After You, Mr Lear

On the 150th anniversary of Lear's appointment as Queen Victoria's drawing master (in 1866), the author and his wife set sail in their yacht Gang Warily, from near Osborne house, Queen Victoria's home in the Isle of Wight. They cross the Channel, navigate the rivers and canals of France to the Mediterranean, and follow the coast of Italy from Lear's adopted home at San Remo south as far as Calabria. A fascinating account of a voyage of discovery, richly illustrated, and including some of Lear's own most accomplished drawings and paintings, as well as new insights into the life an work of a remarkable man. (HB)