[ARTIST'S BOOK]. ALLIX, Susan (b. 1943). A Prospect of Gardens. Visited Discovered and Presented by Their Owners, Creators & By Travellers... With Painted Prints, Collages, Photographs, and Descriptions. [London:] Susan Allix, 2015. Large, thick 4to. Illustrated with prints and photographic reproductions with frequent use of lino cut with etching in the prints, and then painted with watercolor, gouache, acrylic and colored ink. [144] pp. Paper is mould-made Velin Arches, as well as colored Bugra Butten, blue and green rag paper, Karuki grass, Corn hair, and Khadi papers. Awagmi Mingeishi with a printed image is used for some endpapers. The typefaces were set by hand and printed in black. Specially bound in modern green and yellow-gold morocco illustrated with a yellow-dotted vine pattern and an engraved copper leaf inlay, that has been oxydized to give it a dark coloring. The artist noted that each binding in this edition is slightly different. However, two constant themes connect them all - a predominance of green, and leaves that have been cut out of copper, engraved, and then oxydized. Pages are joined together and, for strength, the book is sewn on linen tapes laced into multi-layer boards. The endbands are of pierced leather in colors. In the original green cloth clamshell case with black lettered paper label. ONE OF ONLY 17 COPIES ("17/17") CREATED AND SIGNED BY ALLIX. 

"This book is a book of garden moments. It is neither a history, nor a story of specific gardens; not a gardening manual, or account of plants, designers, gardeners... it contains elements of all these, laying out a perspective of shapes, influences and preferences occurring when nature is organised and the companionship of the earth is considered. Under six titles a collection of gardens are presented: Gardens of Ancient Egypt; Early Persian Gardens; Illusion and Reality in Roman Gardens; Giardino Giusti; Mughal Gardens, Lost and Found; Jardin Majorelle. Although divided by time and location, they are not so far apart that the influences of conquerors, trade and migration may be identified in their characters... As a garden, or a progression through the prospect of the garden, the book is planted with shapes, colours, walkways, light, and shade" (Publisher's Prospectus). Some of the authors featured include: Cyrus the Younger, Vitruvius, Columella, Goethe, Aurangzeb, Edward Lear and others. 

Minor occasional rubbing to box. Fine.