The poet W. H. Auden selected this collection of Van Gogh's personal letters on those which addressed the most important fact of his life: that he was a painter of pictures—pictures that changed the direction of modern art. This selection are confined to Van Gogh's reflections on the art of painting and the problems of being a painter. The letters to his family members are included insofar as they reflect on his life as a painter.-Print ed.
