Canaletto (1697-1768) is one of the most popular of all Old Master painters. His views of Venice, Rome and London are adamantly celebrated and admired across the globe, but he was more than a mere recorder of scenery. In the words of one of his contemporaries, he had the power to paint so that 'the eye is deceived and truly believes it is the real thing it sees'. J G Links' magisterial study was first published in 1982 and immediately became the standard work on the subject, admired both for its comprehensive, meticulous scholarship and for its combination of lucidity and elegance.

Fully revised, expanded and redesigned in 1994, with 160 beautifully reproduced colour illustrations, Canaletto is now reissued as a paperback, making this classic work accessible to a new and wider audience. This book embodies the essential introduction to Canaletto's life and work - covering his oeuvre as a whole in great detail and with intense artistic appreciation - while its sophistication and breadth of scope render it an equally rewarding corpus for any connoisseur.