(Ermenonville)(Merigot, J., fils)   PROMENADE OU ITINÉRAIRE DES JARDINS D'ERMENONVILLE,   Auquel On A Joint Vingt-cinq De Leurs Principales Vues, Dessinées Par J. Merigot fils.    Paris: L'Imprimerie de Belin,   1811.          Second edition, first published in 1788. An anonymous illustrated guide to the celebrated picturesque gardens created by the Marquis René Louis Girardin at his estate at Ermenonville, north-east of Paris. The descriptive account presented here, and especially the 25 engraved plates, provide the most complete and useful contemporary published account of these gardens. Ermenonville, arguably the most original and influential French landscape of its day, was also the brief home of Jean Jacques Rousseau, who died there in 1788. Rousseau's philosophy in general - and LA NOUVELLE HELOISE in particular - were a primary influence on Girardin's ideas on garden design. The philosopher's poplar-enshrouded tomb on the Isle des Peupliers stood as a centerpiece in the layout of the gardens. While this association with the father of French romanticism brought a stream of devoted pilgrims, there were also many who came as much to experience the gardens themselves. Sentimental and literary associations, with Rousseau and others, formed a central part of this experience, and the PROMENADE provided a programmatic guide for interpreting and appreciating the gardens on this level. The delicately drawn aquatint plates by Merigot illustrate most of the picturesque monuments, structures and views within the garden. The authorship of this guide is frequently and erroneously attributed to René Girardin, or his son Stanislaus. The true author is unknown. This second edition is an unrevised reprint of the first, and includes all the same plates.   8vo (23.5 x 15 cm); (iv) + 63 pp. + 25 aquatint plates and 2 leaves of engraved music.   Ganay 124; Berlin Cat 3476 (1788 ed.); Hunt 695 (1788 ed.).          Original mottled boards with new leather spine; boards soiled; faint dampstain in lower gutter of a few leaves; occasional light soiling or spotting in margins. $1,100.00

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