A Tour of the English Lakes by John R Murray

A Tour of the English Lakes by John R Murray

In 1769 Thomas Gray (best known for his 'Elegy in a Country Chuchyard') made a tour of the English Lakes, and recorded it in a journal that is now widely accepted as the first example of modern travel writing. He delighted in what he saw and conveys vividly to us the lakes and the mountains through eighteenth-century eyes. A few years later the watercolourist Joseph Farington followed in Gray's footsteps and painted a series of key views along the way. These paintings, which were later engraved and published, are beautiful in the picturesque tradition, and, from a topographical point of view, are remarkably accurate, unlike the work of most artists of the time. John Murray has brought together for the first time Thomas Gray's journal, Joseph Farington's watercolours, and the engravings after the watercolours that sold widely at the time and were key to the popularising of the lakes. In addition he has photographed Farington's views as they appear today, and it is remarkable how many of them are so clearly and still easily recognisable today. Here is an unusual and original view of the Lake District, and one that has not been attempted before.

'This attractive book contains much of interest to art historians'

This elegant and quietly charming book brings together the words and pictures of the two men in a celebration of one of the most spectacularly beautiful regions of Britain

Editor's choice: Anyone familiar with this wonderful part of the country will be delighted by this quietly charming book.

Editor's choice: Anyone familiar with this wonderful part of the country will be delighted by this quietly charming book.

This elegant book brings together the words and pictures of the two men in a celebration of one of the most spectacularly beautiful regions of Britain. In addition, the author has photographed Farington's views as they appear today, to show how in many cases very little has changed over the centuries. Anyone familiar with this wonderful part of the country will be delighted by this quietly charming book.

Definitely a must-read for anyone curious about the landscape.

This elegant and quietly charming book brings together the words and pictures of the two men in a celebration of one of the most spectacularly beautiful regions of Britain

'This attractive book contains much of interest to art historians.'

John R Murray was, until 2002, a publisher. He has compiled and edited two slim volumes: A Gentleman Publisher¹ s Commonplace Book and Old Chestnuts Warmed Up (his own personal collection of poetry, verse and doggerel) and is the author of London Above Eye Level. He has swum the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia, climbed Mount Parnassus by night and has walked from London to Oxford in the footsteps of John Buchan. He is by nature restless and inquisitive.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780711232808
ISBN 10	0711232806
Title	A Tour of the English Lakes
Author	John R Murray
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Quarto Publishing PLC
Year published	2012-04-26
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.