Memoirs of the Life of John Constable

C.R. Leslie's memoir of his friend John Constable was first published in 1843 (with an expanded second edition in 1845) and has remained the standard biography of Constable ever since. The book is chiefly compiled from Constable's own correspondence and conversation; indeed its great authority arises from the fact that the story is told almost throughout in the subject's own words. Constable wrote as he painted, with an acute and serious eye on the subject, and with a spontaneous presentation of imagery; he also showed over and over again a robust wit and a taste for gossip. Leslie's memoir is thus still valuable on two counts: it is a classic biography, in which the author's warm and engaging personality is portrayed as freshly as on the first day of publication, and it is a art-historical source-book for the life and opinions of England's greatest landscape painter. This edition contains Leslie's complete and unabridged text. The preface and explanatory notes are by Jonathan Mayne, who also selected and annotated the 72 illustrations.