Vincent Van Gogh On My Shelf


I forgot to include this one in the photo:


I have been moving books around and cleaning the last few days (for those of you who were wondering, we survived the inspection.) I started thinking about the number of Vincent Van Gogh books that I have (the amount almost rivals my Frida Kahlo (this post needs to be updated!) and Corita Kent collections.) 

I started with the hardcover copy of The Letters of Van Gogh found at Iliad Books. It's a weighty tome but it has illustrations and it's a great book for an artist to keep in their library. Well, with all of the traveling that I sometimes do, I didn't want to lug the hardcover copy around so I opted for an inexpensive Penguin edition paperback. A short time after buying that, I wandered into Alias Books West and found a copy of Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait edited by W.H. Auden. How could I pass that up? Well, I did. At first. I thought about it and came back the next week. Luckily, it was still there. It's been by my bed ever since. I picked up the various Van Gogh books either at used bookstores or on sale (Taschen always has a great clearance sale and I found a copy of their Vincent book a few years ago.) The jewel of my collection is Van Gogh at Work which I hunted down at the Vroman's sale a couple of years ago. 

There are a few Van Gogh books that I am missing:

I just found an inexpensive copy online and ordered it today.

Ever Yours: The Essential Letters 

I keep trying to talk myself out of this. Do I really need yet another book of Van Gogh letters? This edition is absolutely gorgeous. I find it extremely hard to resist flipping through it whenever I see it in a bookstore. If I see it used, I may pick it up someday.


Vincent van Gogh: The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition (Vol. 1-6) 

This. This is the book that beats all of the other letters of Van Gogh books. I don't have it but I am lusting after it. It's $600 so, for now, all I can do is to dream about it.



I know that I'm like a broken record saying this but if you haven't seen it, you need to watch an episode of Doctor Who entitled, "Vincent and the Doctor." Don't look it up. Don't do anything but find it to watch. Trust me. 


“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

-Vincent Van Gogh 

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