DESGODETZ, Les Édifices antiques de Rome, 1779

Second edition.
A new edition by Claude Antoine Jombert, who had just acquired the original copperplates from the descendants of the architect.
Antoine Desgodetz was sent to Rome, where he stayed for sixteen months in 1676–1677, to survey and measure ancient monuments with great precision. The purpose was well conceived, as he had already observed discrepancies in the dimensions—and thus the proportions—given in classical works on the subject.
The result was a work of obvious utility and great beauty: Desgodetz’s drawings were engraved by excellent artists, including Louis de Chastillon, Nicolas Guérard, and Jean and Pierre Lepautre. Each plate is accompanied by a facing descriptive notice specifying the measurements of the various elements and pointing out the errors in earlier treatises.
The work was justly admired and underwent several reissues. It is all the more surprising to learn that, unlike most ancient treatises, it has not lost its value: even today’s archaeologists—far more demanding than the amateurs of the past—still recognize its accuracy and usefulness.

A complete copy, with all 137 required plates.