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William Beckford

William Beckford

Author Biography & Works

William Thomas Beckford was a British writer and politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's richest commoner. Beckford was the son of William Beckford and Maria Hamilton, the daughter of George Hamilton. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wells in 1784–1790 and Hindon in 1790–1795 and 1806–1820. Beckford is best known for writing the 1786 Gothic novel Vathek, for building Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire and Beckford's Tower in Bath, and for his extensive art collection.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Beckford_(novelist)

Books by William Beckford

Vathek

Vathek

A combination of gothic and Arabic settings. This novel is the story of a caliph who pursues evil to gain power.

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