Hogarth's series of moralistic engravings (notably "The Rake's Progress") were immensely popular in his own day, and changed him from a poor man into a relatively rich one. The author combines a biography of the subject with a commentary on his place in the history of art, and in particular his innovations in portrait painting which were overlooked for 100 years. His combative nature caused him to be alienated from many other artists of his day, his circle of friends and acquaintances tending more to literary lions who included Dr Johnson. The illustrations are in black and white; most entries in the bibliography list author and title only, ( )