Gardens of Italy
New York: M. Barrows and Company, 1964. Item #1542 8vo. 215 x 150 mm., [8 ½ x 5 ¾ inches]. 223 pp., with four unnumbered leaves of photographic plates containing thirteen black and white illustrations inserted between pages of text. Publishers’ terracotta cloth over boards with gilt lettering on the spine and a gilt decorative motif on the upper cover; clipped illustrated dust jacket. Book is Fine: showing little to no signs of use or wear. Jacket is Near Fine: minor chipping along the edges; moderate soiling and shelf wear. Overall, a fairly attractive example. First Edition. Frances Margaret McGuire (1900-1995) was an Australian author, community leader, and philanthropist. Though primarily known in her day as an advocate for the Catholic Church in the English-speaking world, she had a variety of interests and published on a wide range of topics such as the Australian Navy and Australian Theatre as well as novels and books of poetry. As the wife of the Australian Ambassador to Italy, she lived in Italy for many years and even sponsored several tourist groups from her home country to come and see the many famous and historic gardens available there to her. In Gardens of Italy she draws upon these experiences to highlight twenty-two notable gardens, most public though some private and inaccessible to the general traveler, and provide a brief sketch of their history as well as her own recollections of their beauty.
Price: $35.00