“SUPERSEDED THE PUBLICATIONS OF FARMHOUSE DESIGNS BY GARRETT, HALFPENNY AND LIGHTOLER”: RARE FIRST EDITION OF MILLER’S THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S ARCHITECT, WITH 32 ENGRAVED PLATES

MILLER, J. The Country Gentleman's Architect, In a Great Variety of New Designs… London: I. and J. Taylor, 1787. Tall quarto (8-1/2 by 10-1/2 inches), contemporary full speckled brown sheep rebacked in calf gilt, red morocco spine label.

First edition of J. Miller’s exceedingly rare and highly influential architectural work, with 32 full-page engraved uncolored aquatints of elegant plans for lodges and farmyards, “the last English pattern-book of classicizing designs for such buildings,” scarce in contemporary boards.

Between 1780 and 1815 a series of major architectural works appeared, leading the way to a turning point in the design of rural architecture. Miller's The Country Gentleman was highly influential in inaugurating this period—a span of 35 years that contains "the greatest amount of written theory by contemporary architects relating to the design of country houses" (Blutman, Architectural History XI:25). In addition, The Country Gentleman was one of the first of the 18th-century pattern books to offer designs for lodges and farmyards, and it "superseded the publications of farmhouse designs by Garrett, Halfpenny and Lightoler… It was the last English pattern-book of classicizing designs for such buildings," signaling a defining alternative to the Picturesque style. The book's elegant designs are highly reminiscent of Halfpenny and Lightoler in their simplicity and in displaying very symmetrical facades composed of rectangles and squares. This has led many to speculate that this work's author, J. Miller, "was the engraver of Halfpenny's plates" (Harris, 316). First edition. There were subsequent editions in 1791, 1793 and 1805; all are extremely rare. In the last 40 years only four copies have appeared on the market. Containing 32 full-page engraved uncolored aquatints, printed title and explanatory leaves to plates 3-15 (as issued); one leaf of publisher's ads at rear. Abbey Life 38. Archer 208.1. Harris 555.

Interior generally fresh with only faint occasional dampstaining minimally affecting some plates, light expert restoration to contemporary boards. An extremely good copy of this seminal work.