The Scottish landscape gardener and prolific horticultural writer John Claudius Loudon (1783 1843) published this guide to suburban living in 1838. The book is intended to provide instruction on choosing a house or 'villa' (or the site on which to build one); on the furnishing of the house; and on the laying out, planting and general management of the garden and grounds. Loudon had also planned a section on horticulture, but was forced to postpone this to a separate volume, which was never written. Like most of Loudon's books (several of which have been reissued in this series), the work is detailed and didactic: for example, the precise construction of chimneys is discussed, with reference to the various existing styles and the pros and cons, aesthetic and functional, of each. Offering insights into the practical and social aspirations of the emerging middle classes, the book also contains numerous engravings."

The Scottish landscape gardener and prolific horticultural writer John Claudius Loudon (1783 1843) published this manual on the practice of greenhouse or conservatory gardening in 1824. In his preface he remarks on the rise of greenhouses, which have 'now become an appendage to every villa, and to many town residences'. The work is directed at professional gardeners (and their employers) who may not have the requisite knowledge and skills to make the best use of this exciting new space. The first part of the work describes the practicalities of siting and constructing the greenhouse, how it should be heated, with what plants it should be stocked and how these should be cultivated. The second part consists of a catalogue of 'all the green-house and frame plants hitherto in cultivation'. Still valuable, this substantial guide offers modern readers a record of the plants that were then available to the enthusiast."

After the success of his richly illustrated Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture (1833), which is also reissued in this series, the landscape gardener John Claudius Loudon (1783 1843) received a great deal of correspondence from interested readers. This prompted him and the Encyclopaedia's contributors to publish this supplement in 1842. Loudon and his colleagues had continued to study a range of rural buildings - from homes to farms and schools - in England and Scotland, while at the same time receiving architectural designs and detailed letters from North America and Australia. The supplement draws on this wealth of material to discuss developments in the use of building materials as well as innovations in design. The focus is on cottages, farms, pubs, schools and almshouses. Construction methods and furnishings are also discussed. As with the volume it supplements, this work contains a plethora of detailed illustrations."

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, landscape gardening had divided into at least two branches. The geometric style promoted strictly ordered gardens, while the natural style, for which the period is known, preserved characteristics of untamed vistas. Edited by a former professional rival, John Claudius Loudon (1783 1843), this one-volume collection of the works of Humphry Repton (1752 1818) first appeared in 1840. Featuring more than 250 engravings, it illuminates the principal styles and contemporary debates of landscape design. Including perspective tricks to disguise differing water levels, and instructions on the use of cattle as a natural measure of scale, Repton's writings reflect the attention to detail that was involved in planning and executing major projects. The collection is prefaced with a biographical notice believed to have been written by the architect John Adey Repton (1775 1860), who collaborated with his father on many schemes."

Intended for young men with limited formal education, this manual was the final project of the landscape gardener John Claudius Loudon (1783-1843). Completed by friends, the book appeared posthumously in 1845. The son of a farmer, Loudon was well aware that men who began their careers as gardeners often became the stewards of estates, bailiffs, or tenant farmers later in life, and he provides here some of the mathematical and technical instruction necessary to carry out those roles successfully. Including sections on fractions, geometry, trigonometry, architectural drawing, and the calculation of wages and interest rates, the book traces a remarkable picture for the modern reader of the administrative duties expected of horticultural and agricultural workers in the mid-nineteenth century. Also included are conversion tables, a biography of Loudon, and a short preface by his wife Jane, whose Instructions in Gardening for Ladies (1840) is also reissued in this series.