Wednesday 13 December 2017

Friday 24 November 2017

"Patsy From The Wilds" By May Wynne, Illustrated By Gordon Browne (Published by Frederick Warne & Co., Ltd, London 1931) Part 2




This is a genuine 1930's adventure novel - very bulky too, but only because the pages are so thick! Beautifully drawn, delicate illustrations by British illustrator Gordon Browne (1858 - 1932). Love the design and type on the cover too.







Friday 10 November 2017

"Noddy And His Car" By Enid Blyton, Illustrations By Harmsen van der Beek (published by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd and C.A. Publications, Ltd, London 1951) Part 3


 
The original Noddy pictures by Dutch illustrator Harmsen van der Beek (1897 - 1953) - this was the third in the series. Many illustrators and animators worked on the Noddy books for decades after Beek's death but none managed to capture the quality, warmth and quirkiness of his characters.




Wednesday 27 September 2017

"Five Dolls In A House" By Helen Clare, Illustrated By Cecil Leslie (First published by Bodley Head in 1953 - This edition by Puffin Books, 1964) - Part 2



Only a very brief biography is available on this British artist - Cecil Leslie (1900-1980) - even though she had many fine art exhibitions in the twenties and thirties as well as illustrating many children's books in the fifties and sixties: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Mary_Leslie

The author, Pauline Clarke (1921-2013) is using the name Helen Clare for this and all the Five Dolls books that were published between 1953 and 1963. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Clarke




Wednesday 20 September 2017

"Stuart In Tibet" By Neil Buckley, Cover and Illustrations By Edward Osmond (Published by George Newnes Limited, London 1949) - Part 1



Powerful and dynamic illustrations by British artist Edward Osmond (1900-1981). I was really excited to find this book among hundreds of other dusty and musty books in a local second-hand shop - and it's a first edition as well! Here is a biography on the artist from the Bear Alley blog 2007: https://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/edward-osmond.html?m=1