THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GARDENING

London: Bernard Linton, 1728. Second Edition in English. "With very large Additions, and a new Treatise of Flowers and Orange-Trees.. 255 x 195 mm. (10 1/8 x 7 3/4). viii, 297 (i.e., 299), [17] pp.Translated by John James.
Contemporary calf boards (capably rebacked in a lighter calf), raised bands, dark brown morocco label with gilt lettering. With tailpieces, a number of illustrations, and 38 folding plates of garden plans. Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of Whyte Melville of Bennochy and Strathkinness; front free endpaper with ink singature of Robert Melvill, and the armorial bookplate of Francis Gray Smart. Hunt 471; Henrey 950; Fowler 171 (first edition in English); Harris 381. ◆Original boards somewhat crackled (as nearly always with treated calf) and slightly marked, corners quite worn, a hint of browning to title and final leaf of ads, otherwise a very desirable copy, the text and plates in remarkably clean and bright condition.

This is the definitive guide to formal gardening practices in the 18th century, containing a thorough exploration of both theory and practice that is elucidated by nearly 40 folding plates drawn by one of the most influential architects of the period. Henrey calls it "the first important book on garden design to appear in England in the eighteenth century," and according to the Met museum's website, the work "became the standard international text of the grand French manner of garden design." The text includes a wide array of design recommendations that comprise elements such as labyrinths, groves, bowling greens, porticos, colonnades, and stairways; examples of different types of ornamentation and embellishment such as statuary and water features; recommendations for the best type of trees to employ; and practical advice for the care and management of plants and gardens. It is also notable as the first book to describe the "ha-ha," a type of fence with a sunken grade on one side, creating an invisible livestock barrier while also preserving an unspoiled view of the countryside beyond it. (The name supposedly derives from the astonished sound a viewer would make when encountering this ingenious solution.) The work was originally published anonymously in French in 1709, and the first edition in English, translated by architect John James, appeared in 1712. Although the title page of the present work credits it to the great French architect Alexander Le Blond (named "architecte du Roi" in France and the chief architect of St. Petersburg), it is actually the work of his pupil, Antoine Joseph Dezallier D'Argenville (1680-1765). Le Blond, however, did provide most of the drawings for the plates, which beautifully illustrate the various garden designs and structural plans. Our three previous owners are of some interest. The signature on the front free endpaper is probably that of General Robert Melvill (or Mellville, 1723-1809), who served in the West Indies during the Seven Years' war. He became a plantation owner and governor of the Grenadines, Dominica, St. Vincent, Tobago, and Grenada. After returning to Great Britain in 1771, Melvill pursued academic interests and became a member Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries of London, as well as a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Because he was a bachelor, Melvill's estate went to his cousin John Whyte-Melville (1797-1883), a renowned golfer (he became captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 1823) and the father of the novelist and poet George John Whyte-Melville. Francis Gray Smart (1844-1913) was a homeopathic physician who founded the Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital. He was also an antiquary and avid coin collector who became a member of the Linnean Society, the Society of Antiquaries, and the British Numismatic Society. Considered apart from the book's (sturdy, though not especially attractive) exterior, the contents here are unexpectedly fresh, clean, and bright--unusual in a type of book that might normally have experienced use in an unprotected environment..