Product Description

At the end of the eighteenth-century Britain fell in love with nature. Two books marked this moment - Gilbert White's "Natural History of Selborne" and Thomas Bewick's "History of British Birds", the first 'field-guide' for ordinary people, illustrated by woodcuts of astonishing accuracy and beauty. But it was far more than that, for in the vivid vignettes scattered through the book Bewick drew the life of the country people of the North East, children and farmers, travelling musicians, old soldiers and beggars, housewives and fishermen - a world already vanishing under the threat of enclosures. In this superbly illustrated short life, Jenny Uglow tells the story of the farmer's son from Tyneside who never courted fame yet revolutionised wood-engraving and influenced book illustration for a century to come. It is a story of violent change and radical politics, of Newcastle and the Tyne, workshops and family life, mines and fells, the sea and the fierce west winds - a journey into a past whose energy and power still haunt us today, and the beginning of our lasting obsession with the natural world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #133481 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 458 pages

Alan Titchmarsh
A fascinating story told in the riveting style one has come to
expect from Jenny Uglow. Hugely enjoyable!

BBC History Magazine, October 2006
Jenny Uglow's exceptional biography demonstrates (the) artistic
richness and social resonance, and restores their maker to his rightful
place.

Hilary Spurling, Observer, 17 September 2006
Uglow's biography is as poignant, shapely and incisive as Bewick's
woodcuts.

Customer Reviews

Nature's Engraver
An enchanting book. I hadn't heard of Bewick, but seeing the lovely illustrations, I bought it. A charming story with most evocative woodcuts by this master engraver.

Best book I've read this year


I had heard of Thomas Bewick, and had seen the occasional woodcut (especially of his rightly-famous birds), so I was delighted when this biography by Jenny Uglow came out From page one, Uglow makes Bewick come alive. Apart from a short, unhappy spell in London as a young man, Bewick lived all his long life in Northumberland, growing up in a small village and first learning, then perfecting , his trade in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He comes over as a dedicated artist, a devoted family man and a loyal friend. Yet Uglow doesn't sugarcoat him-his faults and weaknesses are here too.

I can't imagine how this biography could be bettered. Excellent lively writing, extensive research, fascinating subject living in a fascinating period of history (late C18th-early C19th ). The text is accompanied by engravings and, of course, by some of Bewick's own woodcuts.

the magic of good biography
I didn't know I'd heard of Thomas Bewick. You have, too, if you have read Jane Eyre. You've seen his influence if you've read Beatrix Potter. Bewick was famous and very influential until technology, in the form of photography, xerox, and the laser printer, rendered his art form obsolete. Imagine how difficult it would be to engrave the image of a lion when one had only ever seen one (1) in a traveling zoo. This is a fascinating book; I learned so much!