Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening. Including some remarks on Grecian and Gothic architecture, collected from various manuscripts, in the possession of the different noblemen and gentlemen, for whose use they were originally written; the whole tending to establish fixed principles in the respective arts. By H. Repton, Esq. assisted by his son, J. Adey Repton
Published by Printed by T. Bensley and Son for J. Taylor, London, 1816
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used





Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998
Condition: Used
£ 12,837.34
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
(13 3/8 x 11 inches). xii, 238 pp., (2). 42 aquatint plates (22 hand-coloured, including ten with overslips and three double-page, 13 uncoloured, including three with overslips, 7 tinted, including one with an overslip), 1 wood-engraved and letterpress plan, 9 aquatint head- and tail-piece vignettes (including two with overslips), and numerous wood-engraved illustrations. Half-title. Plate list (including errata) at end. Contemporary diced russia boards with gilt border, spine in six compartments, gilt center tool, lettered gilt in second and fifth compartments, marbled edges. The first edition of Repton's final great work on landscape gardening. In both the present work and his earlier Observations. (London: 1803), Humphry Repton stated his view that the landscape architect should be guided by the single guiding principle that his work should produce a 'pleasing combination of Art and Nature adapted to the use of Man' (viii). Fragments focuses on a number of aristocratic landscapes: Cobham, Woburn, Endsleigh, Ashridge, Longleat, and other projects such as Ealing Park and White Lodge, which took in views of royal parks. They commemorate a historically minded, public spirited nobility. Other chapters focus on commissions for a range of clients, from Norfolk squires to Essex merchants; they establish a polite consensus around highly detailed plans for gardens. The final Fragment on Hare Street incorporates the outlook of 'venerable noblemen' such as the Duke of Portland and Viscount Torrington in the view from Repton's own garden. Repton notes that Fragments is drawn from 'more than four hundred Reports in MS,' i.e. his Red Books. This fact alone makes the present work particularly valuable, as most of the Red Books are no longer extant. Interestingly, Repton gives the modern reader the rare gift of explicitly outlining his colouring process in the book itself. In Fragment Twelve, titled 'Concerning Colours,' Repton discusses colour theory and includes detailed instructions for the artisans who coloured the aquatints in Fragments by hand. In this chapter he illustrates his colour theory with a fascinating plate that includes a diagram explaining the 'Harmony of Colours' as well as instructions for colouring a landscape scene 'before and after sun-rise; that is, before and after the natural process of colouring takes place.' Humphry Repton was the main successor to Lancelot 'Capability' Brown as an improver of grounds for the English gentry in the late 18th and early 19th century. Repton's landscapes displayed his preference for a gradual transition between house and grounds by means of terraces, balustrades and steps. He was particularly noted for the Red Books, which were produced for individual clients and were made up from manuscript descriptions bound with Repton's own watercolour drawings, with his proposed alterations displayed on an overlay. The present volume reproduces these otherwise unobtainable works of English landscape gardening. Abbey Scenery 391; Martin Hardie, p. 129; Prideaux, p. 349; Tooley 398. …
Seller Inventory # 40453
Bibliographic details
- Title
- Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening. Including some remarks on Grecian and Gothic architecture, collected from various manuscripts, in the possession of the different noblemen and gentlemen, for whose use they were originally written; the whole tending to establish fixed principles in the respective arts. By H. Repton, Esq. assisted by his son, J. Adey Repton
- Author
- REPTON, Humphry (1752-1818) & John Adey REPTON (1775-1860)
- Publisher
- Printed by T. Bensley and Son for J. Taylor, London
- Publication year
- 1816
- Binding
- Large quarto
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Dimensions
- (13 3/8 x 11 inches)
- Seller catalogs
- Colour-Plate & Illustrated
Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
New York, NY, U.S.A.
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| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
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Donald A. Heald Rare Books offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of Botany, Ornithology, Natural History, Americana & Canadiana, Native Americans, Voyages & Travels, Maps & Atlases, Photography and more. Founded in England in 1972, we have formed and contributed to important private and institutional collections. Items of note which we have placed include a unique copy of Abbot’s "Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia" with plates on vellum, an extremely rare extra-illustrated large paper Spanish edition of Blaeu’s "Atlas Mayor," Curtis's "North American Indian," a copy of the Federalist Papers in boards, the first separate printing of the Bill of Rights, and a large paper issue of Redouté's "Les Roses" with the plates in two states. We are renowned for our extensive print inventory which is unsurpassed in quality. Our Sporting collection recently incorporated the complete print stock of Ackermann & Son of London, established in 1783. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, where Mr. Heald has served on the Board of Governors as Treasurer, Security Chairperson, and as Chairman of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Mr. Heald is a member of the Grolier Club, and the American Antiquarian Society.…
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Fine Bindings, Maps and Atlases, Voyages and Travels, Americana, Natural History, Illustrated Books, Historical and Decorative Prints, Colour-plate BooksAssociation member
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Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)
NY, U.S.A.
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