A John Ruskin Collection

Author Jim Dearden’s vast knowledge of Ruskin and exceptional capacity for recollection deftly and sensitively illuminate his subjects, moving through both their emotional, intellectual and artistic lives and their everyday domestic routines in this collection of his writings on John Rusin. We are guided through Ruskin’s portraits of Rose La Touche, asked to consider why he sold Turner’s The Slave Ship, invited to investigate how his father, John James Ruskin, traveled to his office, or provided with a window, onto the lives of the Severn family while at Brantwood, using their drawings and sketches. Through his sensitive and precise investigations, and his tireless appetite for detail, Dearden not only helps us to understand the lives of Ruskin and his family, friends and servants, but also achieves an impressive evocation of the nature of 19th-century life. This book will captivate readers who enjoy the interweavings of a life well studied, whether they are new to Ruskin or already well immersed.