American landscapes are some of the most well-known images of any kind - the Manhattan skyline, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls are instantly recognisable in a thousand ads and TV shows. But how have these places come to be as they are, and why are some places familiar while others are quite unknown? This book introduces the reader to the changing face of the American environment, tracing the way in which the present array of forests and farms, parks and highways, cities and suburbs has come about, and how these changes have been thought about, painted and turned into movie sets. From Thelma and Louise to Northern Exposure, the book concludes that the American landscape is what Americans have made of their surroundings.