Joan Abse

Joan Mercer was born St Helens, Lancashire, on 11 September 1926.[1] By age 17, she was a student at the London School of Economics (LSE), where she graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree.[1][2] Abse received a Master of Art degree in Art History in 1972 from Courtauld Institute of Art, London.[2] She met her husband Dannie while living in post-war London, and they married by 1951.[3] Together they had three children.[3]

She wrote many books, including the noted John Ruskin: A Passionate Moralist.[4][5] Richard Ellmann, a journalist at The New York Times newspaper, writes, "What especially animates Joan Abse's book is her keen interest in Ruskin's effort to blend his artistic and social sympathies."[5]

Joan Abse died in a car accident in Bridgend, south Wales, on 13 June 2005.[6][2] She was the wife of Welsh poet and physician Dannie Abse.[7][1]

Abse's books included:

• Abse, Joan (1975). The Art Galleries of Britain and Ireland: A Guide to their Collections. London, England: Robson Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0860513216.
• Abse, Joan (1977). My LSE (essays). London, England: Robson Books Ltd.
• Abse, Joan (1981). John Ruskin: A Passionate Moralist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0394515960.
• Abse, Joan (2000). Letters from Wales. Seren. ISBN 978-1854112705.
• Abse, Joan; Abse, Dannie (2009). The Music Lover's Literary Companion (1 ed.). London, England: Jr Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1906779122.