Gardens & Landscape

New York: Century, 1904. Hardcover. 4to. 270 pp. With 52 illustrations, 26 of them by Maxfelld Parrish, most of them in color. Green cloth stamped in gold with elaborate coat of arms with two [2] lions and escutcheon and painted garden scene on front boards. Top edge gilt. Fully illustrated with color plates of Parrish and black and white photos. Very Good with a tiny bit of edge wear at the extremities. Text block solid, illustrations clean. A nice copy.  Item #700142   A seminal work on garden design and a statement to the passionate connoisseurship of one of Americas greatest writers. This comprehensive look at the history and character of Italian garden architecture and ornamentation explores more than seventy-five villas, capturing what Wharton calls their “garden-magic” and illuminating the intimate relationship between the house, its formal gardens, and the surrounding countryside.    This elegant collaboration between one of America’s foremost literary stylists and one of its most celebrated illustrators captures the grace, symmetry, and romance of Italy’s classical gardens. Wharton’s text, informed by her keen architectural sensibility and lifelong love of European design, provides a thoughtful and erudite tour through the villas of Tuscany, Lombardy, and the Roman countryside. Parrish’s luminous color plates and delicate drawings complement her prose with scenes of tranquil terraces, sculpted hedges, and sunlit fountains. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, this first edition exemplifies early 20th-century bookmaking at its finest, with gilt-decorated green cloth covers and high-quality paper stock.    A landmark in travel and design literature, ‘Villas’ helped shape the American appreciation of classical landscape architecture. Copies in well-preserved condition are increasingly scarce, especially those retaining Parrish’s vibrant plates. A cornerstone volume for collectors of Wharton, Parrish, or fine illustrated books of the period.   less