Stanley Spencer, a central figure in the current revival of European figurative painting, is among the most important English painters of the twentieth century. In this book, Fiona MacCarthy investigates Spencer's life, sets his work in its cultural context, and emphasises the links between his life and his paintings.

With the extensive commentary - edited from Spencer's own writings - on each of the stunning reproductions of Spencer's paintings, this volume provides a comprehensive account of a profoundly original artist and his work.