The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings

John TruslerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5

Word count: 249K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings by John TruslerAuthor: Trusler, John, 1735-1820,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Sep 4, 2007

Editor's review

This Project Gutenberg free e-book edition presents John Trusler's compilation of William Hogarth's engravings, in English. Hogarth is one of the most narrative and satirical artists in the history of British painting; his engravings often tell moral stories through sequential images, dense in detail and layered in allegory. Trusler's accompanying text guides readers through the figures, scenes, and satirical meanings of the plates, making this volume not merely a collection of images but also a visual reader on eighteenth-century English social customs and moral attitudes. Read slowly: first take in the overall composition, then examine gestures and props for implied meanings, using the explanatory text to grasp the satirical target. The book serves as supplementary material for the study of art history, print history, and British social and cultural history, and is also suitable for general readers interested in visual narrative to browse at leisure. Note that the original is a public-domain electronic text; plate clarity and layout depend on the specific file, and the reading experience differs from that of a printed picture book.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying British art history and print history, who may use it as reference image material
General readers interested in eighteenth-century English social customs and moral satire
Those engaged in visual narrative or illustration who wish to learn from its composition and detail arrangement
Readers who collect public-domain art e-books and are accustomed to browsing picture books on screen

Not a good fit for

Professional art workers seeking high-resolution printed plates for copying or exhibition
Beginning researchers who need systematic art-historical theoretical exposition and scholarly annotations
Readers who prefer pure text and lack patience for image interpretation

Reading tips

First read through the editor's introduction to understand the subject and narrative thread of each group of engravings, then return to examine the images closely.
Read in groups by series; after each group, retell the visual story in your own words to check whether you have understood the allegory.
When encountering details of figures and props, consult the explanatory text, note unclear points, and then look up background material on eighteenth-century England.
Use a large-screen device or print some plates to read, avoiding compression of visual detail on small screens.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a picture album or textual commentary?

It is a collection centered on Hogarth's engravings and supplemented by Trusler's commentary, giving equal weight to images and text. The plates show the works, while the text helps readers identify figures, scenes, and satirical intent; the two must be read together, since reading only the text or only the images loses information.

Can I read it without knowing British history?

It is accessible as an introduction, but depth of understanding will be limited. Hogarth's engravings often satirize eighteenth-century English politics, marriage, drunkenness, and class manners; without background knowledge one may see only the surface. It is advisable to look up relevant historical background while reading, or first read the editor's introduction to grasp the main storyline.

How clear are the plates in the electronic edition?

This book comes from a Project Gutenberg public-domain electronic text; plate clarity depends on the specific file and reading device and generally cannot match a finely printed picture book. To discern small details, use a large-screen device and zoom in, or consult other high-resolution image sources for comparison.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

John Trusler Author · British · 1735–1820

John Trusler (1735–1820) was an English clergyman, writer and bookseller. He wrote prolifically throughout his life, producing manuals on manners, language and practical subjects. Aimed at ordinary readers, these works emphasized everyday usefulness, with plain prose and clear organization that reflect his blend of instruction and practicality. The library holds his work The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings, which presents William Hogarth's works through a series of engravings and shows Trusler's involvement in art publishing. Public information about the details of his life is limited; the identity and direction of his writing described above are what can currently be confirmed, and his books mainly served contemporary readers' needs for conduct guidance, language learning and everyday reference.