LA QUINTINYE, Jean de (1626-1688). The Compleat Gard'ner. Translated by John Evelyn. London: Matthew Gillyflower and James Partridge, 1693.

Large paper copy of the first edition in English of a classic on fruit trees,with the first appearance in print of Quintinye's “Treatise of Orange-trees” and notes on melons. John Evelyn, the translator, had met Quintinye in person and the notes on melons are based on personal conversations with the French botanist. The illustrations are copies of the French originals, with a new engraving of melons appearing in this edition. The text itself is also notable for being the first to address the subject pruning in detail, advising patience and judgement for the cultivation of healthy, beautiful trees. ESTC R212118; Oak Spring Pomona2.

Folio (377 x 225mm). Title printed in red and black, engraved portrait frontispiece; 11 plates, 2 of which double-page; engraved head-pieces and occasional woodcut diagrams and illustrations (a little faint staining at end). Contemporary paneled calf (neatly rebacked preserving original spine). Provenance: Beaufort (bookplate laid in).