The Journal of William Beckford in Portugal and Spain, 1787-1788
London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1954. Presumed First U.K. Edition. Hardcover. 340 pages. Footnotes. Index. Some discoloration to DJ. DJ is in a plastic sleeve. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Boyd Alexander. Includes Introduction; Note on the Manuscript; Acknowledgments; Glossary, Abbreviations, &c; Portuguese Journal 1787; Spanish Journal 1787-8; Appendix I: Marialva's Villa and Seteais; Appendix II: Genealogical Tables of the Connections of the Marialvas. Includes full page black and white drawing of William Beckford, aged 21, by Romney on the frontispiece. Also includes three full page black and white illustrations on pages 37-39; two pages of Beckford's Manuscript facing pages 36 and 140; and Illustrations of Henriqueta, Duchess of Lafoes, Mafra, a Map of Lisbon (fold-out), and a map of the Environs of Lisbon (fold-out). William Thomas Beckford (1 October 1760 – 2 May 1844) was an English novelist; an art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer, and sometime politician, reputed at one stage in his life to be the richest commoner in England. He was Member of Parliament for Wells from 1784 to 1790, for Hindon from 1790 to 1795 and 1806 to 1820. He is remembered as the builder of the remarkable lost Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower ("Beckford's Tower"), Bath, and especially for his art collection. His other principal writings were Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters (1780), a satirical work; and Letters from Italy with Sketches of Spain and Portugal (1834), full of brilliant descriptions of scenes and manners. Boyd Alexander has edited the diaries, and provided an introduction and a large number of notes. More