Benjamin Swett

Benjamin Swett, photographer and writer, was born on March 3rd 1959 in Washington D.C. Educated at Andover and Harvard University, he worked for a number of years for The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation where he photographed and wrote about neighborhood parks around the city.^[1] His first publication, Great Trees of New York City: A Guide, was for the Parks Department.^[2]

His subsequent works have all featured text and photographs.^[3] Route 22 (2007) is a narrative history of the road that stretches from the Bowery in New York to Montreal.^[4] This book, along with The Hudson Valley: A Cultural Guide (2009), and New York City of Trees (2013), were all published by Quantuck Lane Press. New York City of Trees, winner of the New York Society Library's 2013 New York City Book Award for Photography, provides photographs and descriptions of unusual or characteristic trees around the five boroughs of New York City.^[5] The photographs from Route 22 have been exhibited at The Albany International Airport and the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, NY and the photographs from New York City of Trees at The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park and Wave Hill.^[6]

Bibliography

• Great Trees of New York City: A Guide (New York: New York Tree Trust, 2000, ASIN B0006RE0M6)
• Route 22 (New York, Quantuck Lane Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1593720261)
• The Hudson Valley: A Cultural Guide (New York: Quantuck Lane Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1593720353)
• New York City of Trees (New York: Quantuck Lane Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1593720520 )

Awards

• New York Society Library 2013 New York City Book Award for New York City of Trees^[7]
• International Grenfell Association 2015 Grant for "Creating the Grandois Archive"^[8]

References

1. Alder, Margot (April 30, 2013). "New York: A Concrete Jungle And 'City Of Trees,' Too". National Public Radio. All Things Considered. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
2. Gardner Jr., Ralph (June 8, 2014). "Putting Wave Hill in Focus". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
3. Frazier, Ian. "Tree Person" (March 4, 2013). The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
4. Ross, Rita (November 2007). "Road Trip". Hudson Valley Magazine. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
5. Guralnick, Margot (September 30, 2013). "Required Reading: New York City of Trees by Benjamin Swett by Margot Guralnick". Gardenista. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
6. La Gorce, Tammy (28 August 2015). "At Wave Hill, Photos of New York's Trees, 'Living Archives' of the City". NY Times. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
7. "The New York City Book Awards 2013". The New York Society Library. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
8. Roberts, Stephen (July 27, 2015). "Grandois hosts 2015 Come Home Year". Northern Pen. Retrieved 6 January 2016.