Dreams, Waking Thoughts and Incidents

328 pp. 8vo. Edited, with an introduction and notes, by Robert J. Gemmett. A travel memoir by the British writer best known for Vathek, a pseudo-Oriental Gothic novel, but also notable for his extensive collection of art (much of which now resides in museums), and his construction of Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower. "Practically a verbatim reprint of the suppressed edition of 1783... [published] in 1834 as the first volume of Italy; with some Sketches of Spain and Portugal." The 1783 edition was almost completely destroyed by Beckford himself, who wanted to avoid widespread distribution of it. The editor's appendix outlines variations between the 1783 text and the 1834 revised edition. See Pine-Coffin 780.