One of the items on my mental checklist when I'm out looking through the vintage shops are old books with colour illustrations. Earlier this week I came across "The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini", translated by John Addington Symonds and illustrated by Salvador Dali.
I'm not going to lie, I didn't recognise the name Cellini, not having taken any classes in Art History, though I did recognise the name Dali, not being completely ignorant.
If you want to know more about either artist, just click on the links.
I've decided not to embarrass myself by nattering on about how stunning the illustrations are, I'm just going to let them speak for themselves...
It's no lie, that Dali fella sure could pick a paint colour, no?
And two more...
Last summer I found Hendrik Willem Van Loon's "Geography", with illustrations by the author. I fell completely in love with this book. Again, this was someone I'd never heard of before - though it turns out he's quite famous (I guess I should get out more).
If you want to find out more about Van Loon, you'll have to google him as blogger doesn't want to co-operate anymore today.
Van Loon's books are packed to the gills with facts and presented in a very engaging, airy style - aimed at the young adult crowd. Check out these fabulous sketches...
Also found last summer was Van Loon's "The Arts", a look at the Arts through the ages and how they related to their respective eras. Again, this is another book aimed at young adults, so it's written with a light and amusing touch.
There were two "bonuses" with this book, the original receipt,
and the original complimentary bookmark. It's one of the things I love about old books - the little treasures pressed between the pages - like a wee archealogical dig!
And, here are a few of the illustrations inside...
Fabulous-ness, yes?
No comments:
Post a Comment