William Harry Rogers: Victorian Book Designer and Star of the Great Exhibition

Gregory Jones

Hardcover | 19.69 x 1.65 x 24.16 cm | 312 pp

Unicorn Press | 2023 | 9781911397175

William Harry Rogers was one of the finest artist-designers of the Victorian period in Britain, to be considered in the same company as Pugin, William Burges, Owen Jones and Christopher Dresser. His designs won several prize medals at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the event which provides a ubiquitous reference point for cultural histories of the nineteenth century. He subsequently specialised in designing the appearances of books and his work in this field in the 1850s and 1860s was unrivalled, with many of his designs also appearing in the USA.

This book is the definitive account of his work and his life in Soho and the village of Wimbledon; it includes many new discoveries and hundreds of colour illustrations.

Gregory Jones is an emeritus professor at the University of Warwick whose career has embraced also the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Bristol. In recent years he has turned to studying the role of the nineteenth-century artist-designer. He has researched many aspects of the Victorian book, including design, illustration, copyright and publishing, writing about these topics in journals such as The Library and The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America.

'Grey Jones's biography brings to life a versatile Victorian artist and designer who made an indelible impact on nineteenth-century material culture. Based on meticulous research, Jones creates a compelling portrait of a talented yet little known artist whose influence on Victorian taste was profound.' Joanne Shattock, Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature, University of Leicester

'This book is erudite yet eminently readable and is a comprehensive study of WHR and his varied achievements in design encompassing not just book covers and illustration but also silver, wooden items and playing cards. This is a landmark in Victorian studies and is very well illustrated.' Paul Goldman, Honorary Professor of English Literature, Cardiff University

'This thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated book places William Harry Rogers at the forefront of mid-Victorian design, as frequently expressed in his book cover designs.' Edmund M.B. King, art historian