Bidspirit auction | Viterbo Sousa

Viterbo Sousa - A Jardinagem em Portugal - Viterbo Sousa, 1908-1909. Published in 1908 and 1909 by the prestigious University of Coimbra Press, this rare and valuable copy, which brings together the two volumes of the work ”Gardening in Portugal: Notes for its History, ” by the illustrious historian, archaeologist, and researcher Sousa Viterbo (Francisco de Sousa Viterbo), constitutes one of the most important and sought-after historical-documentary studies on the development of the art of gardens, botany, and landscaping in Portugal. The set, measuring 245 mm and comprising 193 pages in the first volume and 154 pages in the second, is bound in an elegant and solid period brown half-leather binding with corners, featuring a spine decorated with gold fillets and titles, and covers in textured blue paper in excellent condition, with the highly valued distinction of retaining the original paperback covers of both volumes. The pedigree of this copy is remarkable for collectors, boasting detailed handwritten pencil annotations inside by the collector, rigorously documenting its provenance and historical acquisition on January 16, 1975, at Auction No. 32 of the prestigious J. C. Soares & Mendonça auction house (where it was listed as Lot No. 455), accompanied by other bibliographic notes from an old library. The copy is in very good overall condition, with the structure and text block perfectly firm, exhibiting only the normal and occasional acidity and oxidation stains resulting from the age of the paper, constituting an excellent opportunity to acquire a highly valued reference work in the high bibliophile market.