High Street

First published in 1938, this classic book introduces the British high street, pairing the timeless illustrations of Eric Ravilious with an engaging text by architectural historian J.M. Richards. Shops include the family butcher, the coach builder, the cheesemonger, the knife grinder and the oyster bar. Only 2000 copies of the original book were printed before the lithographic plates were destroyed in the London Blitz. As a result, it has become one of the most collectible of all artist's books from this period. This beautiful facsimile edition features all 24 of Ravilious's illustrations in exquisite color and includes an essay by Gill Saunders, Senior Curator of Prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum, putting the book and its history into context. - Jacket flap. "This is a book of pictures of different kinds of shops. All the pictures are of real shops, though they are not in fact all in the same street. Most of them are in London, but except for those of a very specialized kind -- such as the shop that sells fire-engines and the one that sells diving suits -- you could find shops like these in almost any big enough town. One or two, like the saddler and harness maker, you would look for in country towns because their business belongs there." - Foreword.