"The New Men" By C. P. Snow, Cover Illustration By Philippe Jullian (published by Penguin Books, 1962, Reprinted 1963)

Three book jacket illustrations by the French illustrator, art historian, biographer and novelist Philippe Jullian (1919-1977) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Jullian  There is also a more detailed biography along with a long list of his work as a writer on JOHN COULTHART's excellent blog:  http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2010/12/13/philippe-jullian-connoisseur-of-the-exotic/ Here's an older post featuring Philippe Jullian's work http://picturesfromanoldbook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/for-whom-cloche-tolls-scrap-book-of_12.html

"The Affair" By C. P. Snow, Cover Illustration By Philippe Jullian (published by Penguin Books, 1962, Reprinted 1963)

"The Masters" By C. P. Snow Cover Illustration By Philippe Jullian (published by Penguin Books Great Britain 1956 - Reprinted 1963)

"La Mythologie De A. Dubout" By Albert Dubout (Publisher Maurice Gonon, France 1954) Part 3

 

Dr Chris Mullen's excellent blog/archive on illustrators from the past also features a selection of Dubout's cartoons: http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/d/dubout/a.htm

 

 

"La Mythologie De A. Dubout" By Albert Dubout (Publisher Maurice Gonon, France 1954) Part 2

 

Here is the link to Dubout's official website: http://www.dubout.fr/  It's got a vast collection of his work spanning from the twenties all the way to the mid-1970's! The size of the images is quite small though and all the beautiful details are lost. Also the text is only in French. You can get a brief biography on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Dubout

 

 

 

"La Mythologie De A. Dubout" By Albert Dubout (Publisher Maurice Gonon, France 1954)

 

 

The work of Albert Dubout (1905-1976), famous French cartoonist, painter and sculptor. I was really lucky to find this original 1954 publication last Saturday - in a pretty good condition as well!). My French is very limited but I recognise most of the characters from the Greek mythology!

 

 

"Jack In Luck" By The Brothers Grimm, Illustrated By Eve Tharlet (published in Greek by AMMOS Publications, Athens 1994 - originally published by Michael Neugebauer Verlag AG, Zurich 1991) Part 3

 

 

There is so much attention paid to the details by the artist that you can imagine being there among the characters and these beautiful houses. The flaking plaster on the walls, the grain in the wood beams, the rustic guttering, the patchwork quilt - you could look at them for hours. Also the viewing angle from above is very interesting as it gives more depth to the pictures unlike other children's illustrations which tend to be more flat. I'd love to see these at a slightly larger scale as the book is quite small (15x15.5cm) but still, this is a true classic!

 

"Jack In Luck" By The Brothers Grimm, Illustrated By Eve Tharlet (published in Greek by AMMOS Publications, Athens 1994 - originally published by Michael Neugebauer Verlag AG, Zurich 1991) Part 2

 

Another one of my all time favourite children's books! The lovable characters of Eve Tharlet in beautiful traditional village settings. Every detail of the buildings meticulously drawn: the iron work on the window hinges, the hanging sign and railings, the thatched roof, slates, the tiny windows, wood work, stone work are a delight to look at! I love the colour schemes of soft whites, yellow ochre, browns and greys reminiscent of Rembrandt and Van Dyke. Here's a link to the artist's website with many more amazing illustrations and lists of her other books: http://www.evetharlet.com/en/accueil

 

"Jack In Luck" By The Brothers Grimm, Illustrated By Eve Tharlet (published in Greek by AMMOS Publications, Athens 1994 - originally published by Michael Neugebauer Verlag AG, Zurich 1991) Part 1

 

 

"For Whom The Cloche Tolls" - A Scrap-Book Of The Twenties by Angus Wilson and Philippe Jullian (published by Methuen, London 1953) - Part 3

 

I tried to scan some details from the drawings in this book to show the weird expressions on their faces! These characters live in a strange party world of their own, where anything goes... The picture in colour is from the back cover.

                                

 

"For Whom The Cloche Tolls" - A Scrap-Book Of The Twenties by Angus Wilson and Philippe Jullian (published by Methuen, London 1953) - Part 2

 

Another brilliant example of French illustration from the 1950's, by Philippe Jullian (1921-1977). There are illustrations in every page of this book enveloping the text, enhancing its witty and bizarre stories. The artist's line work is playful and at times fragile but when you look closely it depicts the costumes, hairstyles and faces in some detail. Going through each page you end up spending more time admiring each character than reading the text - and there are hundreds of them! I came across this extensive article on Philippe Jullian (on John Coulthart's amazing blog) which gives a good insight on his character and work: http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2010/12/13/philippe-jullian-connoisseur-of-the-exotic/

 

 

 

"For Whom The Cloche Tolls" - A Scrap-Book Of The Twenties by Angus Wilson and Philippe Jullian (published by Methuen, London 1953)

 

 

"Splosh!" By Philippe Corentin (published by Andersen Press, London 2002) - Part 2

 

I was a little annoyed that there isn't much information to be found on the Internet about Philippe Corentin (born in Paris, 1936) - I suspect there will be plenty in French as he is renowned for his cartoons and humorous children's books since the late sixties. The original title in French was "Plouf!"  (which sounds a lot funnier than splosh to me!), published in 1991. The style in unlike any other you'll come across. It reminds me a bit of children's book illustrations from the 30's and 40's but the colours and technique are bright and contemporary. Here's a link of the only biography I could find on the author (not much I'm afraid): http://www.answers.com/topic/philippe-corentin

 

 

"Splosh!" By Philippe Corentin (published by Andersen Press, London 2002)

 

 

 

"Henri, Schlitzohr", Written and Illustrated by Eve Tharet (1989), Part 3

Eve Tharlet has to be one of the most talented and skillful illustrators working today - I haven't come across many contemporary books that could match the craftsmanship, colours and humour found in her pictures. Note the limited palette she uses, with soft blues and browns in contrast with warm, glowing whites creating a retro effect. I couldn't help showing three more from this book with Henri the pig in action! I've also got 2-3 more of her books which I'll be posting sometime in the future.

"Henri, Schlitzohr" Written and Illustrated by Eve Tharlet (Published by Verlag Neugebauer Press, Salzburg, Austria, 1989), Part Two

 

The title in English is "Little Pig, Big Trouble" (it was published in English as well, but I happen to have the Greek version!) and I loved this book ever since I saw it some eighteen years ago. The story is quite simple - a clumsy little pig accidentally walking into some black coal, white flour and blue paint and then making a huge mess in a picturesque French village. It is the way that it's drawn that makes it so special. The angles the artist is achieving present the action from more than one viewpoint creating suspence, laughter and anticipation for the young reader. There's great fun in tracing little Henri's colourful footsteps around the cobbled streets of the village, in and out of shops and seeing the damage he is causing. Even more fun watching the growing number of angry people trying to catch him! Eve Tharlet has been writting and illustrating books ever since this one came out in 1989 (I think this was her first) and you can view most of the titles on her own website: http://www.evetharlet.com/en

 

 

"Henri, Schlitzohr" Written and Illustrated by Eve Tharlet (published by Verlag Neugebauer Press, Salzburg, Austria, 1989)

"Still Life" by Claude Serre (1985), part 2

Just a few more from this sad but deeply philosophical collection of cartoons. Here's a link to the artist's official website (in French I'm afraid but with lots of pictures!): http://www.serre-humour.com/Biographie There are several more sites with Serre's work and biography for those - like myself - who don't speak the language.