"The Penguin Ronald Searle" By Ronald Searle (published by Penguin Books Ltd, London 1960) - Part 5

Just three more from Ronald Searle (1920-2011). These are under the heading "Signing Off"....

"The Penguin Ronald Searle" By Ronald Searle (published by Penguin Books Ltd, London 1960) - Part 4

The inimitable Ronald Searle (1920-2011) - every mark on each illustration is vibrant, exciting and utterly brilliant! Looking at the expressions on the faces, the shapes of the bodies and the sharp irony of the various situations makes me laugh every time. I've scanned the artist's biography from the back cover of the book (previous post) but here's also an extensive entry from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Searle The pictures in this book are arranged in themes - pets and their owners, from the first post, sale slogans, dancers, artists, musicians and some surreal ones like the last two below...

"The Penguin Ronald Searle" By Ronald Searle (published by Penguin Books Ltd, London 1960) - Part 3

"The Penguin Ronald Searle" By Ronald Searle (published by Penguin Books Ltd, London 1960) - Part 2

"The Penguin Ronald Searle" By Ronald Searle (published by Penguin Books Ltd, London 1960)

"The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra" By Gerard Hoffnung (Published by Dobson Books Ltd, London 1955) Part 4

Classic 1950's humorous caricatures by Gerard Hoffnung (born in Berlin 1925 - London 1959). Hoffnung was one of many artists and intellectuals whose families fled Nazi Germany in the 1930's to settle in Britain. Here's his biography from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Hoffnung  I was really lucky to find two of his books dating from 1957 and 1959 in a fairly good condition earlier this year. I'll be featuring the other book - called "Acoustics" - in this blog sometime next year.

"The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra" By Gerard Hoffnung (Published by Dobson Books Ltd, London 1955) Part 3

"The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra" By Gerard Hoffnung (Published by Dobson Books Ltd, London 1955) Part 2

"The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra" By Gerard Hoffnung (Published by Dobson Books Ltd, London 1955) Part 1

"UK General Election 2015 " Comment By Harris...

So sick of hearing these guys telling us how great their ideas are, for months now - well, that part of the show is over now! Personally, I don't think they can do anything other than parroting what their PR teams and other "advisers" dictate. In any case, I wouldn't trust any of them to cut my front lawn let alone do anything that requires a bit more initiative and common sense, like running a country.  It's depressing to think that out of a country of 65 million people and of such rich diversity and talent, we only get to choose a leader out of this bunch of unimaginative, uninspiring and nondescript men! Could we not just say no, we don't like any of them, none of the above? Or would that be too extreme for our sophisticated and gentile democracy? So, a dedication to all the clever men that CAN bring prosperity and joy for all - a dance of CANCAN...

"Araminta's Wedding" By Jilly Cooper And Pictures By Sue Macartney-Snape (published by BCA by arrangement with Methuen, London 1993) - Part 4

 

Couldn't resist two more stunning illustrations from Sue Macartney-Snape's book. The mastery in the drawing and the balance of colours and details is unbelievable. Many more to see - and buy - from the artist's website: http://www.sms-editions.co.uk/

 

"Araminta's Wedding" By Jilly Cooper And Pictures By Sue Macartney-Snape (published by BCA by arrangement with Methuen, London 1993) - Part 3

 

According to the author's introductory note, the pictures came first! Quite an unconventional process for a writer having to imagine stories, situations and relationships between characters of an artist's set of drawings. But these are not just any ordinary illustrations. The characters are so well observed and vivid, their clothes and the settings are so detailed that they create their own farcical narratives. Sue Macartney-Snape's pictures are exquisite, each character complete in every aspect - the dresses, the pets, the expressions on their faces, even the furniture and hundreds of artifacts.

 

"Araminta's Wedding" By Jilly Cooper And Pictures By Sue Macartney-Snape (published by BCA by arrangement with Methuen, London 1993) - Part 2

 

 

Sue Macartney-Snape probably needs no introduction - to the British public anyway. According to the biographical note on her website, she was born in Tanzania, grew up in Australia and arrived in London in 1980... http://www.sms-editions.co.uk/biography.php

 

Her work is widely known from the Saturday Telegraph Magazine's Social Stereotypes column (between 1994 and 2011). Collections from this series have been published in nine books so far and there is a huge selection of limited edition prints available to buy on the above website.

 

 

"Araminta's Wedding" By Jilly Cooper And Pictures By Sue Macartney-Snape (published by BCA by arrangement with Methuen, London 1993)