Le Désert de Retz; Le Jardin Pittoresque de Monsieur de Monville, A Late Eighteenth-Century French Folly Garden
by Ketcham, Diana; de Janvry, Olivier Choppin (Preface); Kenna, Michael (Photographer)
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Fine
- Seller
-
Walnut Creek, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
San Francisco: The Arion Press, 1990. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Kenna, Michael. One of 400 copies, unnumbered, oblong quarto size, 115 pp., signed by Michael Kenna. The Désert de Retz is a landscape garden in north-central France, known for its lavish architecture in the style of classical antiquity, created by French aristocrat François Racine de Monville (1734-1797) on his extensive estate.
This edition by the Arion Press features facsimiles of engravings of the garden's architecture and greenery, reproduced from 1785, as well as black-and-white photographs by Michael Kenna (b. 1953), who uses a long exposure to create haunting photographs with unusual and ethereal lighting; here his photographs capture an eery sense of beauty in the geometric and organic forms of the garden.
Diana Ketcham, a prominent writer of architecture whose works have been awarded the Berlin Prize and the American Institute of Architects Book Award, the senior editor at Arion Press since 1993, provides an essay about de Monville's garden, ruminating on the history of the garden, its creation, and subsequent place in French culture and art.
___DESCRIPTION: Full navy cloth, grey paper labels with blue ruled borders and lettering on the front board and spine, grey-blue endpapers, frontispiece a facsimile engraving captioned "The house of the Désert, belonging to Mr. de Monville.", twenty-six facsimile engravings (including frontispiece) in black and white throughout, thirty-two black-and-white photographs by Michael Kenna at the back of the book; Cochin type, Lustro dull-coat paper, oblong quarto size (10.25" by 16"), pagination: [1-4] 5-113 [114] [1 colophon], one of 400 copies, unnumbered, signed by Michael Kenna on the page preceding the photographs.
___CONDITION: A fine copy; the covers clean, the corners straight and unrubbed, the binding tight with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, as new.
___CITATION: Arion Press Catalogue, no. 30.
___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an extremely large and heavy book, therefore additional postage may apply; please inquire for details.
___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
This edition by the Arion Press features facsimiles of engravings of the garden's architecture and greenery, reproduced from 1785, as well as black-and-white photographs by Michael Kenna (b. 1953), who uses a long exposure to create haunting photographs with unusual and ethereal lighting; here his photographs capture an eery sense of beauty in the geometric and organic forms of the garden.
Diana Ketcham, a prominent writer of architecture whose works have been awarded the Berlin Prize and the American Institute of Architects Book Award, the senior editor at Arion Press since 1993, provides an essay about de Monville's garden, ruminating on the history of the garden, its creation, and subsequent place in French culture and art.
___DESCRIPTION: Full navy cloth, grey paper labels with blue ruled borders and lettering on the front board and spine, grey-blue endpapers, frontispiece a facsimile engraving captioned "The house of the Désert, belonging to Mr. de Monville.", twenty-six facsimile engravings (including frontispiece) in black and white throughout, thirty-two black-and-white photographs by Michael Kenna at the back of the book; Cochin type, Lustro dull-coat paper, oblong quarto size (10.25" by 16"), pagination: [1-4] 5-113 [114] [1 colophon], one of 400 copies, unnumbered, signed by Michael Kenna on the page preceding the photographs.
___CONDITION: A fine copy; the covers clean, the corners straight and unrubbed, the binding tight with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; clean, crisp, as new.
___CITATION: Arion Press Catalogue, no. 30.
___POSTAGE: Please note that this is an extremely large and heavy book, therefore additional postage may apply; please inquire for details.
___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Swan's Fine Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 19052004
- Title
- Le Désert de Retz; Le Jardin Pittoresque de Monsieur de Monville, A Late Eighteenth-Century French Folly Garden
- Author
- Ketcham, Diana; de Janvry, Olivier Choppin (Preface); Kenna, Michael (Photographer)
- Illustrator
- Kenna, Michael
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Limited Edition
- Publisher
- The Arion Press
- Place of Publication
- San Francisco
- Date Published
- 1990
- Keywords
- Arion Press, Gardens, Photography, Engravings, Folly Garden, Horticulture, Eighteenth Century Architecture, Classical Architecture
Terms of Sale
Swan's Fine Books
We cheerfully accept returns for any reason within 30 days, so long as the book(s) is/are returned in the same condition as when sent. We will refund the price you paid for the book, plus shipping if the book was misdescribed.
About the Seller
Swan's Fine Books
Biblio member since 2017
Walnut Creek, California
About Swan's Fine Books
Swan's Fine Books specializes in Fine Press, Illustrated Books, and Books About Books. We also carry a wide array of general antiquarian stock and recently acquired a very nice collection of modern lit. Enjoy browsing our web site and visit our brick-and-mortar shop if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
- ILAB
- ...
- IOBA
- ...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- ABAA
- ...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Facsimile
- An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...