Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh

The letters are remarkable, his love of his brother shines through, He had such difficulty with relationships,only Theo appeared to understand him although even he had moments of doubt. The poverty the struggle for perfection, his desperate longing for love,its all there an extraordinary book.

This fine book was in perfect condition and delivered promptly. An absorbing read.

Brilliant really good book

Very interesting as both a social history and the artists development and thoughts would like full letters

I like it very much.

way of understanding vincent

It is not as easy a read as Stone's van Gog biography Lust For Life, but for fans, it's a deep book.Vincent tells of how he went into the fields to paint, and then a rain storm came. He sought meager shelter behind a big tree while it lasted, and then resumed. And because he had started with a low vantage point, he now had to stand on his knees in the mud! He seems to merely mention this to point out why he considers common workman's clothes to be the artist's best friend...He also tells how he went out to paint the sea, in a storm so strong he could barely stay on his feet. One painting got so full of sand from the beach that he went to a nearby inn and retouched it... and then went back out into the storm to finish it with fresh impressions!Today, most of us: "Go out with the camera today? Nah, it's a bit nippy, and I just got the Sopranos on DVD..."Irving Stone edited Dear Theo, and while he may have done a good job generally, I think it was a disservice to the material to not indicate where he cut it. It is just one long text, no dates and no indication where each quote starts or ends.

Everything is exactly how someone could ever want. Amazing insights. Shame about the unusual choice of book sleeve (Brown and orange?); Unusual but removable!