John Piper (2) (1903–1992)

Published by the Tate Gallery in conjunction with an exhibition to mark the artists eightieth birthday, December 1983.The introduction by John Russell provides a good insight on Piper, Rigby Graham writes about Piper's Book Illustration and Michael Northen on Designs for the Theatre. The section John Piper on his painting provides a few brief extracts in the artist's own words. The book includes a summary biography and a bibliography. The catalogue is divided in various sections such as show more early work, abstracts, war artist, stage designs, stained glass and tapestry and several sections on landscapes. Many of the catalogue entries are accompanied by brief comments or descriptions.

The catalogue is well illustrated throughout with 95 monochrome images, and there are 32colour plates. Most of the colour plates a few of the monochrome are full page; however the majority of the monochromes vary from very small to about half page in size. The quality of the colour plates is good but the back and white images suffer from too much contrast and large areas of dense back lacking any detail, typical of some offset-litho.

11.75" x 9.25" (29.8 cm x 23.5 cm) ISBN 0905005945, 152 pages, Paperback show less

A handy reference guide to Berkshire

"... I was looking among my books and took out John Piper's Shell Guide to Oxfordshire. I went all through it, a nostalgic pilgrimage in churches and churchyards - most of which I have never seen at all but shall see one day - and lingered over the view of Blenheim's park and lake by which are quoted some favourite lines of Matthew Arnold from Thyrsis." (Diary entry, 10 February 1941.) (Pym, A very private eye. Macmillan, 1984. p. 105.)

8 color plates plus black and white