Nature Perfected: Gardens Through History

New York: Abbeville Press, 1991. First Editions (stated). Large squarish-obong quarto (small folio) in dark green brushed cloth boads and full-color photo illustrated DJ; 356 pages; lavishly illustrated (chiefly color), plans; 26 cm. Lavishly illustrated with color photos.Includes bibliographical references (pages 344-346) and index. Fine in near fine lightly sunned jacket with very minor edge-wear. . Hardcover. ISBN: 0896599191

Very well realized. "Full-color, captioned photographs of magnificent gardens throughout the world accompany a history of garden and landscape design that includes an examination of individual plants and design features." — Publisher. Contents: I. Looking for Eden -- The garden in the ancient world -- Gardens before Rome -- Temples--the landscape of the gods -- Egypt -- Rome -- Town gardens -- Trees, flowers, and shrubs -- Imperial grandeur--Hadrian's villa -- II. The earthly paradise -- The Middle Ages -- The Islamic garden -- Mughal India -- III. Labors in perfection -- Italy -- France -- IV. The genius of the place -- The English garden before the revolution -- Jacobean and Caroline gardens, 1603-1649 -- The English formal garden -- The landscaping of England -- The English landscape garden outside of England -- V. Gardens of the East --The Chinese garden -- The early garden -- The private garden -- The making of a Chinese garden -- Flowers and trees -- The Japanese garden -- The paradise garden -- The tea garden -- The stroll garden -- The modern Japanese garden -- VI. The New World -- Colonial American gardens -- The changing American landscape -- Aesthetic reform -- Public parks -- Victorian garden dilemmas -- Twentient-century solutions -- The landscape architect -- Historical restorations and regional styles -- A new American style -- The modern movement. Gardens -- History. Gardening -- History. Gardens -- Design -- History. Jardins -- Histoire. Jardinage -- Histoire. Jardins -- Architecture -- Histoire. Gardening. Gardens. Gardens -- Design. Gartenkunst Geschichte Gartenkunst. Geschichte. Landscape design. **A large, heavy book. Extra shipping charges may apply for international & expedited orders. Weighs almost 5 lbs before packing. Please inquire.**