All the Beauty Still Left: A Poet's Painted Book of Hours

by Spencer Reece (Artist), Spencer Reece (Editor)

Overview

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."—Anne Frank

The illuminated medieval manuscripts known as Books of Hours have been used to guide contemplation and prayer for centuries, with their intricate designs and exquisite coloring. Devotional poet, priest, and National Book Award nominee Spencer Reece has revived the tradition with a collection of over 50 vibrant watercolors inspired by his life journeys and his reflections on faith. His brushstrokes guide us from the bustling restaurants of Madrid, to the expansive seas of Morocco, to the coastal tranquility of Old Lyme, Connecticut. Each painting faces a quote from an acclaimed writer or spokesperson that has inspired him, among them Emily Dickinson, James Baldwin, Elizabeth Bishop, Katharine Hepburn, and Janis Joplin. The perfect gift for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any occasion, All the Beauty Still Left is a delight whose evocative images and memorable accompanying texts are sure to provoke contemplation and reflection for readers of all faiths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781885983961
Publisher:	Turtle Point Press
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	689,773
Product dimensions:	4.50(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Spencer Reece is a critically acclaimed poet and Episcopal priest whose work explores the complex fragility of faith and family. His debut poetry collection The Clerk’s Tale received the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Bakeless Poetry Prize and was adapted into a short film by James Franco; his second collection The Road to Emmaus was longlisted for the National Book Award and shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Whiting Award for poetry, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship, and a Witter Bynner Prize administered by the Library of Congress. He lives in Jackson Heights, New York, and is the Priest in Charge at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2021

Inspired by medieval devotional guides, Reece (The Road to Emmaus), an Episcopal priest and winner of the Pushcart Prize for poetry, creates a marvelous, contemporary Book of Hours. Reece’s approach is to combine quotes that have resonated with him with illustrations of places and things that have inspired him—a bird, dog, desk, bed, or window view. For example, a colorful interior of the Our Little Roses orphanage in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is paired with Henri Cole’s line: “If tenderness approaches, run to it.” For compline prayers at the end of each day, Welsh poet George Herbert’s words “prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night” appear opposite a self-portrait of Reece. The quotes—rarely longer than several lines—are an eclectic mix, including snippets from Marilyn Monroe, Fernando Pessoa, Yo-Yo Ma, Albert Einstein, and James Baldwin, while places depicted include the Acropolis in Athens, apartment buildings in Barcelona, the Los Angeles skyline, New York City’s Trinity Church, and many still lifes of Old Lyme, Conn. With exquisite simplicity, these glowing pages will invite readers to their own contemplations throughout the day. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Inspired by medieval devotional guides, Reece creates a marvelous, contemporary Book of Hours. . . . These glowing pages will invite readers to their own contemplations throughout the day.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher