The Rossettis were one of the most remarkable and talented families in Victorian Britain. Of the two parents and three siblings, Dante Gabriel (1828–82) and Christina (1830–94) stood out, but throughout their lives they remained a tightly-knit unit. William Michael (1829–1919), who published this two-volume work in 1895, was the family record keeper and in the memoir of his brother we have an unmatched account of the family dynamic. He was not always candid about his brother's affairs but his biography is unparalleled for its fresh directness. Unlike all subsequent biographers, William wrote from the inside, and even if he was unable to tell the whole story, the intimate details of the day-to-day life of the great painter and poet have about them the ring of truth and authenticity. Volume 1 is given over to William's extensive and sympathetic memoir of his brother's life.