Repton (Humphry)
Designs for the Pavillon at Brighton, Printed for J.C. Stadler, No. 15, Villiers Street, The Strand, 1808. Folio, half red morocco over marbled boards by T. Mullen, Anglesea Street, [Dublin], sometime sympathetically rebacked retaining original spine, upper board with paper label, spine gilt in compartments, speckled edges; eng. frontis. (bound with text), hand-coloured plan, 18 aquatints, nine hand-coloured and six with overslips, one with overpage, one double-page, one folding, two with sepia wash; provenance: Countess of Mayo (leather book label to upper board). First edition, pages watermarked 1807.
By the late-eighteenth century, the natural panoramic gardens approach of 'Capability' Brown had started to fall out of fashion. Gardeners such as Humphrey Repton looked instead to elements of informality to give character to gardens. Repton's genius was in marketing. His 'little red-books' showed landowners, and thus prospective customers, 'before' and 'after' views via a 'lift the flap' device to reveal comparisons.

Repton was very successful and, in 1805, the future George IV asked him to redevelop the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. The red book replaced the Pavilion's neoclassical façade with one based upon a fantasy Mughal palace, complete with an extensive flower garden of exotic flowers. Unfortunately the project was never begun due to the Prince's financial problems. It was partially realised when the Pavilion was finally redeveloped by John Nash from 1814. With two additional loose prints of the Pavilion.