Young Mr. Turner: The First Forty Years, 1775–1815 (Volume 1) (J.M.W. Turner: A Life in Art)

Anyone who loves the work of Turner would love this book

Great!

Book spoilt by faulty binding (unacceptable for cost) even for replacement, contents interesting.

The following extracts are taken from reviews of my book:‘This is a truly remarkable book . . . Shanes’s style is personal, relaxed, homely and often humorous, which makes the book very readable . . . [its] great length . . . is entirely justified; there is very little spare fat . . . All of the picture analyses are informative, and many are quite brilliant. Most importantly of all, they draw on Shanes’s thorough scrutiny of their context in the artist’s life and thought . . . If any biography can be called definitive, this is one, and it will be the essential reference for the Turner public for many decades (even centuries) to come.’Dr John Gage, independent report to the publisher‘This is a notable achievement . . . it provides the most rounded biography of Turner we are ever likely to have . . . [it is] unlikely to be surpassed . . . [that] the artist emerges as a considerable thinker is better revealed here than in any other study I have read . . . I was greatly heartened by Shanes’s ability to work so effectively with Turner’s drafts for the perspective lectures and to outline Turner’s aesthetic position so vividly, both with respect to the practicalities of painting and to the history of art. Although Turner scholars have made use of this material for many years, this is the most able presentation of it in toto we have had . . . [the book is] almost always more than a simple narrative. Much of what we read is shown to be an aspect of a much more valuable prize, the artist seen in the round for the first time. Each detail works rather like a small cog nudging forward our understanding of Turner’s mind.’Professor Sam Smiles, independent report to the publisher‘The chronology and narrative are wonderfully useful and clear. I learned thousands of new things about his life and work, with real joy; it will be the standard biography for ever.’Dr Jan Piggott, independent report to the author‘Eric Shanes’s remarkable book about the first half of J M W Turner’s career is the summation of thirty years of research into the painter’s work ... He offers a chronological narrative of Turner’s early life, sometimes proceeding week by week. Along the way, he traces Turner’s travels, homes, beloved fishing boats and exhibitions. Hundreds of paintings, watercolours and prints – many in colour – appear in tidy order alongside his text. His publishers (who have been aided by the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art) must be congratulated for the care they have shown. I have never seen a more thoroughly presented book about an English artist ... Admirable.’The Literary Review‘[This] dazzling account of the artist’s first 40 years puts all previous biographies in the shade ... Reading Eric Shanes’s new book is like walking through a magically well-stocked gallery with an unsurpassably expert guide. The illustrations are gorgeous – more than 400 of them, nearly all in colour – and they bring together paintings now scattered in galleries and private collections around the world. Shanes’s account of the painter’s life is arranged as a picture-by-picture commentary, and his deep, precise knowledge puts all previous Turner biographies in the shade ... Turner’s life barely existed apart from his painting, Shanes observes. Yet he has uncovered quite a lot, much of it to Turner’s discredit ... Shanes conjectures that [Turner’s] verbal mental circuits might have been imperfectly wired so that they formed colours, tones and lines rather than words. If so, it must be one of the luckiest pieces of imperfect wiring ever to befall the world of art. This first volume ends with Turner at 40. The riches still to come in the second should make any reader giddy with anticipation.’John Carey, The [London] Sunday Times

This wonderful book covers first half of Turner's life. When the second volume covering his latter works is published, I can then safely sell all of the other books on Turner's art that I own, still knowing that I own the very best book on Turner and his art.

I am a very great fan of Mr Turner!!

The Author Eric Shanes has recently died which is a pity because this excellent work covers only the first forty years of Turner's life. In his Obituary in The Times newspaper, it is stated that "Young Mr Turner,the first forty years 1775-1815 defies those who thought there was nothing new to say about one of Britain's greatest painters". True enough but thankfully this is only a first volume and it is expected that more material will be published posthumously..This is a great book of reference and a "must" for everyone interested in the vast breadth of Turner's incredible output.Although detailed the narrative is well written and instantly digestible. The scores of illustrations are well chosen and beautifully printed .I thoroughly recommend it.

I was trying not to buy this for some time because I have many other books on Turner but once I gave in I wasn't disappointed - surely this is now the definitive volume on his early years. Highly readable, and a beautifully produced book. Fabulously and heavily illustrated. Highly recommended. Now longing for the next volume!

A beautiful book - exceptional.

This is a beautifully presented book. I gave it to my husband as a birthday present and he is delighted with it. So far it has just been glanced at as there is too much to do in the garden! However, he is looking forward to some proper reading later on.