Maddox, Willes.

First edition, folio (618 x 436mm.), chromolithographed title-page with hand-coloured vignette mounted on card, lithographed dedication leaf, list of subscribers, 6 tinted lithographed illustrations in text, 13 hand-coloured lithographed plates heightened with gum arabic, mounted on 12 sheets, original morocco-backed cloth lettered in gilt on upper cover, some plates becoming detached, occasional light spotting to text or margins of plates, binding slightly rubbed and sunned

Abbey, Scenery 420

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A very good copy. William Beckford (1760-1844), the son of an immensely rich and highly cultivated sugar-planter, a pupil of Mozart and Sir William Chambers, and author of the celebrated Gothic novel Vathek, was also one of the most important collectors and patrons of his generation. His most famous creation, the extravagant mock-Gothic Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire, was built from the late 1790s on the site of his father's mansion Fonthill Splendens, but had to be sold with its contents in 1823 to pay off his accumulated debts. Beckford afterwards moved to 20 Lansdown Crescent in Bath and about a mile away built Lansdown Tower in neo-Renaissance style, collaborating with his architect H.E. Goodridge to design the interiors and furnishings, to house his re-growing art collection.