors combined, Kopper presents a pageant of dreamers and doers united by their vision of the capital of freedom. The twentieth century brought Washington to the center of world affairs, and Kopper describes how the city has evolved to fill that role - surrounding the Potomac with memorials and parks and in recent years receiving historic areas from the Alexandria and Georgetown waterfronts to Pennsylvania Ave - from Amzon