LE ROY (Julien-David). Les Ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce. Paris, H. L. Guérin & L. F. Delatour, J.-L. Nyon ; Amsterdam, J. Neaulme, 1758. 2 parts in one large volume in-folio, marbled calf, lace with arches and small gilt fleurons, spine decorated, red edges (Dutch binding of the period). Sought-after first edition of this magnificent book. 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. The work is divided into two parts, the first of which adopts a historical perspective on Greek monuments and the second an architectural perspective. It was thanks to this book, a model of the picturesque travels that flourished in the 18th century, that the West rediscovered the beauty of the remains of ancient Greece. A very fine copy, with wide margins and a fine edition. From the library of François-Xavier Borluut de Noortdonck (1858, n°4543), with bookplate. Heads and corners restored, some plates yellowed. Blackmer, n°1009 - Brunet, III, 1003 - Graesse, IV, 172.