‘Fascinating … thoroughly illuminating.’ Serena Davies, Daily Telegraph

‘Timely.’ John McEwen, Literary Review

‘The more one gets to know him, the more loveable Constable becomes – curmudgeonly, cantankerous, melancholy and anxiety-ridden though he was.’ Martin Gayford, Sunday Telegraph

‘Like his subject, Anthony Bailey has the great qualities of unobtrusiveness and sensitivity, letting things emerge organically rather than forcing his own imprint upon them.’ Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

‘If, for you, the joy of reading is being absorbed into another world, this elegant and detailed life of painter John Constable, the first since 1843, will not disappoint. Anthony’s style is deceptively cool, almost unobtrusive.’ Jeffrey Taylor, Sunday Express