An Anthology of Mine

A stunning boxed set facsimile edition of the "little anthology" of favorite poems compiled and illustrted by Rex Whistler, with his friend Stephen Tennant, in his years as a student at the Slade School of Art

Every page of this anthology shows Rex Whistler's new-found delight in verse of a romantic kind: Poe, Keats, Marvell, de la Maare, Emily Dickinson, Shelley, Tennyson, Gray, Edith Sitwell, and others. But, though serious about the poems, he could not, being Rex Whistler, deny himself flippancy on a title page, or in a penciled comment added to Keats' woebegone knight-at-arms. Whistler made this earliest of all his illustrated books for his own pleasure. It was first published almost 60 years after Whistler compiled it, by Hamish Hamilton in 1981, and has been long out of print. This splendid new edition is as alive with the youthful pleasure that first inspired the bright colored margins in 1923. Presented in a cltohbound slipcase, this is a unique gift for Whistler aficionados and poetry lovers alike.

"An artist whose supreme gift was to delight and entertain, and an attractive and wordly figure whose talent combined sophistication and innocence with a natural humour that defies solemn analysis."  —Michael Ratcliffe

Rex Whistler (1905-1944) was one of the most intriguing artists of the interwar years. His work encompassed all areas of art and design, from set design for opera, ballet, and the West End theater to book illustration. He painted moving and memorable portraits, of people and of their houses. And he was the outstanding mural painter of his day. As a 20-year old student at the Slade School he painted a mural which an still be seen on the walls of the restaurant at Tate Britain. At the outbreak of World War II he volunteered to serve in the army. He became a dedicated tank commander in the Guards Armoured Division. He was killed in Normandy on 18 July 1944.