Lot 192: REPTON, Humphry (1752-1818). Observations on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening. London: Printed by T. Bensley for J. Taylor, 1803.

REPTON, Humphry (1752-1818). Observations on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening. London: Printed by T. Bensley for J. Taylor, 1803.

4υo (323 x 260 mm). Engraved frontispiece portrait by S. Shelley after Holl, aquatint tailpieces, 28 engraved or aquatinted plates, 13 with overslips, 10 fully colored, some folding, one double-page, 11 engraved vignettes in text, 2 with overslips. (Frontispiece lightly foxed, some light offsetting.) 19th-century half morocco, marbled boards (rebacked, old spine laid down); cloth folding case. Provenance: Lewis Richard Ashurst (bookplate).

FIRST EDITION, A FINELY COLORED COPY OF REPTON'S "MOST IMPORTANT WORK" (RIBA). Repton's second treatise reflects the increasing refinement of his theories on landscape and architecture. "Perhaps [Repton's] most significant and influential publication overall" (Archer). Abbey, Scenery 390; Archer 279.1; RIBA 2734; Tooley 399.