Italian Villas and Their Gardens. (Maxfield Parrish check laid in.) Wharton, Edith

First Edition. With splendid illustrations in color by Maxfield Parrish (signed MP). With 52 glorious illustrations, 26 of them by Parrish, most of them in color. Very good minus in green cloth stamped in gold with elaborate coat of arms with 2 lions and escutcheon and painted garden scene on front boards. Spine lettering and design bright. Top edges gilded. Name in ink on the front endpaper; and a bookseller's tag. With wear to extremities and rubbed along rear spine edge. Corners rubbed and worn through. Wear along the front edge of the front boards. Overall, a handsome volume. First Edition. With an original Maxfield Parrish check, signed by him in full, laid in. A comprehensive look at the history and character of Italian garden architecture and ornamentation, the book explores more than seventy-five villas, capturing what Wharton calls their "garden-magic" and illuminating the intimate relationship between the house, its formal gardens, and the surrounding countryside. 1st Edition. Wirth "Published November, 1904" on the copyright page and matching dates of 1904 on the title and copyright pages.