LE ROY (Julien-David). Les Ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce. Paris, Guérin & Delatour, Nyon ; Amsterdam, Neaulme, 1758. 2 parts in one large folio volume, marbled calf, triple gilt fillet, ornate spine, inner lace, red edges (period binding). Sought-after first edition of this magnificent book, which made the West rediscover the beauty of the remains of ancient Greece. It served as a model for the picturesque journeys that flourished in the 18th century. The first part of the book looks at Greek monuments from a historical perspective, and the second from an architectural point of view. Superb copper-engraved illustration, comprising 60 plates out of text, including 24 very fine views drawn by the architect Julien-David Le Roy (1724-1803), son of Louis XV's famous watchmaker, during his 1754 trip to Greece, redrawn by Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain and engraved by Le Bas, 4 maps by Littret de Montigny and 32 architectural plates by Neufforge and Patte. From the library of the Countess de Chamillart de La Suze, née Henriette-Charlotte du Bourg de Bozas (1811-1858), with armorial bookplate. Corners and headpieces worn, rubbing on the boards, number inscribed on the first cover, dampstaining in the lower corner of the volume. Blackmer, n°1009 - Brunet, III, 1003 - Graesse, IV, 172.