The first part of Volume 1 includes essays on the background, theory, style and development of the artist. It examines copies, considers Crome and the Norwich School, etc. The appendices include a biographical summary, works directly executed by the artist, the catalogue of his 1821 Memorial Exhibition, a chronology of chief events of the Norwich School, and other documents. The catalogue raisonné includes all surviving authentic paintings, drawings, watercolors and etchings in chronological order. Each entry has number, title, medium and support, dimensions, inscriptions, plate and inventory number, provenance, exhibition history, and notes. The author uses a tiered system of listing works according to surety of attribution, these categories are designated by Roman numerals I-II-III. Copies and versions are considered, as well as lost works (relating to preliminary studies), and works with problems of attribution and date. Works known from photographs found in image archives such as the Witt and Frick Libraries are also examined. The etchings have concordance numbers.