Those who consider the art of Van Gogh (1853-1890) to be the result of unlettered passion will be surprised to learn that his writings refer to some 150 authors and works in four languages. Relying on access to the most recent transcriptions of and notes to Van Gogh's correspondence as part of the Van Gogh Museum's Van Gogh's Letters Project, Veen (PhD, U. of Utrecht, 2006) shows how readings of 'modern' French, English, German, and American authors reinforced his philosophy that emphasized ordinary life and acceptance of suffering for the sake of salvation. The doctoral dissertation-based book contains reproductions of many of his most famous works and those of artists who influenced him. Distributed by ACC, New York. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)