The complete letters of Vincent van Gogh : with reproductions of all the drawings in the correspondence

Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 2001. A Bulfinch Press Book. Third edition, second printing. Three volumes, octavo, blue buckram lettered in gilt on the spine, with gilt decoration, pp. lxviii; 559; 625; 625, illustrations, a fine set housed in the publisher’s buckram slipcase.

‘One of the most important and powerful works in the literature of art, this critically acclaimed classic is now available in a boxed set edition with all the original text and illustrations. Articulate, intimate, written with honest directness, these letters lay bare the events of van Gogh’s dramatic life, providing remarkable insights into the creative process and touching revelations of his personal anguish. The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh was first published by New York Graphic Society in 1958. Surely among the most distinguished books ever published, it is still the only complete edition of the letters in English. Illustrated by the more than two hundred ink drawings the artist sketched into his letters, the collection has been the source of numerous biographical and fictional works, but none has matched the intensity of the original material. Most of the letters were written to the artist’s brother, Theo, and it was Theo’s son, Vincent, who acted as consulting editor for the publication. A touching memoir by Theo’s wife serves as the introduction.’ – the publisher