William Nicholson was still in his twenties when he started working on books for the publisher William Heinemann that combined a hugely powerful woodcut style with peerlessly precise observation and sly humour. An Alphabet brings together a collection of portraits, from A is an Artist to Z is a Zoologist whose liveliness is only increased by the calligraphic vigour of Nicholson's print style. A great classic of British book illustration, unavailable for decades. Published simultaneously with two other works The Square Book of Animals and The Book of Blokes.

Sir William Newzam Prior Nicholson (1872–1949) was one of the most talented and versatile painters ever to work in Britain. A creator of astonishingly precise and delicate still lives, and of some of the most penetrating portraits of the century, he also pioneered a vigorous style of woodcut illustration that remains unequalled for its strength and subtlety. His son was the painter Ben Nicholson.