The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography

The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography

by James McBey
The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography

The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography

by James McBey

Paperback(Main)

$16.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Usually ships within 1 week
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

This book is an autobiographical account of the early years of James McBey, the self-taught boy from a humble north-east village who became one of Scotland's most successful and celebrated artists. Writing with charismatic frankness and realism, McBey describes his passionate desire to be an artist, from his first etchings (printed with the help of an old mangle) to the moment when he left a stultifying job to strike out for Holland to create a life of his own.

McBey's journey was not an easy one. Poverty, ignorance, his family's indifference, the petty routines of an Aberdeen bank, his mother's suicide, all these are evoked with gravity, clarity and a lightness of touch - like the etchings themselves - which will long remain in the reader's mind.

Introduced by Nicolas Barker, who edited the original manuscripts, this book offers a real-life portrait of the artist as a young man and establishes James McBey as a gifted prose stylist in his own right.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780862414450
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication date: 07/01/2010
Series: Canongate Classics Series , #36
Edition description: Main
Pages: 152
Product dimensions: 5.04(w) x 7.76(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

James McBey (1883-1959) was born near Foveran on the north-east coast of Scotland. McBey's art is represented in the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria and Albert, the Luxembourg Gallery in Paris, and there are major collections of his work in the Boston Public Library, the National Gallery, Washington, and most notably, in the James McBey Room and Library at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews