A Unique Discovery
My name is Wouter van der Veen. I am a freelance researcher, author and scientific consultant. For more than twenty years, I have been studying the life and work of Vincent van Gogh.
Discovering the place where Van Gogh painted his last and most mysterious work is a waking dream which I am still trying to comprehend.
Inasmuch as it can be called my discovery, it has been possible due only to the efforts of others: I did not take the photograph that led to the breakthrough or paint the artwork whose setting was revealed. I am not the owner of the land where the artwork was painted and finally, while others were risking their lives during the Covid-19 lockdown to care for the sick or to keep the economy going, I had the time to carefully scrutinize a historical document.
A Free eBook
I have therefore decided to make the book Attacked To The Very Root available as a free download to all who wish to read it. This digital format means that no trees will be cut down to make the book – a fitting outcome given the subject of the painting.
My dearest wish is for this book to be read and enjoyed by as many people as possible. You can help by sharing it with your friends and family.
This book may not come with a price tag, but it comes at some cost. The time, graphic design, translation and a multitude of other small details all add up to an outlay which is considerable for a publishing company as small as mine.
So if you enjoy the book and would like to help, please consider contributing to my past and future work.
A Post Card from Times Past
You can do this by purchasing a handwritten, signed reproduction of the historical postcard that enabled my discovery, for 6€ or more. Any funds surplus to the cost of production will be donated by me to the Institut Van Gogh, a non-profit organisation. Although I will need your address to send you the card personally, no data related to this operation will be stored, used or sold.
This approach is based on a belief in goodwill and the capacity for wonder, the qualities that enabled my discovery. I hope this approach will inaugurate a new form of publishing that works to the benefit of its authors and their content, prioritising direct relationships and distancing itself from some of the more exploitative practices in the industry. Generally, I hope that this represents a shift towards a fairer and more responsible way of publishing.
I hope you enjoy your reading and the discovery!
Wouter
