L S Lowry's 'matchstick men' have become some of the most readily recognized images in twentieth-century British art. His vivid and faithful portrayal of the industrial north has led to his historical conception and public adoption as 'the people's artist', though art historians and critics have sought for years to analyse in detail his significance and appeal.

This study of Lowry's work provides a complete account of his career as well as an assortment of invaluable excerpts from a series of rare interviews given to Edwin Mullins, and a discussion by Marina Vaizey of the place of his oeuvre in the wider picture of the span of history of art. The book is a classic monograph, exploring insightfully the artist's technique, outlook and interpretation of the dimensions of human experience through his paintings of mill life in Manchester.