From Lanark to The Book of Prefaces, Alasdair Gray, more than any other writer still working, can be claimed as the modern successor to William Blake. As well as being award-winning tales, his books are also works of art that are a delight to own and hold, from the embossed boards to his own illustrations: books, not texts. Since Lanark appeared in 1981, Gray has produced work of all kinds - novels, short stories, poetry, polemic, plays - all of which retain the sense of humour, Scottish heart, intellectual curiosity and unique style that is Gray's mark.
This volume of essays contains a detailed bibliography of Gray's writing and design, illustrations of his artwork and original essays from such diverse hands as the poet Professor Philip Hobsbawm, Kevin Williamson author of Drugs and the Party Line, and Jonathan Coe author of The Rotters' Club.
