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863-734-1210; bososky@boktower.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2013

New Book Released
BOK TOWER GARDENS: America's Taj Mahal

by Kenneth Treister and David Price
Photography by Dan Forer
Foreword by Derek Bok, Epilogue by Bob Graham

Skira Rizzoli / ISBN: 978-0-8478-4147-9 / $50.00 US / October 2013
Hardcover / 224 pages / 120 color and b/w photographs / 9½̎ x 12̎

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Rising 205 feet over central Florida’s rolling hills of citrus is one of the great achievements of America’s “golden age of architecture” — Edward W. Bok’s art deco, neo-Gothic Singing Tower, which houses one of the world’s finest carillons and serves as the iconic focal point of Bok Tower Gardens.  No other setting like it exists anywhere in the world, and no other book explores the story of this extraordinary public monument like BOK TOWER GARDENS: America’s Taj Mahal by Kenneth Treister and David Price set for official release this October.

According to David Price, co-author and president of Bok Tower Gardens, Bok’s story is one of appreciation and giving back to the country that afforded him so much over his lifetime. “Bok wanted to create a place of beauty as a gift to the American people, and the culmination of his life’s work was the dedication of the gardens and tower in 1929,” Price said. “It’s part of American history, a story that deserves to be told.”

Built in 1929 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993, Bok Tower Gardens is an architectural and landscape masterpiece. Publisher, philanthropist, and naturalist Edward Bok commissioned two esteemed designers—landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and architect Milton B. Medary—to create a sanctuary that would preserve the area’s natural beauty and become a haven for birds and wildlife. The result is a meandering, historic landscape garden in a contemplative and informal woodland setting offering a series of romantic recesses and tranquil resting spots, picturesque vistas and breathtaking views of Bok’s 60-bell, marble and coquina Singing Tower carillon.

Millions of visitors from all over the world have traveled to Bok Tower Gardens over the years to experience Bok’s vision first hand. Now co-authors Treister and Price, in conjunction with former Harvard University president Derek Bok, former Florida governor and senator Bob Graham, and architectural photographer Dan Forer bring this story to life in BOK TOWER GARDENS: America’s Taj Mahal, the first book of its kind about this unique destination. 

Author-signed copies are available now in the Tower & Garden Gift Shop, or online at shop.boktowergardens.org.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS & CONTRIBUTORS:
Kenneth Treister is an architect, author and artist. He has produced four documentaries and has written nine books, including Havana Forever. David Price, president of the Bok Tower Gardens Foundation, is an accomplished wildlife sculptor and was for 20 years director of horticulture at the Gardens. Dan Forer is an acclaimed architectural photographer, with work appearing in Architectural Digest, Interior Design and Architectural Record, among others. Derek Bok is president emeritus of Harvard University and grandson of the founder of Bok Tower Gardens. Bob Graham is a former governor and senator of Florida.

Credit line for the book must read: © Bok Tower Gardens: America’s Taj Mahal by Kenneth Treister and David Price, Skira Rizzoli, 2013. All photography to be credited © Dan Forer, but no images may be used, in print or electronically without written consent from the publisher. Serial rights are available; please contact Jessica Napp @ 212 387 3436 or jnapp@rizzoliusa.com.

BOK TOWER GARDENS: America’s Taj Mahal
By Kenneth Treister and David Price
Photography by Dan Forer, Foreword by Derek Bok, Epilogue Bob Graham
Skira Rizzoli, an imprint of Rizzoli New York
Hardcover / 224 pages / 120 color and b/w photographs / 9.5" x 12"
ISBN: 978-0-8478-4147-9
PRICE:  $50.00 US & CAN / £30.00
PUB DATE: October 2013

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