Biography of one of the great British photographers of the twentieth century.

James Ravilious trained as an artist, but a Cartier-Bresson exhibition converted him to photography, which he taught himself. In 1972, a move to his wife Robin s homeland - a very rural, unspoilt part of North Devon - inspired him. It also produced the perfect job: recording daily life in that traditional bit of old England before it was modernised. The results, over 75,000 black and white negatives in the Beaford Archive, form what Barry Lane, Secretary General of the Royal Photographic Society, called 'a unique body of work, unparalleled at least in this country for its scale and quality'.

Laurence Whistler's story of his five-year marriage to Jill Furse before her sudden early death has achieved a classic quality. Despite the tragedy of its ending the lasting impression is of two lives lived to the full in supreme happiness. Jill Furse was remarkable for many gifts; beauty, acting, poetry and above all gaiety and courage. This edition includes her poems. 'One of the most sustainedly beautiful [prose] poems I have read for a long time.' Lord David Cecil, Sunday Telegraph 'One of the most moving prose threnodies ever written.' Daily Telegraph 'One of the most poignant love stories in the English language.' Country Life 'Certain to have a permanent place in the literature of love.' Yorkshire Post

Containing photographs taken in and around the author's North Devon home over the past 25 years, this book records the people and landscapes of rural England. It evokes a view of rural English life that is still to be found in every village and country town: local trades, a village wedding, children waiting for the school bus, and farming life.

This beautifully illustrated book is the first full-length critical study to focus on the watercolours of multitalented British artist and designer Eric Ravilious (1903–1942). Adopting the wide-ranging approach familiar to readers of his previous books on the artist, author James Russell explores the evolution of a remarkable talent. An introductory section offers an intimate portrait of Ravilious, an artist for whom personal relationships, particularly with women, were paramount. It goes on to describe the extraordinary achievements of an all-too-brief career, drawing on new research to seek out artistic influences and examine Ravilious's relationships with fellow-artists, as well as the development of his mark making. There follows the most comprehensive display of Ravilious watercolours yet assembled. Some have never been published, while others are familiar and well loved. Many are explored in short accompanying essays, some with full-bleed images that show details of paintings at full size. These texts are designed to entertain and enlighten, looking at composition, technique, influence and inspiration, or discussing the significance of particular subjects and the people behind the scenes. This is the definitive guide to the luminous, evocative and timeless watercolours of Eric Ravilious, an artist now regarded as one of the finest of the twentieth century.

Celebrating the life and work of English artist Eric Ravilious (1903-42), ‘A Country Life’ (the third book in the Ravilious in Pictures series) features twenty-two beautiful watercolours painted in north-west Essex and on the East Anglian coast. Accompanying essays by James Russell explore the artist’s home life, introducing the people and places he know around the villages of Castle Hedingham and Great Bardfield, and offering insights into the culture and customs of 1930s England.--Publisher.