Observations, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, Made in the Year 1776, on Several Parts of Great Britain; Particularly the High-Lands of Scotland. Second Edition.

2 vols. 8vo. (21.5 x 13.5 cm). pp.xi+[1, errata]+221; 195+xvi. Contemporary mottled calf, sometime rebacked, spines ruled and decorated in gilt, red morocco labels, sides ruled with gilt filet, speckled edges. Folding panorama of Edinburgh and 40 plates, comprising 33 tinted aquatints (31 of which oval), 1 full-page diagram, 5 hand-coloured maps and plans, and 1 soft ground etching. Old ownership inscription to front pastedown of each volume reading: "Georgiana Craven, given to her as a token of friendship by Lucy & Cecilia at Tunbridge Wells, December 1792". Spines rubbed, marginal toning to title-pages, light toning and minor offsetting from plates, generally a very good set. Clergyman, schoolmaster and writer on aesthetics, William Gilpin (1724–1804) is best known for his works on the picturesque. In his Essay on Prints, published in 1768, he defined picturesque as 'a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture'. First published in 1789, the present two-volume work forms part of a series which records his reflections on the picturesque across British landscapes. It traces the journey he made in 1776, equipped with notebook and sketching materials, exploring the landscape of the Scottish Highlands via northern England, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Reproductions of his pen-and-wash drawings are included. The companion volumes of Gilpin's Observations on other parts of Britain are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Volume 1 of the present work takes in such notable sites as Holyrood Palace, Stirling Castle, the Grampian Mountains and Glencoe. (Cf. Abbey Scenery, 487, third edition).…