Most books about Arthur Rackham fall into two categories; they are either exhibitions of his artwork or collections of stories that he has illustrated (often with a combination of both subjects). Until this volume his biography was often overlooked, with only small details included as descriptive elements to his illustrations. While this is extremely valuble for the multitude of previously unpublished illustrations, the author has chosen to correct the gap in biographical details. He worked extensively with Rackham's descendants and with the large collections of Rackham illustrations around the world to gain access to many rare pictures and to gain a deeper understanding of the man behind the pictures to create what is undoubtedly the authoritative biographical resources.

Interesting features include:
- bibliography of scholarly sources on Rackham
- bibliography of Rackham first edition books
- bibliography of early illustrations published in newspapers/magazines
- discussion of the AR monogram (questionably Rackham's)
- corrections of other biographical sources
- list of original drawings/painting in public collections ( )

disappointing. a boring read. ( )