Benjamin Swett Explained

Photographer and writer Benjamin Swett was born on March 3, 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 state highway that stretches from the Bowery in New York to the Canadian border near 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 Albany International Airport and the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, New York, 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,)
• The Hudson Valley: A Cultural Guide (New York: Quantuck Lane Press, 2009,)
• New York City of Trees (New York: Quantuck Lane Press, 2013,)

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]

Notes and References

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