Of Gardens

1993

Special Collections SB455.3 B317 1993

Netherton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire: Fleece Press

‘God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures’. This is the much-quoted first line from Sir Francis Bacon’s essay Of Gardens, first published in 1625. Of Gardens, essay 46 in a series of 58, was meant to be read in conjunction with essay 45, Of Buildings, in which Bacon (1561-1626) describes the ideal position and lay-out of a palace. He advises a garden should be no less than 30 acres and should be divided into three areas: the green area or lawn, the main garden, and ‘a heath or desert’. This edition was printed by Simon Lawrence, owner-operator of Fleece Press, Yorkshire. The engravings are by English artist Betty Pennell.