John Ruskin: An Idiosyncratic Dictionary Encompassing his Passions, his Delusions and his Prophecies [Hardcover]

From Aesthete to Ziffern, Baby-Language to Verbosity, Badgers to Railway Stations: this gloriously serendipitous dictionary presents the life, times and strong opinions of John Ruskin (1819-1900) - art critic, patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, social thinker and philanthropist.

Michael Glover's delightful A-Z distills the essence of Ruskin, revealing a lighter side to the man known for his 39 volumes of ponderous prose.? When off his guard, Ruskin could write pithily and amusingly, but he was also a fascinating amalgam of self-contradictions. Combining judiciously selected extracts from Ruskin's writings with the author's wittily insightful interpretations, this book is essential reading for all those curious to know what Ruskin did with a cyanometer, why he hated iron railings and the Renaissance, and how Proust's admiration of the man was tinged with distrust.

Published to coincide withthe bi-centenary of Ruskin's birth,John Ruskin: An IdiosyncraticDictionary Encompassing his Passions, his Delusions and his Prophecies?provides an accessible way into the worldof Ruskin and his writing.

Michael Glover?is a poet and the visual arts critic and senior feature writer for theIndependent.He is also the poetry editor of theTablet.?As an arts journalist, he has been a regular contributor to?The Times, theFinancial?{::}Times, theNew Statesman?andThe Economist?and?a London correspondent forArtNews, New York. Recent publications includeNeo Rauchin the Lund Humphries Contemporary Painters Series.

An accessible guide to a fascinating Victorian art critic and thinker, presented in dictionary format for the first timeRuskin revived, reconsidered  and lightly reimagined. Michael Glovers entertaining approach invites us to explore the byways of Ruskins lilÓ)