ABSTRACT
This edition contains reproductions of a selection of Lee’s many on-the-spot sketches, which were made in his five diaries and three sketchbooks. It has not been possible to reproduce all of his many sketches in this book because of their number and because the majority were left unfinished. Rough but detailed notes and descriptions accompany the sketches, supplementing Lee’s written observations and providing more detail on the landscapes he valued as picturesque, beautiful or sublime (discussed in more detail below). His notes detail the qualities of the foreground, middle ground and background to each scene, and indicate the presence of focal points like ruins or towers. Most importantly, the sketchbooks indicate a never-realized intention to complete the sketches at a later date.
