The Gentle Art of Making Enemies (Signed limited edition)
- SIGNED
- London: William Heinemann, 1890
London: William Heinemann, 1890. First edition. Very Good +. Number 97 of 250 copies of the large paper edition, initialed by the author with his signature butterfly monogram on the limitation page. Original cloth backed boards with gilt stamping on the front board and spine, and black titling on the spine. A Very Good+ copy with slight wear to the front board and some foxing to the end papers, but unrestored and text generally clean.
A historical record of an artist's vendetta against popular and professional critics. "A classic in the literature of insult and denigration...it contains the deadly sarcasm and stinging remarks of one of the wittiest men of the nineteenth century. Whistler not only refused to tolerate misunderstanding by critics and the so-called art-loving public--but launched into vicious counter attacks as well" (Dover). Extracts from the infamous Whistler v. Ruskin libel case are among the highlights of the text, as are his scathing and contemptuous responses to critics from Oscar Wilde to newspaper editors. "As a historical document, it is the best statement of the new aesthetics versus the old guard academics, and it helped greatly in shaping the modern feeling toward art" (Dover). Very Good +.
A historical record of an artist's vendetta against popular and professional critics. "A classic in the literature of insult and denigration...it contains the deadly sarcasm and stinging remarks of one of the wittiest men of the nineteenth century. Whistler not only refused to tolerate misunderstanding by critics and the so-called art-loving public--but launched into vicious counter attacks as well" (Dover). Extracts from the infamous Whistler v. Ruskin libel case are among the highlights of the text, as are his scathing and contemptuous responses to critics from Oscar Wilde to newspaper editors. "As a historical document, it is the best statement of the new aesthetics versus the old guard academics, and it helped greatly in shaping the modern feeling toward art" (Dover). Very Good +.