The Harbours of England

The Harbours of England, by
John Ruskin

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Title: The Harbours of England
Author: John Ruskin
Illustrator: J. M. W. Turner
Release Date: May 23, 2007 [EBook #21591]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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Library Edition

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOHN RUSKIN
STONES OF VENICE VOLUME III
GIOTTO LECTURES ON ARCHITECTURE HARBOURS OF
ENGLAND A JOY FOREVER
NATIONAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NEW YORK CHICAGO

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOHN RUSKIN
VOLUME X
GIOTTO AND HIS WORKS LECTURES ON ARCHITECTURE
THE HARBORS OF ENGLAND POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ART
(A JOY FOREVER)

THE HARBORS OF ENGLAND.

CONTENTS.
PAGE THE HARBORS OF ENGLAND 1 I. DOVER 34 II.
RAMSGATE 36 III. PLYMOUTH 38 IV. CATWATER 40 V.
SHEERNESS 41 VI. MARGATE 43 VII. PORTSMOUTH 46 VIII.
FALMOUTH 49 IX. SIDMOUTH 51 X. WHITBY 52 XI. DEAL 54
XII. SCARBOROUGH 56

EDITOR'S PREFACE.
"Turner's Harbors of England," as it is generally called, is a book
which, for various reasons, has never received from readers of Mr.
Ruskin's writings the attention it deserves. True, it has always been
sought after by connoisseurs, and collectors never fail with their eleven

or twelve guineas whenever a set of Artist's Proofs of the First Edition
of 1856 comes into the market. But to the General Reader the book
with its twelve exquisitely delicate mezzotints--four of which Mr.
Ruskin has declared to be among the very finest executed by Turner
from his marine subjects--is practically unknown.
The primary reason for this neglect is not far to seek. Since 1877 no
new edition of the work has been published, and thus it has gradually
passed from public knowledge, though still regarded with lively interest
by those to whom Mr. Ruskin's words--particularly words written in
further unfolding of the subtleties of Turner's art--at all times appeal so
strongly.
In his own preface Mr. Ruskin has told us all that in 1856 it was
necessary to know of the genesis of the Harbors. That account may
now be supplemented with the following additional facts. In 1826
Turner (in conjunction with Lupton, the engraver) projected and
commenced a serial publication entitled The Ports of England. But both
artist and engraver lacked the opportunity required to carry the
undertaking to a successful conclusion, and three numbers only were
completed. Each of these contained two engravings.
Part I., introducing Scarborough and
Whitby, duly appeared in 1826;
Part II., with Dover and Ramsgate,
in 1827; and in 1828
Part III., containing Sheerness and
Portsmouth, closed the series.[A] Twenty-eight years afterwards (that
is, in 1856, five years after Turner's death) these six plates, together
with six new ones, were published by Messrs. E. Gambart & Co., at
whose invitation Mr. Ruskin consented to write the essay on Turner's

marine painting which accompanied them. The book, a handsome folio,
appears to have been immediately successful, for in the following year
a second edition was called for. This was a precise reprint of the 1856
edition; but, unhappily, the delicate plates already began to exhibit
signs of wear. The copyright (which had not been retained by Mr.
Ruskin, but remained the property of Messrs. E. Gambart & Co.) then
passed to Messrs. Day & Son, who, after producing the third edition of
1859, in turn disposed of it to Mr. T. J. Allman. Allman issued a fourth
edition in 1872, and then parted with his rights to Messrs. Smith, Elder
& Co., who in 1877 brought out the fifth, and, until now, last edition.
Since that date the work has been out of print, and has remained
practically inaccessible to the ordinary reader.
[A] To ornament the covers of these parts, Turner designed a vignette,
which was printed upon the center of the front wrapper of each. As The
Ports of England is an exceptionally scarce book, and as the vignette
can be obtained in no other form, a facsimile of it is here given. The
original drawing was presented by Mr. Ruskin to the Fitz-William
Museum, at Cambridge, where it may now be seen.
It is matter for congratulation that at length means have been found to
bring The Harbors of England once more into currency, and to issue
the book through Mr. George Allen at a price which will place it within
the reach of the reading public at large.
The last edition