{"product_id":"the-exiled-collector-william-bankes-and-the-making-of-an-english-country-house","title":"The Exiled Collector: William Bankes and the Making of an English Country House","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn August 30th 1841 William John Bankes, former Tory MP, pioneer Egyptologist and renowned traveller, was caught in compromising circumstances with a guardsman in London's Green Park. Bankes paid a heavy price for his 'moment of madness': less than two weeks later, well aware that sodomy carried the death penalty, he had fled in to exile, eventually settling in Venice. The British Government declared Bankes an outlaw, a vindictive and archaic procedure, which might have enabled them to seize his house - Kingston Lacy in Dorset. It was the vicarious embellishment of that house, although it could be no more than a memory, that was to be his only enduring passion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on extensive research from previously undiscovered archives, this is the first ever biography of William Bankes. Brilliantly written and highly readable, \u003ci\u003eThe Exiled Collector\u003c\/i\u003e recounts Bankes' dramatic life story, examines the psychology of collecting, the pain and creativity of exile and affords a revealing insight into the minds of a hypocritical ruling elite in early Victorian Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/anne-sebba-books\"\u003eAnne Sebba\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 308\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e John Murray\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780719563287\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"John Murray","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £3.91","offer_id":47913432219825,"sku":"SB-0719563283-C2","price":3.91,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0719563283.jpg?v=1789248221","url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-exiled-collector-william-bankes-and-the-making-of-an-english-country-house","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}