Henry Tonks (1862-1937) was a surgeon before taking up a career in art. Born in Solihull, he studied medicine in Brighton and London, but beginning in 1888 he took evening art classes at Westminster School of Art. Four years later, he was a teacher at the Slade School of Fine Art, where he became an influential instructor to such significant artists as Stanley Spencer, Augustus John, Wyndham Lewis, Mark Gertler, Rex Whistler, and Paul Nash. Later, during World War I, he resumed his career as a surgeon and famously created a series of pastel drawings of facial injury cases, and he was named an official war artist, sent to tour the Western Front with John Singer Sargent. Originally published in 1939, this authoritative biography by Joseph Hone is now back in print, and offers an important look at Tonk's extensive influence on the lives and careers of early twentieth century artists and the development of British art.