Books

First edition of Wharton's classic treatise on "Italian garden-magic." Quarto, original dark green cloth, top edge gilt. With 45 full-page plates, including 26 illustrations by Maxfield Parrish (15 in color), seven in-text and 19 black-and-white photographic illustrations. In good condition, name to the front free endpaper. Edith Wharton s Italian Villas and Their Gardens, a seminal work on garden design, is a testament to the passionate connoisseurship of one of America s greatest writers. A comprehensive look at the history and character of Italian garden architecture and ornamentation, the book explores more than seventy-five villas, capturing what Wharton calls their "garden-magic" and illuminating the intimate relationship between the house, its formal gardens, and the surrounding countryside. ".Parrish illustrations, in trademark dreamy, fairy-tale style--seems to dislocate these legendary gardens from time altogether" (Forbes).

Italian Villas and Their Gardens, written by Edith Wharton, provides a detailed discussion of the history, design, and character of Italian villa architecture and its accompanying gardens. Edith Wharton not only provides a scholarly perspective on the subject but also a personal narrative on how these spaces impacted her.