John Constable (1776–1837) is England’s best-loved landscape painter, and the familiarity of his images can disguise how revolutionary he really was. His passionate concentration on the truth of the natural world influenced not just other painters but the whole course of romanticism, and the spontaneity and energy of his vision and technique remain as fresh today as ever.

It was a long journey for this sensitive, not very sociable man, a journey whose fascinating twists and turns we can trace through his many vivid letters, where Constable shared his developing ideas and practice with a small group of friends and patrons. To read his letters today is to gain unparalleled insight into a pioneering creative mind. For the first time, these letters have now been selected and arranged into chronological order to create a coherent narrative. The editor is the leading expert on Constable, Anne Lyles, and she has also written an extensive introduction.