This is a fascinating study of the writers and artists living in the art colony of St Ives during and just after the end of the Second World War in 1945. It charts many of the issues which were aired in this fertile period of abstract modernism including illustrations of the range of characters present there. It affords an insight into, amongst others, the writings of W.S.Graham, Sven Berlin and the perspective of Norman Levine. It is clear and useful introduction to the theoretical discourse in a handy format. There are excellent notes.