William Harry Rogers

Gregory Jones is an emeritus professor at the University of Warwick whose career has embraced also the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Bristol. In recent years he has turned to studying the role of the nineteenth-century artist-designer. He has researched many aspects of the Victorian book, including design, illustration, publishing and copyright, writing about these topics in journals such as The Library and The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America.

"Greg Jones's biography brings to life a versatile Victorian artist and designer who made an indelible impact on nineteenth-century material culture. Based on meticulous research, Jones creates a compelling portrait of a talented yet little known artist whose influence on Victorian taste was profound." - Joanne Shattock, Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature, University of Leicester "This book is erudite yet eminently readable and is a comprehensive study of WHR and his varied achievements in design encompassing not just book covers and illustration but also silver, wooden items and playing cards. This is a landmark in Victorian studies and is very well illustrated." - Paul Goldman, Honorary Professor of English Literature, Cardiff University "This thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated book places William Harry Rogers at the forefront of mid-Victorian design, as frequently expressed in his book cover designs." - Edmund M.B. King, art historian

• Acknowledgements 7one Introduction 9two Life of the Artist-Designer 19three George Isaacs 37four Two Signatures 46five The Builder 50six Henry Fitzcook 63seven The Art Journal 69eight Silver 81nine Sir Henry Cole 96ten Queen Victoria’s Cradle 106eleven The Great Exhibition and its Successors 118twelve Spiritual Conceits 139thirteen Illustrations 149fourteen Playing Cards 161fifteen Jewellery 168sixteen Book Covers 174seventeen Contemporary Owners 196eighteen Patrons 202Appendicesa Gallery of Book Covers 216b Paris 285c Cover Design Re-use and Materials 291d Kate Rogers and Others 295Index of Titles for Books and Journals with WHR Covers 301Index 305