From The Library Of King Louis XVI, “les Jardins D’ornemens,” In Red Morocco Leather Stamped With His Coat Of Arms

A rare and beautiful copy published during the reign of Louis XV, later bound in a fine In. 8, full red morocco with a smooth spine, title in pinkish-orange morocco featuring the intertwined "L" monogram of Louis XVI, covers embossed with his coat of arms in rich gold within triple gold fillet borders, interior lace trim, and marbled endpapers. This remarkable copy, of prestigious provenance from the Royal Library, is not a gift book... (unlike, say, a *Semaine Sainte* or a *Royal Almanac*). It comprises two works: *Les Jardins d’Ornemens*, containing the *French Georgics*, a poem in four cantos; followed by *Philosophical Poems*. New Edition. Paris, M. DCC.LVIII. (1758). The first work was published in Paris by Deterville, Bookseller, at 16 Rue du Battoir. And for the second work, *L’Éducation*, a poem in four discourses, in Paris, published by Guillyn, at the entrance to the Quai des Augustins, at the *Lys d’Or*. M. DCC. LVII. (1757). A bibliophilic rarity: this charming and personal book, in mint condition, written by François-Etienne Gouge de Gessière. It is a poem in four cantos that deals with ornamental gardens and their importance in 18th-century French society; one immediately thinks of Versailles and the “Petit Trianon,” as it explores the various aspects of the creation and maintenance of “ornamental gardens” . *Les Géorgiques Françaises* is an important work for those interested in the history of horticulture and landscape design in France, as well as in 18th-century French literature. A rare, unusual, and delightful subject from a prestigious source, this copy is exceptionally rare and very beautiful