by Mark de Novellis

A5, 32 pages, £3.95

This booklet with numerous illustrations has been published as a guide to the refurbished Hogarth’s House. It succeeds in the author’s stated intention of giving a tour of the house, telling readers a little about its history and about Hogarth’s life and his world, though its description of the prints as they are hung will become obsolete as soon as any re-arrangement of the exhibition is needed. However, the layout of the text is quite tricky to follow with the use of italics, indentation and fussy punctuation for most of the numerous quotations. The three full page colour illustrations of the renovated rooms are useful, but the many black and white illustrations are sadly lacking in contrast. It is a shame the graphic design is not so clear and lively as that of the information panels in Hogarth’s House itself.

Brentford and Chiswick Local History Journal 7 (1998)