Beckford (William).- [Sale Catalogue] The Valuable Library of Books in Fonthill Abbey. A Catalogue of the Magnificent, Rare, and Valuable Library (of 20,000 Volumes) . . . , [including] The Unique and Splendid Effects of Fonthill Abbey [&] The Pictures and Miniatures at Fonthill Abbey, together bound in 1 vol., engraved frontispiece, occasional spotting or soiling, original boards, rubbed and spotted, rebacked and recornered in dark blue morocco, new endpapers, preserved in dark blue morocco-backed cloth drop-back box, spine titled in gilt, Phillips, 1823 § Hamilton Palace Libraries (The). [Sale Catalogue] Catalogue of the First [- Fourth] Portion of the Beckford Library removed from Hamilton Palace, 4 parts in 1 vol., with printed lists of prices and buyers' names bound at end, occasional spotting, a few pencil annotations, modern calf-backed marbled boards, vellum tips, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 1882-83, 8vo (2)

⁂ The first was one of the most famous sales of the nineteenth century, necessitated by Beckford's diminished financial resources. The sale was entrusted to Christie's and catalogued but before it took place John Farquhar, a Scottish gunpowder-manufacturer, bought the whole estate together with its contents. He then put the contents up for sale at auction with Phillips the following year. Choice items from Beckford's library and art collection had already been removed to his new residence in Lansdowne Terrace, Bath, and were inherited by his son-in-law the 10th Duke of Hamilton, later sold as part of the Hamilton Palace sales from 1882-84.

The first sale catalogue comprises the entire contents of Fonthill, offered at auction over thirty-seven days from 23rd September to 29th October, encompassing the library, furniture, pictures and prints.