Features:
[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
