A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening adapted to North America

xiv, [1], 18-532, [2] p. 24 cm. Frontispiece portrait of author. 93 b&w figures + 19 more in appendix. Brown cloth with blank impressing. Respined with original spine overlaid. General wear elsewhere with some spots and fading to cloth. Ink signatures on endpapers and dedication page. Foxing throughout. A few ink marks elsewhere. Title continues: "with a view to the Improvement of Country Residences. Comprising historical notices and general principles of the art, directions for laying out grounds and arranging plantations, the description and cultivation of hardy trees, decorative accompaniments of the house and grounds, the formation of pieces of artificial water, flower gardens, etc. with remarks on rural architecture." A. J. Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine (184652). He is considered to be a founder of American landscape architecture. This book discusses landscape gardening, ornamental trees, vines and climbing plants, walkways, water, rural architecture, and "embellishments" such as terraces, sundials, shrubbery, open and covered seats, pavilions, prospect towers, bridges, fountains, etc.…