[Armorial Binding] Praedium Rusticum

Paris [Lutetiae Parisiorum]: Apud Joannem Le Clerc, 1707. First Edition. Full Calf. Fine-. 12mo: [6],268,[12], with engraved initials and head and tail pieces, and 10 charming full-page plates by Laurent Cars after Dumesnil, one at the beginning of each book. In Latin. Full speckled calf, contemporary to publication, covers framed in blind with gilt-stamped coat-of-arms on both, spine in six compartments richly gilt, red leather lettering piece gilt, edges speckled red, marbled end papers. About Fine, joints skillfully reinforced; clean, well-margined leaves with occasional mild foxing and edge stains; most plates with faint tide mark to upper edge. Huzard II 944. Thiébaud 917-918. Schwerdt II, p. 278-79. First Edition (according to Schwerdt, but Thiébaud calls the Paris edition of 1696, which is "fort rare," the "Édition originale") of this didactic poem in ten books praising the pleasures of life in the countryside. Vanière instructs on the art of gardening while inspiring, in picturesque verse, a love of weather and landscape, the grape harvest, winemaking, hunting and fishing, orchards and vegetable gardens, and bees. His poems were highly esteemed, with editions of Praedium Rusticum issued for more than a hundred years, until 1829. The 1707 edition contains ten books, but the poem would ultimately comprise sixteen, in the second edition of 1730. The title refers to Charles Estienne's sixteenth-century treatise on gardening of the same name, but Vanière's poem is more than a reiteration, also providing a response to Rene Rapin (a French Jesuit, as was Vanière), emphasizing the value of herbs and vegetables over flowers and topiaries, which Rapin championed in his Hortorum (1665). Vanière's instructive content and practical perspective made his poem one of the most popular published in seventeenth century France. Gilt-stamped arms on both boards are those of Henry William Paget (1768-1854), 2nd Earl of Uxbridge and, later, 1st Marquis of Anglesey. A distinguished officer, Paget commanded the English cavalry at the battle of Waterloo, where he lost a leg. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed.