The Pre-Raphaelites (Paperback)

by Christopher Wood (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Chart the rise and legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites and see how this most admired British art movement was born. Dozens of reproductions attest to these painters’ scrupulous attention to natural details: more than 40 artists are represented, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Arthur Hughes, Edward Burne-Jones, John William Waterhouse, and Ford Maddox Brown.


About the Author
Christopher Wood is England's leading writer and broadcaster on Victorian art. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge, he spent fourteen years working at the London auction house, Christie's, becoming director of nineteenth-century paintings. He started his own gallery, specialising in Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art, in 1977, and now works privately in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Seven Dials (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841881163
• ISBN-13: 978-1841881164
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #800,974 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #9 in

  Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Pre-Raphaelite

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any artist!, December 31, 1998

By	[e-mail] "mmsmall" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pre-Raphaelites (Hardcover)

This book is the most beautifully, and thoroughly done book on the Pre-Raphaelites that I have ever read. The prints are exceptional and the history reads like a novel. It was in this book that I found the passion to paint and I have never stopped. I recommend it to anyone looking for the excitement in art.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Pictures Award, February 2, 2004

By	Redmund K. Sum (Los Altos, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a learning hobbyist artist interested mostly in portraits. An artist friend told me that I might be interested in the pictures of the Pre-Raphaelites. "Pre-Ra...What?"

When I bought this book I had not intended to read much of the text. I was primarily attracted to the beautiful pictures in the book, which I hope to learn from. It turns out that Christopher Wood's rendition of the biographies of these remarkable group of mid- to late 19th century English artists was exceptionally well weaved and readable. I got a very good education on the history of the Pre-Rephaelite art with fascinating details of the lives of the key players and, of course, beautiful, large-format reproduction of their best work.

I came across a number of books on this subject. Some have better and more detail prose, but none comes close to this one in terms selection and the quality of reproduction of the pictures.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Art Book Available on the Pre-Raphaelites, March 12, 2002

By A Customer

I'm so thrilled to see that this book has been reissued after being out of print for several years. I found the original edition of this book in a frame shop in 1992, and bought it on a whim. Through this book I fell in love with the art and artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and now own over fifty books on the subject, while prints by Evelyn de Morgan and John William Waterhouse decorate my walls. This book introduced me to the beauty and majesty of Pre-Raphaelite art, so I'd love it for that reason alone. However, years later, I still find that Wood's survey of Pre-Raphaelitism is the best I've ever seen. Full of 'academic' information, it's still easily read cover to cover, and the full color pictures are exquisite.

If you have even the slightest interest in Pre-Raphaelite art, you simply must own this book. It's both the PRB Primer and Bible, as far as I'm concerned.