Anthony Bailey – författare

Born in 1776 in East Anglia near the river Stour, John Constable was destined for his father's business of milling and grain-shipping. But he was obdurately opposed to this and persuaded his family he should become an artist instead. In the same determined spirit, he wooed Maria Bicknell in the teeth of opposition from her formidable grandfather, and persisted in painting landscapes at a time when history paintings and portraits were the fashion. Sometimes sharp and sarcastic, and often depressed, Constable in fact possessed a warm gift for intimate friendship. This is revealed in his letters to John Dunthorne, village handyman and housepainter, and to his best friend and patron, archdeacon John Fisher, to whom he wrote: 'I have a kingdom of my own, both fertile and populous - my landscape and my children'. In recent times, after a period of relative ignominy, Constable's influence on British landscape painting has been re-acknowledged, he has been more widely exhibited and his reputation has been reestablished as one of the masters of his genre. This important and absorbing biography explores his life and work, and highlights the dramatic tension between the two.

Vermeer has always been considered the most elusive of great artists, but this book tracks him down in his home town. It takes the reader back to seventeenth-century Delft, in a piece of historical writing that does justice to its now timeless subject. Anthony Bailey makes use of the scholarly research that has accumulated in the last century, as well as recent findings, and then reaches beyond these facts to expose the hidden Vermeer. The result is a vivid, convincing portrait of the Protestant innkeeper's son who married a prosperous Catholic girl and had 15 children of whom 11 survived. Vermeer died relatively young and left fewer than 40 pictures. Many of these pictures are indeed masterpieces, and Anthony Bailey examines the scientific expertise which lies behind their calm mystery. He introduces us to Vermeer's colleagues and fellow-citizens, and charts his celebrity as it slowly spread out of Holland and encompassed the world. He examines Vermeer's effect on many creative and destructive people, including Proust and Hitler. A View of Delft is a highly original attempt to get at Vermeer's life and personality, by setting him imaginatively in the context of Delft, its culture and history.

Woodburning stoves have become incredibly popular and it's easy to see why. Not only do woodburners save money on fuel, they're a carbon-neutral way to heat your home and make a great looking feature in a room. If you're thinking of getting a woodburner, this comprehensive collection of basic information will guide you through everything you need to know, from choosing the most suitable stove for your needs to installing and operating one efficiently and safely.

This revised and updated edition of The Woodburner Handbook provides comprehensive information to guide readers through everything they need to know, from choosing the most suitable stove to installing and operating one efficiently and safely.

A revealing new portrait of J.M.W. Turner and the man behind the art, uncovering fresh material and shedding new light on this complicated and secretive artistic figure. Joseph Mallord William Turner is arguably Britain's greatest and most mysterious painter, whose range of work encompasses seascape and landscape, immensely powerful oil paintings and intimate watercolours. His friend and colleague C.R. Leslie remembered him thus: 'Turner was short and stout, and had a sturdy, sailor-like walk. He might be taken for the captain of a river steamboat at first glance; but a second would find more in his face than belongs in any ordinary mind. There was that peculiar keenness of expression in his eye that is only seen in men of constant habits of observation'. The son of a Covent garden barber and a woman who died in Bethlehem Hospital, Turner achieved fame and fortune during his lifetime. Although he possessed a wide-ranging imagination, he was an often incoherent speaker and writer, and his muddled will produced much discord – it is a wonder that, despite avaricious relatives and incompetent lawyers, so many of his works are now in the hands of the nation, and publicly proclaim his genius. In this riveting and revelatory biography, Anthony Bailey has drawn upon archival material, scholarly literature and research, as well as studying many of Turner's sketchbooks, paintings and watercolours, to shed new light on this complicated and secretive artistic figure.

The router is the most useful and versatile of all woodworking power tools. Lightweight and inexpensive, it is a must-have tool for the workshop where it can be used to shape, joint and cut materials especially when using jigs and templates. Router Jigs and Templates will show you, the budding craftsman or seasoned woodworker, everything you need to know to get the best out of this effective and valuable power tool. Anthony Bailey, expert with the router, takes you through the basic set-up and the fundamental techniques; explores the difference between freehand and table routing; and looks in-depth at the practical uses for functional jigs and templates. The techniques can be learned quickly and easily through the combination of Anthonys approachable writing style and expert knowledge, ensuring that the skills you learn will stay with you and give you the confidence to create your own impressive pieces of work, whether you feel like having a go at creating a chess or draughts board, a roller-front breadbin or an attractive picture frame.