Faces: Profiles of Dogs - Hardcover

Vita Sackville-West; Laelia Goehr

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1911547461 ISBN 13: 9781911547464

Publisher: Daunt Books, 2019

Synopsis

'It must be a nuisance to go through life with a Father Christmas moustache like that, but no doubt the Schnauzer gets used to it.'

In Faces, Vita Sackville-West traces the origins and history of forty-four dog breeds. She reflects on their characteristics with frank humour, from the gentle-eyed Afghan, 'like somebody s elderly Aunt Lavinia, who nourishes a secret passion for the Vicar', to the Labrador Retriever, 'dear, solid, faithful lump of a dog!', and that 'docile minion' the Corgi.

Each profile is accompanied by Laelia Goehr's striking black and white photographs. Together, profile and portrait capture these canine characters in their various moods: benevolent, haughty, amused, wistful, or simply a little bit sleepy.

Charming and fascinating in equal measure, Faces is a joyful read for all dog lovers.

.

About this title

Review:

'You'll call this sentimental - perhaps - but then a dog somehow represents the private side of life, the play side.' -- Virginia Woolf

Sackville-West wrote without fuss or anxiety. --Guardian

About the Author:

Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) was a writer and garden designer. Among her many works are the novels The Edwardians (1930), All Passion Spent (1931), and the pastoral poem 'The Land' (1926), which was awarded the prestigious Hawthornden Prize. Over the years Sackville-West had many dogs, including Cocker Spaniel Pippin (famously the mother of Virginia Woolf's Spaniel, Pinka); Alsatian Rollo, whose photograph hangs in Sissinghurst Castle; and elkhound Canute, who used to hop on the bus into town whenever he got bored.

Laelia Goehr (1908-2004) was born in Kiev, Russia. As a child she studied piano at the Conservatoire and gave her first public performance at the age of 10. After moving to the UK, Goehr studied photography under Bill Brandt. She published three books: Faces with text by Vita Sackville-West, Musicians in Camera with text by John Amis and A Little Tiger with text by Elspeth Huxley. Her photos have been exhibited over the world, and are held in collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

About this edition

• Publisher: Daunt Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1911547461
• ISBN 13: 9781911547464
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80