Customer Reviews (3)

Perfection of Seeing, Being, and Creating...
One can hardly read any thoughtful analysis or
evaluation of art, artists, even poets, without
coming upon a quote from John Ruskin.Yet one
may read the quote, realize its acuteness, but
then proceed on -- without really knowing anything
about John Ruskin himself, or about his ideas
and works. That is a tragic loss. Ruskin was an
English art critic and scholar, as well as a
cultural and philosphical historian who
lived from 1819 to 1900.
He attended and graduated from Oxford University,
and in 1869 was appointed first Slade Professor
of Fine Art at Oxford.
John Ruskin seems to me to be a combination of
Plato, godly Greek sculptors, and Thoreau.His
own senses, apparently (just like Thoreau's) were
extremely acute...he has incredible sharpness of
vision.But even more telling, he has incredible
command of vision and the language to express it
with.He seems, at times, like a Homer of artistic
cultural and philosophical expression.
This volume is a compilation of excerpts from
Ruskin's major writings: MODERN PAINTERS I, II,
III, IV, and V/ THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE/
THE STONES OF VENICE/ THE TWO PATHS/ UNTO THIS
LAST/ THE CROWN OF WILD OLIVE/ SESAME AND LILIES/
THE QUEEN OF THE AIR/ FORS CLAVIGERA/ FICTION, FAIR
AND FOUL/ THE STORM-CLOUD OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY/
and PRAETERITA. There are multiple excerpts from
each of these works, and each excerpt is followed
by a very helpful citation of the volume, part,
section, and chapter of the work where the excerpt
is found.
Ruskin is not "merely" an acute analyzer and
evaluator of art and architecture, but he also is
an artistic and ethical philosopher.His philosophy
seems to have a strong dose of PAGAN GREEK (Plato)
underpinning, which interacts interestingly with
the Evangelical Protestantism overlaid when he
was young by his mother's strict Bible lessons.
His whole life seems to have been a struggle
between these two grappling forces, like the

statue of "The Wrestlers" from Hellenistic times.
Ruskin idolized and glorified the painter
Joseph Mallord William Turner [J.M.W. Turner].
He seems to have set out on a crusade while still
a teen-ager (17) by writing an essay defending
Turner and his art -- his admiration, esteem,
and idolatry continued even after he had gone
to Oxford University and began writing his art
criticism works.
Ruskin's topics sound like a role-call of
classical virtues and perfection seeking -- and
like Thoreau, he bemoans the fact that more
people do not wake up, see intently, and live
better lives.I personally find Ruskin's admonitions
to be inspiring, rather than merely preachy.He
obviously has a vision (like a prophet), a wondrous
sense of beauty and appreciation, and a fine mind
and expressive ability which create words of golden
glow.Yet he also has a heart of reproof towards
the mercantilism of his times (in one speech he
tells his audience that they have two religions,
one which they pay lip-service and tithes to,
and the other religion of their practicality,
the one they actually live by -- and he says:
"...but we are all unanimous about this practical
one; of which I think you will admit that the ruling
goddess may be best generally described as the
'Goddess of Getting-on,' or 'Britannia of the
Market.'")
Some of the topic titles in the various sections
give one the flavor of his insights and vision:
"Definition of Greatness in Art"; "That the Truth
of Nature in Not to Be Discerned by the Uneducated
Senses"; "Of Truth of Space"; and "Of the Naturalist
Ideal."In his works on architecture, there are
such topic titles as "The Lamp of Truth" and "The
Lamp of Memory."
The editor of this volume, John D. Rosenberg, has
done a masterful, insightful job of presenting
Ruskin and his views -- and the Univ. Press of
Virginia have done a masterful job of printing
and binding those valuable views in an attractive
and valuable volume.

A Classic Anthology
Highly acclaimed anthology of John Ruskin, this book is made out of 39 vols Library Edition of John Ruskin's works, supported by 5 pillars--art, architecture, society, solitude and self and compiled chronologically.In the introduction, Herbert Tucker estimates this book as a classic anthology. It is followed by Rosenberg's preface, and before each section mentioned above is his own explanatory comment. This is extremely superb in style as well as contents. At the end of the book is a new bibliography, to some of which entries brief comments are added. As Ruskin's writings, especially those in early years, are not easy to read, this book is priceless. Among relatively rare entries are "Traffic" in The Clown of Wild Olive, "Athena Keramitis" in Queen of the Air, and "Essay I" in Fiction Fair and Foul. Compared with the previous anthology by Kenneth Clark, "Ruskin Today", this one is inferior in variety but far superior in amount. Now we have the Ruskin's Complete Works in one CD-ROM, but it cannot be read, say, in a train or bed unless printed out. Concisely selected, this book is, I think, quite valuable when kept by your side.

Rosenberg's Edition of Ruskin Remains Unchallenged
It is a great pity that the works of Ruskin are neither widely read nor widely available. One can only hope that the day will come when an affordable, comprehensive, multi-volume collection will become available.For now, we may be thankful for the work of Columbia University's JohnRosenberg, who has given us perhaps as fine an introduction to Ruskin ascan be hoped for. The selections are long and judiciously made, and theyaddress Ruskin in all important aspects of his work: art critic, socialheretic, autobiographer. This book is like a wise old friend, especiallycomforting in a world that has in so many ways departed from the valuesthat this volume enshrines. A faithful rendering of an indispensableauthor. ... Read more

Amazon.com
He was the most famous and influential art critic of his age, and not so incidentally a stern critic of 19th-century English society, but John Ruskin (1819-1900) was so deeply Victorian in thought and expression that he has been out of fashion virtually since his death. British art historian Tim Hilton introduces Ruskin to modern readers in a meticulously researched biography that elucidates his groundbreaking contributions to the study and appreciation of art without mincing words about his personal problems. The Early Years covers the writing of Modern Painters, whose first volume made the 24-year-old Ruskin's reputation as a champion of contemporary artists like J.M.W. Turner, and of The Stones of Venice, which spearheaded England's Gothic revival. Hilton also examines Ruskin's close relationship with his parents and disastrous six-year marriage to Effie Gray, who received an annulment in 1854 because her husband had refused to consummate their union. (Hilton later concludes that Ruskin was sexually attracted only to preadolescent girls.) Lengthy quotations from Ruskin's diaries and letters vividly convey his personality: passionate in intellectual and social matters, argumentative, often insensitive, and prone to crippling depression. Closing in 1859, a time of frustration and stagnation for Ruskin, Hilton looks forward to his subject's mellowing of character and deepening of convictions in the half-century to come. --Wendy Smith Book Description
This is the authoritative biography of John Ruskin, the most influential nineteenth-century critic of art and society. It draws on the complete text of Ruskin's diaries and many thousands of unpublished letters and other documents to provide fresh insight into the background and content of Ruskin's numerous books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great if often dry rendition of Ruskin's life
An affectionately and well-written account of Ruskin's life (I'm referring here to parts 1 and 2 of this biography, taken as a whole).As another reviewer has pointed it, the book does move along nicely, leaving the reader feeling as though he has been given a solid picture of a period in Ruskin's life (the book is organized chronologically), though not that he has exhausted all possible accounts of it, accounts which could easily become boring to all but the most devoted of Ruskin's admirers.The only thing for which I would fault the book is its sometimes cumbersome, dry over-emphasis on facts -- lots of facts.We are too often told about where, what and when instead of why.Perhaps it was the author's intention to give an "objective" account of Ruskin's life, one in the shadow of which we'd paint our own picture of Ruskin the man.But that would seem to be contradicted by the obvious affection with which Hilton writes.Nevertheless, it was an informative read and the two volumes evidence Hilton's enormous work of scholarship.Ruskin was one of the most prolific writers we know of, but here Mr. Hilton shows that he familiarized himself thoroughly with Ruskin's works and letters.If for nothing else, we should be grateful for that.With a little humor and more analysis, this would be a near perfect biography.As it is, it's the most authoritative contemporary account of its subject and a fulfilling read.

Absorbing look into the life of a true genius
The first volume of Tim Hilton's biography, John Ruskin: The Early Years, is a fascinating look into the life and work of one of the truly great minds of the nineteenth century. Hilton treats Ruskin's eccentricities with a careful touch. The strangeness of the Ruskin life is there to see. yet the book is not overwhelmed by it. The star here is the Ruskin intellect and artistic sensibility. As a passing fan of Ruskin prior to reading this I felt hugely informed by this book. It is very nicely written and moves at a compelling pace. ... Read more

Book Description
This captivating and moving book (previously published in two volumes in 1988 and 2000) is the authoritative biography of John Ruskin, the most influential nineteenth-century critic of art and society. Drawing on the complete text of Ruskin's diaries and many thousands of unpublished letters and other documents, Tim Hilton provides fresh insight into Ruskin's literary achievement and tormented life. This edition also includes a new introduction by the author. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Beginning in 1859, the second volume of Tim Hilton's sterling biography of John Ruskin chronicles much suffering and sadness, as well as spiritual and artistic growth. The deaths of his beloved parents, in 1864 and 1871, snapped Ruskin out of self-indulgence and a tendency to complain. His love for Rose La Touche, only 9 years old when he met her in 1858 and appalled when he declared his feelings in 1866, would last throughout this morbidly pious girl's lingering illness and beyond her death in 1875. He had bouts of mental illness that finally incapacitated him in the decade before his death in 1900. Yet these were also the years in which Ruskin wrote his fascinating autobiography, Praeterita, and the innovative Fors Clavigera. Hilton believes this series of 96 pamphlets addressed to British workers to be Ruskin's masterpiece, a revelation of "the continuing life of the mind" as their author ranged from Dante to the English Poor Laws to the iconography of the penny. Hilton discusses these and the underlying themes of Ruskin's life with remarkable clarity and an impressive range of knowledge. He enables modern readers to decipher the idiosyncratic thoughts and feelings of a great Victorian who was "a glory of the nation's literature, and an important part of its social conscience." --Wendy Smith Book Description
Hilton's John Ruskin: the Early Years was published by YUP in 1985 and will be reissued in paperback this season.Following on from the first volume of his life of Ruskin, this second volume covers the years 1860 until his death in 1900. John Ruskin (1819-1900) is perhaps best known for his books on art criticism, The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849) and The Stones of Venice (1853), but his contribution as an artist is significant as well.In fact, his landscapes and portraits, with their wildness and organic energy, echo many of his critical ideas.Ruskin disliked classicism's symmetry and order, preferring the rougher qualities of Gothic art.Likewise, he rejected machine-produced goodswhich he considered 'dishonest,' advocating craftsmanship.He came to be associated with the Arts & Crafts movement, along with William Morris.Ruskin founded a utopian arts and crafts community, putting his theory into practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great, if often dry, rendition of R.'s life
An affectionately and well-written account of Ruskin's life (I'm referring here to parts 1 and 2 of this biography, taken as a whole). As another reviewer has pointed it, the book does move along nicely, leaving the reader feeling as though he has been given a solid picture of a period in Ruskin's life (the book is organized chronologically), though not that he has exhausted all possible accounts of it, accounts which could easily become boring to all but the most devoted of Ruskin's admirers. The only thing for which I would fault the book is its sometimes cumbersome, dry over-emphasis on facts -- lots of facts. We are too often told about where, what and when instead of why. Perhaps it was the author's intention to give an "objective" account of Ruskin's life, one in the shadow of which we'd paint our own picture of Ruskin the man. But that would seem to be contradicted by the obvious affection with which Hilton writes. Nevertheless, it was an informative read and the two volumes evidence Hilton's enormous work of scholarship. Ruskin was one of the most prolific writers we know of, but here Mr. Hilton shows that he familiarized himself thoroughly with Ruskin's works and letters. If for nothing else, we should be grateful for that. With a little humor and more analysis, this would be a near perfect biography. As it is, it's the most authoritative contemporary account of its subject and a fulfilling read.

The Definitive Work
To begin with the headlines:Ruskin was a racist, sexist, anti-democratic pedophile.Despite all of this (grounds for civil, if not criminal, liability today), Hilton has managed to craft a magnificent biography.Hedoes not condemn these parts of Ruskin's character -- raising the questionof whether it is place of biography to condemn -- he simply states thefacts.Hilton certainly does, however, praise Ruskin where praise is due,perhaps posing this problem of biography in reverse.In this book, afifteen year later sequel to "The Early Years," available here inpaperback, but in hardbound only through the out-of-print service, Hiltonaccomplishes everything for which one could wish in a literary biography. Hilton makes you feel Ruskin's inspirations and how they colored, oftendrove, his numerous works. He ties Ruskin into his time and how he stood inrelation to his contemporaries.I'm not sure that Ruskin was worth thededication of so much of Mr. Hilton's life and labor.Surely that is forhim to decide.Nevertheless, this is, and will remain, the definitive workon Ruskin.

Remembering Ruskin.
It has been a hundred years since John Ruskin's death, ending his 60-year career as a writer with these last words:"the fireflies everywhere in sky and cloud rising and falling, mixed with lightning, and more intensethan the stars" (p. 578).I first encountered Ruskin as a graduatestudent in a Victorian literature seminar taught by Ian Fletcher.Ruskinwas a university professor who, like my own professor, encouraged studentsnot to study merely "in expectation of advancement in the materialworld once they graduated" (p. 466).There are "treasures hiddenin books" (p. 91), Ruskin wrote, and as a student I found Ruskin'swriting filled with treasures that have enriched my life for years sincefinishing college.

In his excellent new biography, Hilton returns toRuskin during his subject's "later years."However, the bookactually picks up with Ruskin entering his middle years at age 40, and endswith Ruskin's death in 1900 at the age of 81.Ruskin died on the doorstepof the 20th century."What is the world coming to?I wish I couldstay to see" (p. 484) we find Ruskin wondering.Hilton followsRuskin's troubled descent from the heights of his life as a trueRenaissance man--prolific writer, social critic, artist, art critic,Victorian intellectual, and eccentric Oxford professor--to Ruskin in hisfinal years, an unhappy, bewildered, and silent man, incapable of writing,and looking "like Lear in the last scene" (p. 589)."Lifeis really quite disgustingly too short," Ruskin reflects at one pointin the book. "One has only got one's materials together by the timeone can no longer use them" (p. 531).

Ruskin's life is sofascinating, it is a wonder that it took someone a hundred years to writethis biography.Hilton triumphs in bringing Ruskin to life.We learn, forinstance, that Ruskin was an avid collector of drawings, gems, minerals,manuscripts, shells, photographs, birds' feathers, sculptures, books, andpaintings.While an Oxford professor, he played hide-and-seek in ChristChurch Cathedral.We witness his intellectual doubts eroding his religiousfaith.More curious, perhaps, we experience the "sad and wastefulstory" (p. 132) of Ruskin's relationship (and obsession) with Rose LaTouche, to whom he proposed marriage in 1866.Rose had just turned 18. Ruskin was 46 and divorced from an unconsumated marriage.Ruskin suffersfor Rose in this book, and we feel his pain.We then watch Ruskin'sprogressive "mental collapse" into madness, following a series ofbreakdowns beginning after Rose's untimely death, leaving Ruskin "lostin a wildrness [sic] of thoughts" (p. 419), with no control over hismind or life.

This definitive biography gives Ruskin the long-overdueattention he deserves.Hilton's insight into his subject and vastknowledge of Ruskin's writing suggest he has spent his entire life studyingRuskin.Hilton is a fine writer, and this is a fine book that willhopefully prompt more readers to also discover the treasures found inreading Ruskin.Although Ruskin's books may not be widely available, Irecommend Rosenberg's 1998 collection, THE GENIUS OF JOHN RUSKIN.

G.Merritt ... Read more

Book Description
On the centenary of Ruskin's death, a biography that explores the genius of the romantic visionary and the anguish of the private man. A man of prodigious genius, the eminently Victorian John Ruskin ranged over the entire landscape of human knowledge, from botany and geology to art criticism and social theory. He championed the painter J. M. W. Turner, the poetry of Wordsworth, and Gothic architecture. He inspired Proust and Gandhi. Works like his incomparable Stones of Venice fathered a new generation of aesthetes, while his indictment of English industrialism in The Storm Cloud of the Nineteenth Century fathered the ethical socialists who would strive to establish a new political order for the working man. Not only does this probing new biography celebrate the literary career that made Ruskin one of the most influential cultural figures of his day, it also illuminates the darker side of an emotionally unstable man whose obsessive desires thwarted his marriage to Effie Gray and later - after the death of Rose La Touche, the young girl he loved consumingly - drove him to extended bouts with madness. No passion, though, could dim the blazing creative energy of the intelligence that reimagined England's social destiny, as this estimable, crisply detailed volume shows. "Attractively written and well-argued.... A shrewd summary of Ruskin's career and a balanced assessment of his major works." - Sunday Telegraph "The perfect condensed account of Ruskin's life." - Daily Telegraph; "An excellent short study, keenly alert to the social and political environments in which Ruskin found himself." - Guardian. ... Read more

Book Description