BROOKE, E. ADVENO
The gardens of England. London: T. McLean, 1857. First edition. 2 volumes, text and plates bound separately. Later three-quarters leather, green cloth sides. 21 inches (54 cm). Text volume: three leaves with a lithographed dedication, list of subjects, and list of subscribers; and 27 (of 29) text leaves with 15 mounted india-paper vignettes (of 16). The text for Wilton House is omitted from this copy, hence the discrepancy in the page count. Plate volume: 27 exceptional hand-heightened chromolithographs, including the title, with its vignette of Fountain Gardens. These are mounted on card, bound on cloth guards, and are titled by hand. One plate is out of order, and curiously this copy has an additional plate. The bindings are defective, with the boards of the text volume detached. The spine of the plate volume is missing, but the binding remains sturdy. The text volume has some creasing, and most of the vignettes are foxed. The color plates have some foxing, often slight in extent. With the W. R. Grace bookplate.
This is among the finest chromolithographic view books published during the Victorian era. The plates show vistas of the gardens of Castle Howard, Woburn Abbey, Elvaston Gardens and many others. These gardens were constructed at the zenith of Victorian garden design, and are remarkable for their arbors, parterres, wide gravel walks, and fountains. In addition to its importance as a major example of color printing, and as a color-plate book, this is a significant document of Victorian garden design.
The additional plate in this copy is a curiosity. We have been unable to ascertain if it is from another work. It is almost identical in size and finish to the other plates, but its subject, an Italian scene, is very different. Abbey Scenery 392