Turner: A Life, by James Hamilton (Sceptre, £7.99 in UK)

This is a carefully researched and updated account of the great painter's life, scrapping many of the old Victorian myths and half-truths about him. Turner was the son of a barber, a self-made and largely self-educated man, who achieved European fame and the friendship of members of the aristocracy who welcomed him to their homes. He was also a power in Royal Academy politics and, in spite of his lack of verbal fluency, a formidable personality and teacher. In his later days especially Turner became a dedicated traveller, as his paintings and drawings of Italy, Switzerland and other countries testify. An authoritative account, as well as easy to read. B.F.