Book excerpt: Turner's sketchbooks' offer perhaps themost appealing introduction to the artist. They give us a privileged look over Turner's shoulder, allowing us to witness the creation and development of ideas that can be traced through to his major paintings. In the absence of detailed written accounts of his extensive travels, the notebooks are also a record of his impressions of the many places he visited across Britain and Europe. This book is the first to survey the full range of Turner's sketchbooks, beginning with his teenage efforts and culminating in the atmospheric colour studies of his last years.