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Post by susanb on May 27, 2008 16:39:03 GMT 1
I mentioned this in the top 5 thread, and Claire suggested I start a thread....
So...too hot, too cold or just right.....what are the books/authors who had better illustrators than they deserved, those who had far worse illustrators than their work merited, and those happy marriages of great prose and great art?
I'll start off with a few off with a few:
Better illustrators than deserved: Pat Smythe - everyone loves those djs, but the books tend to draw more yawns than praise Jill and Prince the Pony (original hardcover/dj)
Far worse than work merited: Vian Smith....both US and UK editions have terrible cover art 4-H Filly, The Flag is Up by Patsey Gray (a blue horse? Really BLUE, not just blue roan?) Gillian Baxter...with the lone exception of her first book Horses and Heather, her work far transcends that of her illustrators (especially the possessed looking horse on the CBC edition of Horses in the Glen!)
Happy Marriages: Pamela MacGregor-Morris Ruby Ferguson Challenger, Loco the Bronc by Patsey Gray (at least she had a few books illustrated well!) Joanna Cannan - Anne Bullen's art matched her prose perfectly! The Maltese Cat by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Lionel Edwards...a small gem of a book
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Post by Claire on May 27, 2008 18:45:43 GMT 1
This is a great idea for a thread! Better: C W Anderson - Ok not a terrible author but a bit average. The covers and illustrations (also by him by the way folks) are however fantastic Kit Hunter series - once again not a really bad writer and I actually quite enjoy the books but nobody can deny that the first edition covers are a much better quality than the writing. The Red Rosette by Geoffrey Lapage - lovely jacket with a black pony. Story is a tad mediocre. Moyra Charlton - excellent illustrations but the stories....zzzzz..... Worse: Patricia Leitch's books on the whole werent noted for their illustrations or cover art. The first editon of A Dream of Fair Horses which is an absolute classic had a hideous cover which has to be in the running for worst jacket of all time! Catherine Harris - one or two covers are OK but in particular the Blackie reprints of They Rescued a Pony and Riding For Ransom are fairly hideous Just about everything in the J A Allen Equestrian Library, those huge stirrups everywhere were most off-putting but the standard of writing in the series was very high. Just Right: Black Stallion series. Love this series and had gorgeous first edition covers tho the paperbacks weren't great and could actually be on the worse section! Marguerite Henry - great writer, beautiful illustrations by Wesley Dennis Jackie series - OK possibly the illustrations and 1sts jackets by Geoffrey Whittam are a bit better than the writing but I grew up with these books and have to put them in this section! The Punchbowl farm series - lovely illustrations by great illustrators, (amongst them Geoffrey Whittam once again, one of my fav illustrators) match the brilliant writing by Monica Edwards Primrose Cumming - in general great illustrations match the fab stories. BTW susan I am unfamiliar with Patsey Gray...
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Post by fizz on May 27, 2008 20:05:36 GMT 1
In Catherine Harris's They Started a Riding Club the illustrations are good and by John Tulloch. Some of the Punchbowl series are illustrated by Charles Tunnecliffe, superb of course and another by Joan Wakelyn also very good. As a professional artist & art lecturer I tend to notice the illustrations to books. Anne Bullen very romantic every pony beautiful, Sheila Rose accurate and workmanlike well observed (she obviously read the books too) drawings.
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Post by haffyfan on May 27, 2008 20:13:24 GMT 1
I would agree with all of Claires except I really like the jacket of Dream Of Fair Horses...although illustrater clearly didn't read the book and based on a 'galloper' theme me thinks. The US edition Fields Of praise is nicht so gut!
Also the 80's reprints of Kit hunter books (you know jeans, trainers, legwarmer ones) are a shocker...why didn't they just leave the covers as they were as not really dated? The 70's ones were not much better...most didn't look like pony books at all.
The Sheila Rose Pullein-Thompson books are sehr gut as are the bloke from time teams Brumby illustartions (can't remember his name for life of me but anyone in Uk will know who I mean at least).
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Post by haffyfan on May 27, 2008 20:14:40 GMT 1
Also agree whole heartedly about Pat Smythe books.....stunning covers hiding the total dross inside.
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Post by Claire on May 27, 2008 21:17:30 GMT 1
haffyfan you have been on the German howrse site too long! ;D I agree that the newer versions of the Kit Hunters were pretty awful, especially those laminated ones. Also they must have had a fountain of youth from howrse as she was youthened to about 11 instead of being practically grown up! Can't believe you like the cover of Dream of F H it scares me!!! Might put a few pics of these on the thread to illustrate....
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Post by kunuma on May 27, 2008 21:32:33 GMT 1
Please put pics up Claire, my books are all too tatty to have covers Haffyfan - what was that about the artist archaeologist?? I love the oldest/original Brumby illustrations - were they done by him?? He must be old!
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Post by susanb on May 28, 2008 1:55:40 GMT 1
Claire...I hadn't thought of C.W. Anderson....it's true, I have several of his books, but primarily for art value, and I have a bit of nostalgic regard for the Blind Connemara and The Horse of Hurricane Hill, but truthfully, they are dull. It's not so much that the basic premise for a given book is bad, it's just that he meanders all over the place.....long, boring digressions. Totally agree re Marguerite Henry and Wesley Denis! Re The Allen Equestrian series...I must be the only person who sort of likes the cover art! :-) Ok, they're not fabulous, a la Peter Biegel or Lionel Edwards, they do beat the photo covers that had been in vogue for so long! Re Patsey Gray....an American author, who did books about girls and horses...some like her Star quartet (well, quintet really) were western pleasure, but an equal number, like Challenger, Jumping Jack and Horsepower were hunter/jumpers. She also did one unusual book about a diving horses on the Atlantic City Steel Pier. Jane Badger has pics of most of the books on her site..as far as I know, only Challenger was published (by Dent) in the UK...check out that totall Mod dj art!: www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/usa/graybib1.html
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Post by Claire on May 29, 2008 18:22:13 GMT 1
Kunuma have added some pics just for you!
Victor Ambrus is the name of the artist who did the silver b books and also on Time Team. He is one of my fav artists. Also did the pics in the Flambards series and other books which unfortunately can't remember at the mo!
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Post by haffyfan on May 29, 2008 19:57:14 GMT 1
I think he did Haki Claire?
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Post by Claire on May 29, 2008 21:10:55 GMT 1
Ooh did he? I have a copy of that gonna rush off and have a look to see if its got his pics in!
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