MILLER (Philip).Dictionary of gardeners. - Lot 35

MILLER (Philip).Dictionary of gardeners. Paris: Guillot, 1785. -8 volumes in-4, 255 x 193: frontispiece, (2 ff.), xlviij, 586 pp., (1 f.), 8 plates; (2 ff.), 760 pp. ; (2 ff.), 638 pp.., (1 blank), 2 plates; (2 ff.), ij, 644 pp; (2 ff.), 642 pp, 2 plates; (2 ff.), 592 pp, 8 plates; (2 ff.), 608 pp, 2 plates; (2 ff.), 279, 43, 52, 43, 55, 221 pp, (1 f.). Brown calf, triple gilt fillet framing the boards, richly decorated smooth spine, gilt arms at the bottom of the spine (period binding). First French edition of the Dictionnaire des jardiniers by Philip Miller (1691-1771), head gardener of the Chelsea Physic Garden, a seminal work in botany and horticulture. It was translated and adapted from the eighth and last English edition published during the author's lifetime (1768), and is much more than a simple gardening manual. As Linnaeus pointed out, it is a "dictionary not for gardeners, but for botanists". Originally published in 1724 as The Gardeners and Florists Dictionary, the work was constantly enriched with new editions, reflecting advances in botany and agronomy throughout the 18th century. The French translation, dedicated to Monsieur, the King's brother, was entrusted to Laurent de Chazelles (1724-1808), chevalier, King's Councillor and President of the Parliament of Metz. It is distinguished by its encyclopedic approach, covering the cultivation of vegetable, fruit, flower and nursery gardens as well as the reform of traditional agricultural practices, not forgetting innovative winemaking methods inspired by the most advanced European techniques. For this edition, Laurent de Chazelles has not only francized the technical terms, but also enriched the content by including new plants absent from the English edition. François Holandre (1753-1830), aulic advisor and court physician to the Prince Palatine of Deux-Ponts, completed the work with scientific notes on physics and medical subjects. The edition also includes several detailed tree and plant catalogs, a French-Latin lexicon and a Latin index. It concludes with a translation of Miller's Calendrier des jardiniers, based on the sixteenth English edition. Iconographically, the work opens with a frontispiece engraved by Marie-Anne Croisier (1765-1812) after a drawing by Louis Brion de La Tour, followed by an hors-texte portrait of Philip Miller by C. F. Maillet. It is illustrated with 22 plates (of the 25 planned), the last three plates of the last volume being unfortunately missing. A copy from the library of Charles-Gilbert, vicomte Morel de Vindé (1759-1842), magistrate, agronomist, writer and politician. His coat of arms appears at the bottom of the spine, with the Latin motto "Nescrit labi virtus". Rubbing and spotting to bindings, some loss. Old private library label at top of spines. Very good condition inside, despite a few brown spots. Provenance: Charles-Gilbert, vicomte Morel de Vindé.