`Picturesque Views in England and Wales' was a major undertaking on the part of J. M.W. Turner, who originally agreed to produce over 100 watercolours, and Charles Heath, who was to have them engraved. It was an ambitious series for which Turner created some of his finest watercolours. In the event 96 of them were engraved before the venture came to an end in 1838. The watercolours were subsequently dispersed into public and private collections, and the majority have not been exhibited since Turner's lifetime. Turner's Picturesque Views in England and Wales brings the series together for the first time in nearly 150 years. All the available watercolours are reproduced, and the few that have been destroyed, or are untraceable, are represented by engravings. Ruskin referred to these pictures as representing Turner's 'central powers and dominant feelings ...towards his native country' More recently, Martin Hardie called them 'magical renderings of colour and atmosphere They include magnificent landscape and maritime scenes, and provide abundant evidence of Turner's gift for composition and his subtle treatment of the human figure. Taken as a whole, the series not only demonstrates his astonishing versatility, but also offers an acutely perceptive portrayal of his age.

Eric Shanes discusses how the series came about and also analyses the form and content of the watercolours, paying special attention to their symbolism.

In his introduction Andrew Wilton looks at the evolution of the topographical watercolour in England and examines Turner's unique contribution to the genre in the context of his general development as an artist.