The Hermit in the Garden: From Imperial Rome to Ornamental Gnome

British historian Gordon Campbell, an authority on the Renaissance and decorative arts, tells the engagingly and sometimes eccentric tale of the 18th century craze for ornamental hermits. Although the fashion had fizzled out by the end of the 18th century, Campbell shows how hermits and hermitages live on in the art, literature, and drama of our own day. Book-signing. For reservations, please call The Mount at (413) 551-5100 or visit www.edithwharton.org.