Les jardins, poëme ... nouvelle édition, considérablement augmentée. by Delille, Jacques - 1801

Paris: Chez Levrault (pr. by P. Didot l'aîné), 1801. 12mo (13.5 cm, 5.25"). [6], xxxv, [1], 216 pp.; 4 plts.

Subtitled "L'art d'embellir les paysages," this gardening-themed poem includes praise of the virtues of the relaxed, relatively "natural" jardin anglais. Les jardins, Delille's most successful work, was originally published in 1782 with many subsequent editions appearing both in French and English; the present example is a nicely bound copy of the => expanded version, illustrated with four engraved plates by Monciau after Benoît-Louis Prevost and other artists.
    Binding: Contemporary treed calf. Spine with gilt-stamped red leather title label, gilt-stamped compartment lines, and floral devices within compartments.
    
    Brunet, II, 576. Binding somewhat rubbed and starting to crack at joints, though very firm; some onetime water exposure visible on front cover (a not entirely unattractive effect). Pages with a bit of very minor spotting, and some offsetting from plates. => An attractive copy of a pretty book.