Edith Wharton (1862-1937) – American writer and designer
Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) – Celebrated American painter and illustrator, known for his fantastical landscapes
New York: The Century Co., 1904
With unique letters in manuscript from both Wharton and Parrish to the former owner, Mrs. Sage, tipped-in
Extra-illustrated edition, with illustrations of Italian villas, etc. tipped-in
Bound in gilt and illustrated green cloth
Large octavo; 265 mm x 175 mm (10 ¾ in. x 7 in.)
Good condition

Edith Wharton’s, “Italian Villas and their Gardens,” was inspired by her yearly trips to Italy as a cure for depression caused by an unhappy marriage. This edition was published by The Century Co. in 1904 with illustrations by famed artist Maxfield Parrish. Accompanying the book are letters from Wharton and Parrish to the former owner.

This large octavo has minor wear and is in overall good condition.

Edith Wharton (New York 1862-1937 Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt)

Born to a wealthy family, Wharton received private lessons from a governess and had access to her father’s extensive library from an early age. A native member of fashionable society, she had first-hand views of the socially ambitiousnouveau riche of the Gilded Age at odds with the ‘old money’ regime. As well as her novels about the upper class, Wharton wrote about art, architecture and gardens. In 1907, Wharton settled in Paris, where she found intellectual companionship in artistic and writing circles where women played a major role. During WWII, Wharton led a committee to aid French and Belgian refugees. She also wrote reports for publication in ‘American’ and urged its citizens to join the war effort. She continued a daily writing schedule through her final years living in France, producing a novel each year. In 1921, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for, “The Age of Innocence,” and an honorary degree from Yale in 1923. Wharton died in France in 1937 at the age of seventy-five.

Maxfield Parrish (Philadelphia 1870-1966 Plainfield)

American painter and illustrator Maxfield Parrish trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and at Drexel Institute of Art. By the 1920s, Parrish was the highest paid commercial artist and muralist in the U.S. He is best known for his illustrations of fantasy landscapes and beautiful young women.