[DEZALLIER D'ARGENVILLE (Antoine-Joseph). La Théorie et la pratique du jardinage, où l'on traite à fond des beaux jardins appellés communément les jardins de plaisance et de propreté. Paris, Pierre-Jean Mariette, 1747. In-4, marbled calf, spine decorated, red edges (contemporary binding). This fourth edition, revised and considerably enlarged, is the most sought-after reference work on the art of French gardens. The three previous editions date from 1709, 1713 and 1722. This comprehensive gardening treatise is divided into four parts, devoted respectively to the theory of beautiful gardens, the construction of parterres, alleys, bosquets, boulingrins, etc., the cultivation of garden and orangery plants, flowers and shrubs, and finally the hydraulics applied to gardens: fountains, reservoirs, ponds, etc. The iconography consists of 49 fold-out plates drawn by the author and the architect Alexandre Le Blond, a pupil of Le Nôtre, and engraved by Mariette and Chaufourier. From the library of the Jesuit college Saint-Joseph de Poitiers, with bookplate. Binding restored, a few stains and small scattered wet spots.