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If I Could But See It

A Graphic Biography of William Morris
By Nick Thorkelson
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Brief Description
Up at the League, says a friend, there had been one night a brisk conversational discussion, as to what would happen on the Morrow of the Revolution … As he sat in that vapour-bath of hurried and discontented humanity, a carriage of the underground railway, he,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$6900

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A vivid, full-colour graphic biography of the celebrated 19th-century designer and socialist William Morris

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Up at the League, says a friend, there had been one night a brisk conversational discussion, as to what would happen on the Morrow of the Revolution … As he sat in that vapour-bath of hurried and discontented humanity, a carriage of the underground railway, he, like others, stewed discontentedly … he found himself musing on the subject-matter of discussion: "If I could but see a day of it," he said to himself; "if I could but see it!"

This is the graphic biography of William Morris (1834-1896), the celebrated designer, driven polymath and radical socialist.

With the telegraphic immediacy of the doodle, Nick Thorkelson's striking and idiosyncratic illustrations chime with the Arts and Crafts movement's emphasis on the humanising power of the handmade.

Thorkelson moves through the major events of Morris's life, weaving a rich tapestry of the major artistic, social and political questions which animated him. He explores Morris's politics and art, and how his hatred of class tyranny and love of humanity shaped his poetry, design and relationships. He considers the tension of Morris's efforts to democratise art while creating pieces for the wealthy, his critique of Britain's Empire, and his central place in socialist culture and propaganda.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780745346274

Publisher: Pluto Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 September 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pluto Press

Illustration: Full colour throughout

Contributors:

  • Edited by Paul Buhle
  • Edited by Mari Jo Buhle

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 203.0mm

Height: 280.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 128

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Education & Reference Fashion & Design Graphic Novels Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies Nick Thorkelson Non-Fiction Politics & Current Affairs

About the Author

Nick Thorkelson is a cartoonist living in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He is the author and illustrator of Herbert Marcuse: Philosopher of Utopia (2019). He was an editorial cartoonist at The Boston Globe and has created comics and illustrations in support of organizations working on economic justice, peace, public health, and industrial safety. He is the co-author and/or illustrator of The Earth Belongs to the People, The Underhanded History of the USA, The Legal Rights of Union Stewards, The Comic Strip of Neoliberalism, and Economic Meltdown Funnies, and has contributed to a number of nonfiction comics anthologies. Nick also moonlights as a musician, animator, graphic designer, and painter. Paul Buhle is the author or editor of more than three-dozen books. Formerly a Senior Lecturer at Brown University, he produces radical comics today, and is the authorised biographer of C.L.R. James. He founded the SDS Journal Radical America and the archive Oral History of the American Left and, with Mari Jo Buhle, is coeditor of the Encyclopedia of the American Left.

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