The two volumes in this boxed set celebrate the artist Rex Whistler (1905-1944), portrait painter, designer of theatre sets and costumes, illustrator, and the outstanding mural painter of the interwar years. They describe the sources of inspiration he drew on for his work. Volume 1, Family Friendship and Landscapes, by Hugh Cecil, describes Whistler's family influences, his many friendships, and the landscapes of his beloved 'Wessex' and Italy. Volume 2, Love and War, by Hugh and Mirabel Cecil, tells of Whistler's experiences in the years immediately before his tragic early death in battle.