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Title:
Play pen

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$44.00
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Summary:
Once dismissed as a cozy world of teddy bears and fairies, the arrival on the scene of numerous highly original, contemporary, and "cool" graphic artists in recent years has transformed perceptions of children's book illustration. Children now grow up with a more informed and sophisticated visual diet—with cartoons, animated movies, comics, TV, and computer games—consuming a vast range of stylistic approaches, and illustrated books have moved to match the demands of a more discerning market. Equally, artists who in the past may not have considered the children's picture book as an appropriate vehicle for artistic expression are increasingly drawn to the area. This book showcases some of the most interesting work emerging within the genre from a range of cultural backgrounds. It examines trends in use of media—both digital and traditional—and discusses the variety of approaches to subject matter.

Title:
Miroslav Sasek

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$39.95
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Summary:
Czech artist Miroslav Šašek (1916–1980) is celebrated for his pioneering approach to narrative nonfiction picture books, particularly his bestselling This Is series, which began with ''This is Paris'' in 1959 and eventually totaled eighteen books. With their distinct visual vocabulary, this witty collection of travel guides illustrating life and culture in a variety of cities and countries around the world from a child’s perspective, became immensely popular and garnered many awards. The artist’s charming travelogues continue to appeal to adults and children alike, even in a digital age exploding with travel imagery. Acclaimed author Martin Salisbury analyzes Šašek’s techniques and how his work not only reflects his architectural training and the ideas of the midcentury European avant-garde, but also the influence of contemporaries such as Saul Steinberg. In this beautifully designed volume, illustrated with sketches and original artwork from the Šašek Foundation in Prague, with examples ranging from Greece to Hong Kong, Rome to San Francisco, Ireland to Israel, Paris to New York, and more, Šašek’s best-known works come alive alongside lesser-known aspects of his practice, such as oil painting. Full of insight into the life and work of a singular talent, ''Miroslav Šašek'' will appeal to illustrators and those interested in the midcentury modern period.

Title:
The illustrated dustjacket, 1920-1970

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$55.95
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Summary:
The middle decades of the twentieth century saw an extraordinary flourishing of the illustrated, pictorial dust jacket. From the 1920s, as the potential for the book’s protective wrapping to be used for promotion and enticement became clear, artists and illustrators on both sides of the Atlantic applied their talents to this particular art form. Rising to the wide-ranging challenges posed by format and subject matter, leading artists and illustrators, including John Piper, Edward Bawden and John Minton in the UK and Ben Shahn, Edward Gorey and George Salter in the USA, brought their unique personal vision to bear on the world of books. Many of their designs reflect the changing visual styles and motifs of the period, including Bloomsbury, Art Deco, Modernism, postwar neo-romanticism and the Kitchen Sink School.

Title:
100 great children's picturebooks

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Price:
$54.00
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Summary:
This unashamed visual feast celebrates the best designed and illustrated picturebooks from around the world over the past one hundred years. Each book is a creation of genius and inventiveness, and their design and illustration represent such diverse trends as the Russian Constructivists, Italian Futurists, and Postwar Neo-romantics. They are also mirrors of their times reflecting social concerns from a child's and family's perspectives throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first century.