Listed in the Sunday Times 'Books of the Year' and Daily Mail 'Biographies for Christmas 2011', Outsider is the life of a child, boy, adolescent, student and young man in London between the Great Depression of the 30s and the sudden prosperity and social changes of the 60s, affected by the moral attitudes of the day, by the Blitz, post-war austerity and the new freedoms of the later 50s that were resisted with such obstinacy by the old regime. It is about education in the almost forgotten sense of the pursuit of learning for its own sake. It is about the imposed experiences of school and National Service and the chosen experience of being a student at the Courtauld Institute under Johannes Wilde and Anthony Blunt. It is about sex, pre-pubertal, in adolescence and in early adulthood, and the price to be paid for it. It is about art and the art market in the turbulent years of its change from the pursuit of well-connected gentleman to the professional occupation of experts.

Outsider: Always Almost: Never Quite

Biographies & Memoirs

Brian Sewell

Arts & Literature

Quartet Books Ltd.

The first volume of Brian Sewell's scandalous and haunting memoir was met by riotous applause in the press. 'Outsider is a delicious read ... I want more - much more,' wrote Rachel Cooke in the Guardian. 'This book records an extraordinary life and will, I hope, soon be continued,' added Lynn Barber in the Sunday Times. Outsider II will certainly not disappoint. With the first instalment ending tantalisingly in 1967 - after exploring Sewell's childhood, adolescence and early adulthood - this next chapter charts his path to becoming, as the Spectator noted, 'Surely the funniest art critic of our time.'

Outsider

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Quartet Books

The first volume of Brian Sewell's scandalous and haunting memoir was met by riotous applause in the press. 'Outsider is a delicious read ... I want more - much more,' wrote Rachel Cooke in the Guardian. 'This book records an extraordinary life and will, I hope, soon be continued,' added Lynn Barber in the Sunday Times. Outsider II will certainly not disappoint. With the first instalment ending tantalisingly in 1967 - after exploring Sewell's childhood, adolescence and early adulthood - this next chapter charts his path to becoming, as the Spectator noted, 'Surely the funniest art critic of our time.'

Outsider: II: Always Almost: Never Quite

Brian Sewell strays from the art world to tell the enchanting story of a man and his pet donkey, Pavlova. Beautifully illustrated by the celebrated cartoonist Sally Ann Lasson, The White Umbrella is an allegorical tale about taking personal responsibility for our environment and the importance of both compassion and empathy. It is the perfect book for children and adults alike - a classic in the making to keep and to cherish.

The White Umbrella

Literature & Fiction

Literary

A collection of erudite and typically contrarian essays from the late great art critic. Writing for the Evening Standard, but ever unwilling to tow the line, Brian gives uncompromising, witty and cultured opinions on the hot topics of his day, many of which are startlingly relevant now. Written while columnist for the Evening Standard from 1996 to 2002, Brian Sewell's Orwell Prize winning essays tackle issues as diverse as battery farming and pornography as well as subjects still at the fore of public discourse such as housing and immigration. He wages a veritable one man war against the political and social evils of the time and casts his discerning eye over the tenures of both John Major and Tony Blair, ever the sceptic as the latter was swept to power on a wave of optimism.Controversial and idiosyncratic throughout, his opinions are backed up by a vast well of knowledge and his humanitarian instincts shine through in diatribes on attitudes towards homelessness and child labour, among other causes. Written with his trademark eloquence and humour, this collection celebrates his extraordinary career and marks a year on from his sad death at the age of 84.

The Orwell Essays: A Selection of Prize-Winning Journalism

Published to enormous critical acclaim and commercial success between 2011 and 2012, these classic memoirs from the late, great and incendiary art critic Brian Sewell are now reissued in a single volume in response to their continuing popularity. With an additional afterword by Naim Attallah recalling Sewell's remarkable gift for friendship, the combined volume provides a remarkable self-portrait of a remarkable art critic who became a national treasure. It was no wonder mugs with `Brian Sewell is Fab' emblazoned around them were on sale in art gallery gift shops.

The Complete Outsider: Always Almost: Never Quite

Hudson's Historic Houses & Gardens: Castles and Heritage Sites.

Heritage House

Loyd Grossman

Michael Portello

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Books by Brian Sewell