Reviews for Arthur Rackham: A Biography - James Hamilton - Hardcover - 1st U.S. ed

The average rating for Arthur Rackham: A Biography - James Hamilton - Hardcover - 1st U.S. ed based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-12-16 00:00:00 Peter Ghansiam I picked this beautiful volume up while in Wales visiting the "book town" of Hay-on-Wye this past Summer. Now, I am normally very particular about which books I buy, whether online or by travelling halfway around the world (or thereabouts) as on this trip. I had a want-list and filled some of it. But this pickup was spontaneous. I had stopped late in the day at the last bookstore we would get to visit before having to get in the car and drive back over the border to the Cotswolds. How did I end up picking this one, out of all the thousands of books (and this is no exaggeration) available in Hay-on-Wye? I think it was because of the place itself. Tolkien's ghost seems to haunt the area, or at least our trip. We ate at The Eagle and Child, the Oxford pub where J.R.R. used to drink a pint with C.S. Lewis - incidentally, they had the absolutely best fish and chips I've ever eaten - the town we were staying in, Moreton-in-Marsh (it isn't, really . . . in a marsh, that is, at least not anymore) was, apparently the model for Bree. One of the pubs there, The Bell, provided the inspiration for the Inn of the Prancing Pony, and they celebrated this with a map of Middle Earth drawn across one entire wall (scroll down after clicking the Moreton link and you'll see it). And if you closed your eyes and opened them again on a hike through the hills (and we took a 12 mile hike, one day), you would swear you were in The Shire. Eastern Wales was much the same and had even more sheep than the Cotswolds. So, in my last desperate rush to pick out a book, I spotted this volume of Rackham's work. And I thought of Ian Miller's art of the '70s, which I grew up with as my visual token of Middle Earth. Take Miller's art, soften it (a lot), pump it full of whimsy, and give it ethereal tones of sepia and silver, and you've got Rackham. Of course, that analogy is an anachronism - Rackham died before Miller was born (both events on either side of World War II). In fact, I wonder if Miller was not heavily influenced by Rackham's books and prints? There is a certain likeness . . . What about the book itself? It's a wonderful biography replete with lots of color pictures of Rackham's work. Unlike some monographs, this one is almost completely filled with his beautiful, dreamlike paintings. I believe only one non-Rackham art piece is featured, and that is a Durer engraving used to show how Rackham (self-admittedly) copied one of his painting's layouts from the German master's print. I greatly enjoyed the focus - I wanted a Rackham book, I got a Rackham book! My only real complaint is that the paintings and illustrations are not given in strict chronological order, while the biography is, of necessity so organized. The biography is thorough and a touch coy with sensitive subjects. It's never completely clear to me whether or not Rackham had an affair or affairs, but . . . maybe? My blunt American-ness gets in the way of fully understanding English subtleties, at times, even though I lived in England for three years (from age 15 to 18). Rackham's life story is refreshingly normal, so far as biographies go. There is no attempt to make him a hero or a martyr. He lived life, had ups and downs, seems to have loved his family, went through times of financial difficulty and times of affluence, had health difficulties as an older man and essentially died working. If the book is to be believed, his remarkable-ness was poured entirely into his art. And it is remarkable!

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-31 00:00:00 Ryan Plourde Arthur Rackham’s name may be one you are unfamiliar with but his work have certainly invaded your eyes on many occasions. From “Alice in Wonderland” to “Peter Pan” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the Brothers Grimm; Rackham’s work is charming, whimsical, but also grotesque and fantastical. James Hamilton goes beyond the images to the man himself in “Arthur Rackham: A Life with Illustration”. Mixing powerful writing with suitable praise, Hamilton truly opens up the life of Arthur Rackham. Beginning with a background look at Rackham’s ancestry (which is not boring); Hamilton dives into describing how Rackham’s childhood influenced his work based on nuances and allowing the reader to see these effects for him/herself. Hamilton seamlessly weaves a perfect ratio of work history with that of Rackham’s personal life never leaving one topic exhausted or overemphasizing one over the other. Supplemented by an abundant amount of first-person primary resources (including personal writings from Rackham and his family’s archives) and also by glorious illustrations of Rackham’s various works; “Arthus Rackham: is one biography which can’t be ignored. To say the book is vibrant is an understatement. I did find some errors in terms of incorrectly dated captions and grammar mistakes. However, the edition I was reading is pervious to the newly re-issued version (with a new cover) in which I assume (hopefully) that these errors have been caught. Although Hamilton describes Rackham’s growth, advancement, and stylistic detail to his works; “Arthur Rackham” is not an artistic study or assessment. The book does feature discussions of artistic methods used by Rackham, but doesn’t overanalyze art meanings. Like the title states, the text provides a literal, life biography. Despite this, Hamilton still provides some art insight which is new and pleasurable even to a Rackham fan. Instead of merely showing Rackham in a purely flattering way, Hamilton describes Rackham’s struggles with humble notes which create a natural bonding with the reader. A Rackham fan will undeniably become a bigger one. Although one may assume the coverage to be dry or merely for art lovers, on the contrary, small details such as models used (and the techniques surrounding them), classes Rackham attended, and notes on his friends and contemporaries; keeps “Arthur Rackham” fresh and inviting even for the average reader. The final chapter, focusing on a comparative study of Rackham’s various versions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” smoothly balances the touching description of Rackham’s life and legacy. Along with a terrific appendix covering a timelime of Rackham’s life, his family tree, a list of all books illustrated by Rackham, a listing of exhibitions of his works, and an excellent look into his ledgers/account books of incomes vs. expenditures; Hamilton concludes the biography on a strong and memorable note. Whether one is new to the illustrations of Arthur Rackham or is a long-time fan; “Arthur Rackham” does not fail to portray Rackham on an intimate and enlightening level. A must read for art lovers or children at heart.