During this period, his first wife Elizabeth Kerlin was the model in a number of exciting and experimental works such as Convent Garden, Brittany (National Gallery of Ireland). After the First World War, Leech divided his time between London and the South of France, travelling with his companion and later wife May Botterell. In the tradition of the 'Irish Impressionists' he was fascinated by the treatment of light in French painting, though he continued to explore different styles through his career. Leech painted portraits, landscapes and still lifes, including remarkable self-portraits, interiors and luxuriant aloes.

'...it should be made standard reading for those dealing with disaster/survival situations, it is also very informative in helping the general reader understand the psychology of survivors...The text makes compulsive reading and the book is hard to put down. It is worth examining, no matter where your professional interest lies.'- Duncan MacPaul, Nursing Times. Why do so many people die without need? How can an exceptional few survive extraordinarily harsh conditions sometimes after months or years of deprivation? Recent years have seen remarkable improvements in survival training and technology, yet most people still perish quickly in the face of adversity. In this book John Leach seeks to answer these questions by considering the psychology of human survival; how groups and individuals behave before, during and after life threatening events. Both short and long-term survival are addressed as well as the psychological consequences of hunger, thirst, cold, heat, crowding, isolation, fatigue and sleep deprivation. The essence of this work is distilled into a set of principles for psychological first-aid for use in the field.

William Makepeace Thackeray immortalizes the memory of his lifelong friend in the novel "John Leech's Pictures of Life and Character". John Leech was a British caricaturist and illustrator. He was best known for his work for 'Punch', a humorous magazine for a broad middle-class audience, combining verbal and graphic political satire with light social comedy. Leech's critical yet humorous cartoons on the Crimean War (1853) helped shape public attitudes toward heroism, warfare, and Britons' role in the world. Leech also enjoyed fame as the first illustrator of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella 'A Christmas Carol'.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.

A'Beckett and Leech were original contributors to "Punch, or the London Charivari" magazine, established 1841. It became the famous "Punch" magazine and remained in publication to 2002. A'Beckett also wrote editorials for a similar concept magazine, "Figaro in London" that ceased publication in 1839. "In commencing this work, the object of the Author was, as he stated in the Prospectus, to blend amusement with instruction, by serving up, in as palatable a shape as he could, the facts of English History. He pledged himself not to sacrifice the substance to the seasoning; and though he has certainly been a little free in the use of his sauce, he hopes that he has not produced a mere hash on the present occasion. His object has been to furnish something which may be allowed to take its place as a standing at the library table, and which, though light, may not be found devoid of nutriment."--Preface.