Dadd, Richard

The World of Richard Dadd
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The worlds of Richard Dadd and Michael Mott
The World of Richard Dadd
Michael Mott
Manufacturer: MARGIE, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Ancient, Classical & MedievalAncient, Classical & Medieval | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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  1. The Girl in the Green Glass Mirror

ASIN: 0971904014

Book Description

THE WORLD OF RICHARD DADD is an intriguing collection of poetry concerning the rememberances of a dark era, that is playfully autobiographical and hauntingly dreamlike in it's vision.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The worlds of Richard Dadd and Michael Mott.......2006-05-25

Richard Dadd is probably best known for two things: his enigmatic and hallucinatory fairy paintings and the fact that he murdered his father.

In 'The World of Richard Dadd', Michael Mott reflects upon Dadd, the artist and the son, but intertwines this with thoughts about his own childhood in north London on the eve of the Second World War; a childhood shared by Thom Gunn to whom the book is dedicated.

The strands of the book are skillfully mingled, partly because they share a similar mood where dreamlike memory distilled by time. Mott evokes a childhood where parents are distant exotic beings, usually viewed through the upstairs banisters, where children climb monkey puzzle trees and dress up in their absent parents' clothes.

This is not to say this is a comfortable book. Mott is painfully honest about the patriarchal society in which he was brought up, and its consequences in the wider world - the shadow of war hangs over the book.

All in all, a thought-provoking collection from an accomplished poet, full of allusive and memorable images.

My one criticism is of the reproductions of Dadd's work inside the book - they are murky and hard to discern.
The Girl in the Green Glass Mirror
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Has promise, but misses the mark
  • Not my kind of book
  • very pleased
  • Well worth reading...
  • life imitates art imitates life
The Girl in the Green Glass Mirror
Elizabeth Mcgregor
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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  4. Object of Virtue: A Novel
  5. How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life

ASIN: 055380359X
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Book Description

Hailed for her “remarkably accomplished and poignant work” (Washington Post), acclaimed author Elizabeth McGregor returns with a haunting love story about two lost souls brought together by chance—and bonded forever by a mystery that transcends madness, tragedy, and time itself....

Catherine Sergeant is adept at going through the motions. After losing her parents at an early age, she buried her grief in the study of antiquities. Now, deserted by her husband without warning or explanation, she reports to work at Pearson’s auction house, exchanging pleasantries with colleagues, never revealing her pain. Cocooned in loneliness, she couldn’t be more surprised to find herself opening up to a total stranger—a new client, no less.

In widowed architect John Brigham, Catherine finds a kindred spirit. The two share a fascination with Richard Dadd, an early Victorian painter who lived most of his life incarcerated in an insane asylum. There he produced his most stunning works—works that have deeply moved Catherine and now draw her inexorably
to John. Soon the two are falling in love.

The reawakening of passion in a woman like Catherine is more than John ever hoped for. But when she discovers his possession of an unknown Dadd, it is just the first in a series of revelations that leave her wondering if she knows this man who has shown her life’s true beauty. For John, it may be a last chance to free himself from the priceless secrets he has been harboring too long. Secrets about a soul laid bare on canvas, and a legacy that could shatter all he holds dear in the space of a heartbeat…

A compelling blend of human drama, art, and history, this intriguing tale casts a spell that lingers far beyond the final page—and celebrates the strength we all must find within our hearts.

Download Description

ELIZABETH McGREGOR is the acclaimed author of The Ice Child and A Road Through the Mountains. She lives with her daughter, Kate, on the south coast of England, in Dorset, where she is working on her next novel.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Has promise, but misses the mark.......2007-06-17

I read this for our bookclub. I am a fan of Richard Dadd and was looking forward to this book. I was disappointed, however. The characters are not particularly sympathetic and the two parts of the book (the ongoing romance between John and Catherine; Helen's sinking pathetically into serious mental illness; Catherine and Robert's peculiar breakup--intercut with the peeping into Richard Dadd's psyche) just didn't work really well as an integrated whole. The pace was a bit slow, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, though the ultimate payoff did not make it worthwhile. Not a terrible book by any means, but not very memorable. If you are interested in Dadd, by all means take a look.

1 out of 5 stars Not my kind of book.......2007-06-10

This may possibly be a good book - I found it so boring I gave up after reading only a third of it. Maybe I missed the good part. Although I am a compulsive reader (who ELSE reads the side of cereal boxes?), I couldn't force myself to finish it.

5 out of 5 stars very pleased.......2007-03-09

Received in a very timely manner, book was new and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I would buy from this vendor again.

5 out of 5 stars Well worth reading..........2006-09-14

I had grabbed this book while passing thru a bookstore out of sheer desperation for something to read, and it has turned out to be a wonderful literary surprise. The author brings her characters to life, even the artist, Dadd, takes on a whole new meaning. I'm now anxious to learn more about him. But even more, I am looking forward to reading more of Elizabeth McGregor's books. She has an extraordinary talent in keeping readers interested, even as the story of both Dadd and the primary characters changes from one minute to the next.

I strongly recommend this for a really good read.

5 out of 5 stars life imitates art imitates life.......2006-02-25

Oh, wow, I was impressed with this book. Two stories which turn out to be related, alternate. We open in a London insane asylum, 1844. In the middle of a scene remeniscent of the beginning of Amadeus, the artist Richard Dadd is painting the details of an insect's wing. Probably most Americans and people without an art history background have not heard of Dadd, but he was real and his work was fascinating. It's worth taking a look at some of his pictures on the web. He was put away for life after killing his father in the middle of a delusion (he was schizophrenic). Much of his best work was done while confined in mental hospitals. In present day London, art appraiser Catherine has been left by her husband Robert. In the course of her work, she meets John, who has a house full of art and collectibles and antiques. They begin a relationship that eventually leads back to Richard Dadd. The stories are well told, the descriptions are exquisite, and the author treats characters having major mental illnesses with sensitivity, although she also makes them realistic. One remarkable scene has Dadd being transferred from a hospital where he's been for 20 years to another institution outside London. It's his first time out and his first trip on a train. It's a Rip van Winkle kind of sensation; yet Dadd carefully notes every detail for future works because he knows he wont get the chance to see it again. This book is just so interesting and really a pleasure to read. I felt I learned quite a bit, and that's something for a novel. Highly recommended.
Richard Dadd a Rock & Castle of Seclusio
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Richard Dadd a Rock & Castle of Seclusio
    David Greysmith
    Manufacturer: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000PV43BG
    Richard Dadd;: The rock and castle of seclusion
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Richard Dadd;: The rock and castle of seclusion
      David Greysmith
      Manufacturer: MacMillan
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Unknown Binding

      GeneralGeneral | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: B0006W3JPA
      Richard Dadd in Bedlam and Other Stories
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Richard Dadd in Bedlam and Other Stories
        Alan Wall
        Manufacturer: Secker & Warburg
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        BritishBritish | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
        ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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        ASIN: 0436220806
        Richard Dadd: The Rock and Castle of Seclusion
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Richard Dadd: The Rock and Castle of Seclusion
          David Greysmith
          Manufacturer: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING CO.
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000OKR78E
          The late Richard Dadd, 1817-1886
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            The late Richard Dadd, 1817-1886
            Patricia Allderidge
            Manufacturer: Tate Gallery Publications
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Unknown Binding

            GeneralGeneral | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: 0900874791
            RICHARD DADD: THE ROCK AND CASTLE OF SECLUSION
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              RICHARD DADD: THE ROCK AND CASTLE OF SECLUSION
              Richard Dadd
              Manufacturer: Macmillan
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000ITUQQQ
              L'eil d'Osiris
              Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
              • Excellent book on unusual painter (and paintings)
              L'eil d'Osiris
              Isaure de Saint Pierre
              Manufacturer: P. Belfond
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Unknown Binding

              FrenchFrench | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              FrenchFrench | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
              FrenchFrench | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books | All French Books | Arts & Photography | Audiocassettes | Children's Books | Entertainment | Health, Mind & Body | History | Middle French | Nonfiction | Old French | Professional & Technical | Reference | Religion & Spirituality | Travel
              ASIN: 2714413242

              Customer Reviews:

              4 out of 5 stars Excellent book on unusual painter (and paintings).......2000-11-28

              I read this book a decade ago, then lent it to someone and haven't seen it since. A pity, because it's seemingly impossible to find in librairies and bookstores. In English it is entitled "Richard Dadd" and is a fictionalized biography of the 19th century English painter of fairies who spent his last years in an insane asylum after at least attempting (as I remember) to kill his father. The prose is colourful verging on sugary, with Dadd's youth and delusional, paranoid madness well described. If one does get to read this book, as I would one day wish to do again, they could research Dadd's paintings, samples of which should be available in at least compediums of that era. They are unusual and give the book a background. Painting of fairies and like creatures (among the most popular done by Richard Doyle)were popular for a time in the past century.
              Richard Dadd
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Richard Dadd

                Manufacturer: Academy Editions
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback
                ASIN: 0856701521

                Historical Artists:

                1. Dali, Salvador
                2. Darger, Henry
                3. David, Jacques Louis
                4. De Chirico, Giorgio
                5. De Kooning, Willem
                6. De Morgan, Evelyn
                7. Degas, Edgar
                8. Delacroix, Eugène
                9. Delaunay, Robert
                10. Demuth, Charles

                Historical Artists

                Historical Artists