In 1812 the architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) wrote a strange and
perplexing manuscript, Crude Hints towards an History of my House in
Lincoln's Inn Fields, in which, in the guise of an Antiquary, he
imagines his home as a future ruin, inspected by visitors speculating on
its origins and function. Never published in his lifetime, the
manuscript has been meticulously transcribed and provided with an
explanatory Introduction and footnotes by Helen Dorey, Deputy Director
and Inspectress of Sir John Soane's Museum. Originally published as part
of an exhibition catalogue sixteen years ago, this new edition has been
extensively revised and updated. The text is accompanied by nineteen
illustrations, seventeen of them in full colour.