Ever Yours: The Essential Letters

"There is scarcely one letter by Van Gogh which I, who am certainly no expert, do not find fascinating." —W. H. Auden In addition to his many remarkable paintings and drawings, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) left behind a fascinating and voluminous body of correspondence. This highly accessible book includes a broad selection of 265 letters, from a total of 820 in existence, that focus on Van Gogh’s relentless quest to find his destiny, a search that led him to become an artist; the close bond with his brother Theo; his fraught relationship with his father; his innate yearning for recognition; and his great love of art and literature. The correspondence not only offers detailed insights into Van Gogh’s complex inner life, but also re-creates the world in which he lived and the artistic avant-garde that was taking hold in Paris.   The letters are accompanied by a general introduction, historic family photographs, and reproductions of 87 actual pages of letters that contain sketches by Van Gogh. Selected from the critically acclaimed 6-volume set of letters published by the Van Gogh Museum in 2009, Ever Yours is the essential book on Van Gogh’s letters, which every art and literature lover needs to own.   Published in association with the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

About the Author :
Leo Jansen, formerly curator of paintings at the Van Gogh Museum, is editor of the Mondrian Edition Project. Hans Luijten is a senior researcher and Nienke Bakker is curator of paintings at the Van Gogh Museum. 

Review :
"No artist was ever a more engaging, vivid, honest, yearning, generous correspondent: you can open this selection on any page and be instantly riveted. Marvellously condensed from the Van Gogh Museum’s landmark six-volume 2009 edition."—Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times "The truth about Vincent van Gogh, the very core of his struggles, beliefs, madness, and ambitions can be found in his collected letters, Ever Yours."—Nick Mafi, Daily Beast "Of considerable interest to art lovers, students, scholars, and others, this affordable, well-presented, and scholarly publication is very highly recommended for many academic, large public, and special library art book collections."—Library Journal, starred review "A fitting tribute in the year that marks the 125th anniversary of the artist’s death."—Apollo Magazine "The selection is astute, the translation earthy, the facsimiles of illustrated pages handsome and comprehensive. Of all the editions, Ever Yours is the best combination of readability and accuracy for a general reader."—Alexander Adams, Spiked "[Van Gogh’s letters] make up not only a creative autobiography without parallel in visual art but what the editors of a new selection call 'a highlight of world literature.' . . . Lovers not only of great art but great autobiography should devour this ample sample. A bargain at 770 pages, enriched by scores of the drawings (or 'croquis') with which Vincent explained his works-in-progress, the volume knits 265 letters into a coherent, impassioned, and eloquent pilgrim’s progress."—Boyd Tonkin, The Independent A Best Art Book of 2014 —Huffington Post