Vincent's Books

"A wonderfully illustrated and well-written book for general readers that explores Vincent van Gogh's love of books and reading. It is a synthesized biography of van Gogh written through the lens of his books. If there is one thing to say about him, it is that he loved books and literature as much as he loved art (the latter a passion that arose much later in life). From an early age, van Gogh was an insatiable reader. It helped that he read and spoke four languages fluently-this allowed him access to the great novels and poetry of the 19th century: among his belongings we find tattered, annotated, and well-worn copies of the works of Victor Hugo, Zola, Dickens, George Eliot, Harriet Beecher Stowe. He read philosophy, too. In his early years (well, most of his years were early-he died at the age of 37), Vincent was extremely religious, and knew long passages of scripture by heart, which he recited from the pulpit when he was a fledgling minister in England and in the coalfields of Brussels. Van Gogh wrote with eloquence and insight about what he was reading in his famous letters to his brother Theo. Vincent's letters to his brother refer to at least two hundred authors. He haunted the bookshops of Holland, London, and Paris. And books are a decided theme in van Gogh's paintings. This work is chock-full of van Gogh paintings that featured his favorite books"--