In 1949 The Ronald Press Company in New York published Osvald Sirén’s Gardens of China and in the following year his China and Gardens of Europe of the Eighteenth Century. This re-issue of the second of these, by Dumbarton Oaks, is to be welcomed; it is in the same handsome format as the original, and has the benefit of an introduction by Hugh Honour which places the book firmly in the evolution of garden history and Sirén’s own career… His perception of the Chinese influence on the landscape gardens of England, France and Sweden, therefore, was informed by first-hand knowledge of Chinese art and culture. This freshness of experience makes China and Gardens of Europe of the Eighteenth Century an unparalleled achievement.