An Occupational Hazard

By Yvonne Gilbert

For those that work with books is the sheer number of volumes collected over a life-time. Every now and again I will blog about a particular book that has caught my eye or one that is displayed prominently on my bookshelves. A few years back William Grill’s beautifully illustrated ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ was published by the extraordinary Flying Eye Books in the UK. The true story of how Shackleton and his crew managed to survive this epic adventure, as well as a testament to their great courage, it depicts in a bold and exciting manner a series of maps, lists and diagrams as well as full page illustrations which explain the details of the venture in a never-before-seen manner. I love it!

Children’s Books

By Yvonne Gilbert

Come in all sizes, shapes and forms. As an illustrator myself I get so much pleasure from seeing so many varied styles of artwork—an infinite variety no less—and can honestly say I don’t prefer one type of illustration over another. I am just in awe of the imagination and flair of artists around the world. And I say artists, because they are—illustrators are carrying on the centuries old tradition of narrative artwork and deserve to be held in equal regard to any other artist, in any other medium.

Here’s another book from my personal collection - William Wondriska’s ‘A Long Piece of String’ published by Chronicle Books USA; ISBN978-0-8118-7493-9. Beautifully drawn and elegantly simple it is illustration and design working at its best.