'Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers' - Charles W.Eliot
Artist: Stanley Spencer Author: Elizabeth Rothenstein Publisher: Phaidon Date: 1945 Condition: A first edition hardback, with the original unclipped grey and yellow dust wrapper over the black linen boards; the wrapper a little tanned to the spine and with some handling marks and the chips and nicks to the edges consistent with age, the boards a little spotted. Internally the occasional spot of foxing but otherwise generally clean, tight and complete. Illustrated in black and white with several tipped in colour plates.
Rothenstein's 1945 book on Spencer is one of the key early texts on the artist and was written by someone who knew him well. It establishes the main narrative of Spencer's life and art as someone a step or two out of line with the rest of us, and outlines an interpretation of his vision which still holds a strong sway. Whilst we might now not agree with everything Rothenstein says, there is certainly much here for anyone interested in this most singular artist.
