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Sitwell, Sir George ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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Sitwell, Sir George The Making of Gardens, Being a Study of Old Italian Gardens, of the Nature of Beauty, and the Principles Involved in Garden Design.
London: John Murray, 1909. First edition (pp. viii, 109, index). Small folio (22cm) in grey cloth, pictorial cover depicting entrance to formal garden, gilt titles to spine, t.e.g. Growing interest in Italian gardens as exemplars of a certain formal garden design had resulted in the publication of many ‘sumptuous’ picture books featuring old Italian gardens near the turn of the twentieth century. However, as Sir George says, with the exception of a few hints in Edith Wharton’s ‘valuable and charming book’, little had been said about the principles informing their design and that is what he set himself to discuss based on many visits to Italian gardens by which he appears to have been enchanted and to which he repaired in search of peace of mind. The Foreword to Godine’s modern edition of the book says, fittingly, “... it was the incomparable gardens of Tuscany, Rome, and the Italian lake district that inspired him to write his classic analysis of what he considered the timeless principles of garden design. This is not a book about flowers, plants, and practical horticulture. Sitwell's stance is an intellectual one, invoking music and magic in his description of those mystical places where landscape and atmosphere are brought together in artful conjunction. Subjective and controversial as Sitwell's comments on the history and fashions may have been, they are also impressively researched, empathetic and deeply felt. This was a book that elicited a passion in England for all things Italian, especially for the magic of its landscape. This is an ingenious, elegant, and erudite book about wild and tended places that, despite its distant voice, maintains a modern relevance. Sitwell believed in the therapeutic value of gardens, in the intrinsic beauty of both planned and unplanned ecological integrity.” With the bookplate of Isabella Williams Blaney of California, an early campaigner for the rights of women. A Fine copy of the scarce first edition.
Price:
425.00 USD
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