Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh [Hardcover]

Vincent van Gogh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

One of the most important and powerful works in the literature of art, this critically acclaimed classic is now available in a boxed set edition with all the original text and illustrations.

Articulate, intimate, written with honest directness, these letters lay bare the events of van Gogh's dramatic life, providing remarkable insights into the creative process and touching revelations of his personal anguish. The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh was first published by New York Graphic Society in 1958. Surely among the most distinguished books ever published, it is still the only complete edition of the letters in English. Illustrated by the more than two hundred ink drawings the artist sketched into his letters, the collection has been the source of numerous biographical and fictional works, but none has matched the intensity of the original material. Most of the letters were written to the artist's brother, Theo, and it was Theo's son, Vincent, who acted as consulting editor for the publication. A touching memoir by Theo's wife serves as the introduction.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After more than 1,500 pages of Vincent van Gogh's letters, most of them addressed to his younger brother, Theo, a reader is exhausted by the struggles, arguments, and ultimate suicide of the creator of some of the most coveted paintings on earth, and yet elated by the triumph of art and family devotion over constant sorrow.

However depressing the life of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), his struggle is continually redeemed by lucid, analytical observations on art and artists as disparate as his black-sheep friend Gauguin, Manet, Degas, Japanese prints, and even the American illustrator Howard Pyle. He retains a touching certainty that his early hero, Millet, whose pictures of peasants so moved him, will prove to be the precursor of all that is progressive in art.

This three-volume, boxed set is a replica of the one originally published in 1958 by the New York Graphic Society, a translation from the Dutch of letters painstakingly ordered and preserved by Theo's young widow, Jo, in the early part of the 20th century. It would have benefited from annotations reflecting recent van Gogh scholarship and theory, but nonetheless it remains a remarkable collection of documents, including Jo's well-known memoir and family history. The early drawings are shockingly clunky, without a hint of grace or confidence. This awkwardness never disappears entirely, but evolves into an aura of hard-won authenticity, as if van Gogh were continually grappling with some fundamental, but ineffable, truth.

The symptoms of madness, "an illness much like any other," alienated Vincent from everyone around him. Even his aging parents, he wrote, "feel the same dread of taking me in ... as they would about taking in a big rough dog."

"How much sadness there is in life," he wrote to Theo. But he found the antidote: "The right thing is to work." Work he did, with astonishing single- mindedness. He mercilessly demanded supplies and continual financial aid from his brother, and although we think of their relationship as a perfect union, Vincent wrote with occasional anger, impatience, or even cruelty, once coldly assessing Theo's personality: "The bright side of your character is your reliability in money matters."

There is a tremendous dramatic tension in the third volume of letters, as we see the artist leap ahead in skill and insight, knowing all the while that this is a life that does not go all the way. This collection requires, and rewards, a devoted reader. --Margaret Moorman

About the Author

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was born near Brabant, the son of a minister. Largely self-taught as an artist, he moved to Paris in 1886 and lived with his devoted brother, Theo, who as a dealer introduced him to artists like Gauguin, Pissarro, Toulouse-Lautrec and Seurat. In 1888, he moved to Arles hoping to establish an artists' colony. He was joined briefly by Gauguin in October 1888, but the visit was not a success. A final argument led to the infamous episode in which van Gogh mutilated his ear. In 1889 he became a voluntary patient at the St. Remy asylum, where he continued to paint. He moved to Auvers to be closer to Theo in 1890. He died, having sold only one work, following a botched suicide attempt.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1896 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 3rd edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821226304
• ISBN-13: 978-0821226308
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 5.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable Van Gogh resource, January 10, 2000

By 

David Brooks (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (Hardcover)

This three volume set is an absolutely invaluable reference for any Van Gogh enthusiast. Van Gogh's letters offer tremendous insights into his life and works. That's why a complete set of the letters is a must--most of the other versions are heavily edited ("butchered" some would say). Dr. Jan Hulsker (one of the world's foremost Van Gogh scholars) once wrote: "[His letters] enable us to know more about Van Gogh's life and mentality than we do of any other artist. The letters form a running commentary on his work, and a human document without parallel."

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is working on an exciting and ambitious project to issue a completely new and revised set of the letters, but until that extraordinary reference is available, this set is the next best thing. Even for those not especially interested in Van Gogh's art, the letters are a striking, and sometimes painful, exploration of a man consumed with doubt, filled with compassion and profoundly troubled.

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare look inside the mind of a genius, October 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (Hardcover)

Even though I had an enormous interest in van Gogh, when I purchased the massive three volume set of the Complete Letters, the idea of actually sitting down and reading them all, cover to cover, was at the least, daunting. I began one rainy evening, at the beginning, reading each letter in sequence, as if I were the recipeint. I made a real attempt to understand the complete content of each letter and digest its meaning against what I already knew about van Gogh's life. It was a journey that took me a whole year to complete, and it was the only thing I read during that time. The chance to peek inside van Gogh's mind, and to anylize his thoughs, was to look into pure, naked, genius -- and I was humbled! The question I started with was: has a greater artist ever lived? The answer I was left with was: not likely! No letter left me unimpressed. No words were without meaning. No thoughts imparted by this great man are without value. Even if van Gogh had never picked up a paint brush, these letters alone would have secured him a place in history. Anyone interested in what goes into making such a man would do well to read these letters, one by one. I doubt I will ever have a more gratifying literary experience.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap Facsimile of 1st edition, November 23, 2007

By 

USERNAME99 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh (Hardcover)

The value of Van Gogh's letters is not disputed. More the pity that the publisher of THIS edition chose to put these three volumes together the same as a mass market paperback, pages just glued in. There are no longer any color illustrations. All the many drawings are reproduced in poor quality, worse than a Xerox machine. Buy a used 1st edition instead.