Stowe: A Description of the Magnificent House and Gardens of the Right Honourable Richard, Earl Temple, Viscount and Baron Cobham. Embellished with a general plan of the Gardens, and also a separate plan of each building, with Perspective Views of the same. A new edition. With all the alterations and improvements that have been made therein, to the present time. With the description of the inside of the house. Illustrated with 19 engraved plates, of which 2 are folding.
8vo., 210 x 130 mm, in a fine binding with quarter calfskin and marbled boards. London: John Rivington, et al., 1766. New and Enlarged Edition. An identical online copy can be viewed at Google Books.

This book will be sent with insurance and signature confirmation.

This book is in very good condition, with minor cover wear as pictured. The pages are untorn,and complete with no writing or stamps of any kind. One of the fold outs appears to have an inch of tape,and a small, light stain from liquid. The plates have been counted, all 19 are there. There are a few small scuffs on the marbled covers, unnoticeable at first because the color blends in. The lay of the book is even, the binding is sturdy (a bit tight) and there are no loose pages. This book is mildew and smell free. A beautiful historical specimen in surprisingly good, complete condition.

"Richard Grenville, Lord Temple, who owned Stowe House and its gardens in Buckinghamshire, was the most important of the amateur architects of the period who took an active part in the designing of landscape gardens. His contribution to the art, however, has not been recognized, for the histories of gardening and architecture alike tend to ignore amateurs and patrons in favour of those of professional architects and landscape-designers. Yet the subject is important, because if Stowe gardens owe much to Lord Temple, the whole history of gardening owes much to him" (Michael McCarthy, "Eighteenth Century Amateur Architects and their Gardens" in: The Picturesque Garden and its Influence outside the British Isles p. 34 and plate VIII). A major portion of this book concentrates on the magnificent gardens, landscape architecture and architectural follies which appear in various parts of the estate. "By the 1730s, a new aesthetic based on organic forms and the irregularity of naturally occurring landscapes began to be advocated in England. This is particularly evident in the vast transformation of the gardens at Stowe, Birminghamshire, from the original enclosed, geometrical design to a sprawling, irregular form with undulating lawns, meandering streams, irregularly shaped ponds, and encircling woodland. By the 1740s Stowe was the epitome of the new "picturesque" style. By mid-century le jardin anglais had firmly established itself throughout Europe". (University of Delaware, Landscape School Exhibition Catalogue). Published throughout the eighteenth century with different content, the 1783 and 1797 editions were owned by Thomas Jefferson, who utilized many gardening ideas herein (particularly William Kent's use of meanders). The present volume belongs to the deluxe issue of the 1763 edition, containing "all plans and views" (the book was also available unillustrated, or with specific plates of the gardens only, at reduced prices).

This book will be sent with insurance and signature confirmation.