Beckford (William).- Rutter (John) Delineations of Fonthill and its Abbey, first edition, large paper copy, half-title, hand-coloured aquatint frontispiece, additional pictorial title and plate, 10 other uncoloured engraved plates including unnumbered plate of South West View (as usual), large folding lithographed map hand-coloured in outline, wood-engraved vignettes, folding sheet of genealogical tables, with list of subscribers at end (not found in all copies), a few pencil annotations, some very light marginal foxing to uncoloured plates, otherwise an excellent clean copy, original boards with engraved vignette title to upper cover, uncut, Lord Ellenborough's copy with his ink signature to upper cover, rebacked in blue morocco, new endpapers, rubbed, boards scuffed and marked, [Abbey, Scenery 418], large 4to (355 x 290mm.), Shaftesbury, by the Author, 1823.

⁂ The best contemporary publication on William Beckford's extravagant Gothic mansion at Fonthill, built for him by James Wyatt between 1796 and 1812. The construction was rushed and the huge tower collapsed several times. Beckford was forced to sell the property and most of its contents in 1822 due to financial constraints and the majority of the building was demolished in 1825.