The Unknown Matisse: A Life of Henri Matisse, Volume 1: The Early Years, 1869-1908

"Lucidly and economically written, the book gives just enough explanatory background, just enough history, just enough atmosphere so that we have some sense of context yet never feel that Spurling is rambling or becoming mired in the tangential....Most of what Spurling tells us is documented by Matisse's own writings and by the testimony of his contemporaries....the teeming richness of the characterization gives 'The Unknown Matisse' the riveting human interest of a classic nineteenth-century novel.Hilary Spurling is the author of 'The Unknown Matisse: A Life of Henri Matisse, Volume 1: The Early Years, 1869-1908', published 2001 under ISBN 9780520222038 and ISBN 0520222032.