Architecture.- Wren (Christopher) Parentalia: or, memoirs of the family of the Wrens...chiefly of Sir Christopher Wren, ... Compiled, by his son Christopher, first edition, title printed in red and black, list of subscribers, mezzotint portrait frontispiece of Sir Christopher Wren by John Faber, engraved dedication f., 3 portraits, and 7 plates, offsetting, some mostly marginal water-staining to preliminaries (just encroaching within platemark of portrait), some spotting or mostly light foxing or staining, lightly browned in places, blind-stamped and gilt panelled russia by C. Kalthoeber, London, rebacked, preserving original little chipped backstrip in compartments, rubbed, g.e., [Harris 949], folio, Printed for T. Osborn; and R. Dodsley, 1750.

⁂ One of the earliest biographies of architect, astronomer and inventor Sir Christopher Wren, to whom the work is chiefly devoted. The work list his many inventions before 1660: 'devices for surveying, musical and acoustical instruments, developments in fishing, underwater construction and submarine navigation, and experiments in printmaking; he experimented with, but did not invent, the mezzotint technique, which Prince Rupert demonstrated to the Royal Society in 1661.' (DNB).

Provenance: Walter Charles, Lord Northbourne (armorial bookplate to front pastedown).