Publisher's Synopsis
The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England in the 1880s, flourished in Britain and elsewhere until the First World War, and has had an enduring impact worldwide on design and craft practice. This book is the first to chart the development of the Movement through a range of writings, most of which are long out of print or unpublished. Many of the wide-ranging and radical ideas which shaped the Movement in the second half of the nineteenth century were a reaction against social, political and moral issues affecting Victorian England. The ideals of craftsmanship were promoted in the face of the industrialization of production; the virtues of craftwork, plain materials and individualism were all highlighted. Most Arts and Crafts writing reflects the complex nature of the Movement. Useful handbooks providing historical background and practical instruction were published alongside soul-stirring, powerful exhortations about art, life and society. This anthology includes contributions from many of the key practitioners of the Movement (including C.R. Ashbee, W.R. Lethaby and Ernest Gimson), as well as from commentators in newspapers and journals. It provides both an introduction to the ideas behind the Arts and Crafts Movement in England in its own words, and a vivid picture of the people and events which shaped the Movement.
