William Morris 1834-1896: A Life of Art Hardcover – December 4, 2017

Attractively bound book is well laid out and examines the life's work of William Morris by discipline and era. Quality printing and design, especially in the photographs of Morris's works.

I'm rather a geek when it comes to the Arts & Crafts movement. We're "into" the premise that you should own only the things that you find useful or beautiful -- a sentiment initially described by William Morris. Among the things I find useful AND beautiful is my sizable collection of books about the A&C history and the crafts that are most associated with it, such as woodworking, stained glass, embroidery, and homey architecture.Naturally, when I found this re-issue of the TASCHEN "Basic Art Series" book about Morris, I felt I needed to own it. That was a wise decision, despite overlap in material from other, more in-depth volumes. In fact, the simplicity of this 100-page-or-so book is part of its appeal. The book is a superb introduction to both Morris-the-guy and the astonishing range of creative endeavors in which he was involved.Quite often, such books are mostly picture books with text decorating the pages. That's emphatically not the case, here. The 30-page biography section is an unapologetic explanation of his life and times, and it isn't shy about Morris's contradictions. As the authors write, "The fundamental paradox between Morris's dreamworlds and the reality of the Victorian Age was only one of many that existed within his life and work: the rich man who preached revolution to the poor; the gentleman and the artisan; the bard and the businessman; the 'idle singer of an empty day' driven 'to do the work of ten men;" and the hopeless romantic caught in a loveless marriage." Initially I expected this to focus only on his "creative work" and perhaps the artists with whom he had relationships (from Ruskin to Burne-Jones) but it includes his involvement in socialism as well.That puts the book's chapters into context, far more than you might expect for an overview or "basics" book. It's organized by his living places and times, such as The Red House (built when he was planning his wedding to Jane, oh so idealistically), Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott House, Standen, Wightwick Manor. And then chapters give essentials from his time working with stained glass; furniture; tiles; wallpapers; embroidery; printed textiles; woven textiles; carpets; calligraphy; Kelmscott Press. Each has great photos; if you own deeper tomes about each subject you likely have seen most of them before, but I was surprised by how much was new to me.If you're new to Arts & Crafts (much less Morris specifically), this is an excellent place to start. If you're a dedicated fan, as I am -- it's equally recommended.

Great book but arrived damaged, twice. Gave up after the second replacement. Do better on QC.