Reading notes, c.1780-1844, n.d.

File

MS. Beckford c. 55

Held at the Weston Library

Includes:

(fols. 1-9) early notes on the Middle East and Africa (pages originally numbered 1-11)
(fols. 10-35) translated extracts on China, c.1780 (pages originally numbered 14-19 and 1-36)
(fols. 36-50) miscellaneous leaves collected by Boyd Alexander, including (fols. 38, 39v) notes dated 1788, 1786, translations, and (fol. 41v) a pencil and pen-and-ink sketch of the 'Pagod at Ixora', by Beckford
(fols. 51-208) loose leaves containing reading notes, in pencil, apparently torn from their volumes, most of them headed with author's name and short title
(fols. 210-17) last reading notes, 1841, 1844, n.d., including (fol. 216) sarcastic verses addressed to Mrs Sigourney, beg. 'Gladly I hail the choice intelligence', 1844
(fols. 218-19) Beckford's preface to an intended selection of his reading notes, 1834, entitled (fol. 219v) 'Flowers of nonsense & fruits of conceit culled from a library in the West of England' (a draft is in MS. Beckford c. 84, fol. 70)
(fols. 220-3) indexes to the works contained in MS. Beckford. c. 56, pp. 1-308

Dates

223 Leaves

MS. Beckford c. 55

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

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