'Phil May was the funniest man in England, and its best draftsman. He drew Londoners in a way unsurpassed in elegance and with profound and hilarious understanding.'Al Capp, US cartoonist ('Li'l Abner'), 1909-79Phil May (1864 -1903) was one of the two outstanding British black and white artists of the 1890s - the other was Aubrey Beardsley. The work of both artists displays a masterly use of line to create character, but rather than focusing on subjects drawn from polite English society, May's world is that of ordinary people at the public house, the club, the race-course, the theatre and the East End.May spent some years in Australia before returning to achieve general acclaim as a foremost illustrator. He contributed humorous pen-and-ink drawings to popularist publications such as The Daily Graphic and Punch, and became highly regarded by fellow artists James McNeill Whistler and Joseph Pennell. Extensively illustrated, this book is the first study of the artist for twenty-five years. Simon Houfe offers new insights into the interface between the artist's life and work, bringing into view an innovative figure working at the height of one of the most dazzling periods for black and white art.