Wednesday 31 August 2016

"But Soft: We Are Observed" By Hilaire Belloc, Drawings By G. K. Chesterton (published by Penguin Books Limited, 1939 - originally published in 1928) - Part 2



When I picked up this book about two months ago I was intrigued by these unusual drawings - quite minimalist, bold but delicate and funny at the same time. And then I saw the name of the artist, G. K. Chesterton, and thought it can't be him because he is a writer! Well, it turns out that G. K. Chesterton (born in London 1874-1936) wasn't only the famous writer but also a poet, philosopher, journalist, art and literary critic and many other things beside! I knew him from what is probably him best known work, the novel "The Man Who Was Thursday"(published in 1908). His pictures for this book were not a coincidence and he was a very close friend with Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953). A very good introduction to the man and his work here: http://www.chesterton.org/who-is-this-guy/


Sunday 21 August 2016

"The Nonsense Verse Of Edward Lear" Illustrated By John Vernon Lord (published by Mandarin Paperbacks 1992, first published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape Ltd in 1984) Part 3



The incredibly complex and intriguing work of John Vernon Lord (b.1939). This book has hundreds of illustrations for Edward Lear's limericks and each one is a marvel to look at. The detailed observations of costumes, animals, plants, insects and buildings, the compositions and the surprising humour are a huge inspiration. A must-have for illustration enthusiasts. The artist himself has been publishing quite a few from this book on his own amazing blog (together with loads of other pictures from his long career in publishing): http://johnvernonlord.blogspot.co.uk/

Here is also an extended article on his life and work, published in Sussex Living Magazine on his 75th birthday in 2014: http://sussexliving.com/december-feature-john-vernon-lord-life-illustration/#