This book, along with Van Gogh in Arles, are good reference books that are still accessible to the lay person interested in art, combining Van Gogh's famous letters and some art criticism and interpretation and context to Van Gogh's work in the era. With the advances in color printing, the pictures illustrations now seem faded, but there are enough websites that carry catalogue raisionné's of Van Gogh's works that one can find better colors illustration online to supplement the reading.