Description

Stowe : a Description of the Magnificent House and Gardens of the Right Honourable Richard Grenville Temple, Earl Temple, Viscount and Baron Cobham, One of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter Seeley, B; Fairchild, W; Temple, R. G. Buckingham R. Seeley, Sold Also By Messrs. Rivington and Hodgkinson 1777 Leather 8vo 8" - 9" tall [i], 41, [ii], pp. 7 ff of plates. Folding plan at frontis, 11 single page plates in the text, folding plan of the house, folding plate of the prospects. A small octavo measuring 8.5 x 5" in old leather boards, rebacked spine with 5 raised bands, gilt ruling. Leather is worn but with a nice patina. Older pastedowns, first blank is quite browned with an 1869 owner's signature, frontis folding plate has repairs, browning and offsetting throughout, but the plates are still quite gorgeous. This book represented the beginning of a new trend in arts and design: house and garden tourism, familiar to fans of Jane Austen … “One of the most pivotal decisions in Pride and Prejudice was when Elizabeth Bennet agreed to visit Pemberley’s gardens and grounds with the Gardiners, only to suddenly encounter Mr. Darcy, who was not slated to return until the next day, Such a visit to grand estates by the well-heeled and more common folk like Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle were quite common in the 18th century. They would have purchased an inexpensive guide book at a local inn or town, and read information about the paintings and objects inside the great houses, and a description of the gardens and their rustic buildings and ornaments. Stowe in particular was a destination point for visitors. Its magnificent gardens and grounds were a model and inspiration for other gardens of the Romantic era, which echoed the movement’s reverence for nature and aesthetic ideals” [Jane Austen’s World]“The practice of opening a private garden to the public at designated times, often when the family was not in residence, became common in the eighteenth century, and some of the most popular sites began to publish guidebooks. In 1732 Gilbert West (1703-1756) had published a long poem praising the garden at Stowe, but the first true guidebook was published in 1744.” [referring to Stowe in Fisher exhibition: How Does My Garden Grow: The Education of a Gardener] Richard Grenville-Temple (1711-1779) was an English statesman, the brother-in-law of William Pitt, under whom he served as the first lord of the Admiralty. He inherited the estate of Stowe from his mother in 1752. "Stowe, former estate of the Temple family, the dukes of Buckingham (the title became extinct in 1889) , in Buckinghamshire, England. The mansion was begun in 1697 and was remodeled in 1775. It is now the site of Stowe School. Among the architects, designers, and decorators who worked on the house were Sir John Vanbrugh, Robert Adam, Grinling Gibbons, and William Kent. The estate’s famous gardens date from the 18th century and include several classical temples designed by James Gibbs. The gardens were originally formal but were gradually transformed into a landscaped park." (Britannica). A lovely copy with wonderful illustrations. WE ARE LOCATED IN CANADA but we can ship using USPS International Customers -- we may be able to ship more cheaply than we show - please e-mail us to see what we can offer to your location. US Customers - We ship twice or more a week using the US Postal Service via our courier from Canada to our mailing address in New York and then on to US addresses.We are able to offer competitive rates with this service, but if you require quicker shipping, please inquire. For books over $799 we may ship via CanadaPost from Toronto. Canadian customers -- we may have to charge HST/GST for Canadian purchases (generally 5% for books). However, shipping is generally lower than on ebay's shipping cost calculator. Email me with your province and I'll be happy to calculate HST and shipping. We are happy to combine shipping! For our international customers, import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them with additional shipping charges. We really cannot show merchandise below value or mark items as "gifts" - it can get us into all kinds of trouble with customs. Since Brexit, shipping to the UK may require a VAT invoice. We have been selling books for over 20 years and pack and ship them with care. Thanks for bidding and thanks for being a fellow book lover. See our other listings for more unusual and rare books.