Greece.- Athens.- Stuart (James) & Nicholas Revett. The Antiquities of Athens, 5 vol. including Supplement, 371 engraved plates, including portrait frontispieces to vol. 2 & 4, of which 10 double-page or folding, engraved title-vignettes and illustrations, errata f. at end vol. 1 & 3, vol. 1 lacking list of subscribers, vol. 5 lacking errata f. & corrigenda slip at end, one map of Greece hand-coloured but torn with majority loose (but only very small loss), some tears and small portions of marginal loss, tears generally marginal but very occasionally into image and with small loss, particularly to folding plates, a few stains, some soiling, some foxing and light browning, ex-Royal College of Art Library with bookplate, ink- and embossed stamp to titles and very small ink-stamp to verso of each plate, later half cloth, rather worn with small loss to spine ends, few joints split at ends but holding, [Blackmer 1617; Harris 857], John Haberkorn [& others], 1762 [but some sheets watermarked 1808]-1830; and another copy of vol. 1, folio (6)

⁂ The first comprehensive and accurate survey of the classical ruins in Athens, considered a source book for the later Greek revival in England. Stuart and Revett travelled to Greece in 1750 to make the drawings which would eventually become this work, published over the course of nearly 70 years, which saw the deaths of many of its authors, artists, and editors. In vol. 3, plates XXI-XXIV are engraved by William Blake, after William Pars. The work's arduous publication history saw some sheets reprinted, presumably to coincide with the publication of later volumes, which is true of this set. "Copies of vol. 1 are known printed on paper watermarked 1808. This is a page-for-page reprint, but there are some differences in initial letters and capitals" (Blackmer).