Lindsay Anderson
Surely the fact that my own name — and words — appear in Jocelyn Herbert: A Workbook (Art Books International, £30) doesn't disqualify me from choosing it as one of my best books of the year. Beautifully and accurately, it conveys the personality and the achievements of an artist whom any director will be lucky and happy to work with. There are contribu- tions from collaborators like Samuel Beckett, David Storey, Tony Harrison; from directors like Tony Richardson, Peter Hall, John Dexter and Bill Gaskill. Not to mention actors like Peggy Ashcroft and Alan Bates. This is the theatre at its purest, where the word `luvvy' is unknown. It is a record to treasure.
A quite different artist, also a great one, is celebrated in Daniel Farson's biography, The Gilded Gutter Life of Francis Bacon (Century, £17.99). The author knew Bacon well, and fondly; to read his book is to know the artist like that, inti- mately.
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