EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 21 © 2017 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

94 The Bookshelf: Movies, Toons and Dope! The third volume of this ambitious exploration of the inspirational art which underpinned the output of the Walt Disney Studio is as delightful and instructional as its predecessors. Didier Ghez, has a first-hand understanding of the process of animation, having written extensively on the subject since the age of 18. As a result, he has been granted access to both the friends and families of the creatives involved and the wealth of art that is stored in the Disney archives and in the hands of private collectors. The artists that come under the spotlight in this latest volume include names such as Campbell Grant, James Brodero and Martin Provensen, along with less familiar but, every bit as talented, artists such as Charles Cristadoro and Bob Jones, who worked as sculptor and model-maker respectively, producing models which acted as guides for the animators. As with all books which centre themselves around the art of the Disney Studio, the images selected for this volume are outstanding and reveal the enormous scope of the developmental work which underpinned each of these cinematic masterpieces. The Art of Mondo Forward by Brad Bird Introduction by Tim League Hardbound 304 pages. Titan Books £25.95 For lovers of cult film, collectors of movie posters and connoisseurs of great illustration art this book is amega-must!!!. Mondo has been producing some of the most gorgeous poster art conceivable and has evolved from a small iron-on t-shirt store appearing out of the Alamo Drafthouse to one of the most prestigious purveyors of movie-themed posters with an international following of collectors . The idea underpinning the success of Mondo is simple; as movie-posters have discarded artistic originality in favour of corporate conformity, the beauty of posters; which allowed top-flight illustrators and designers to make their own interpretation of movie classics has become more apparent. Commissioning some of the most exciting contemporary illustrators to make their own interpretation of movie classics and then to issue them as limited edition giclee prints has found a ready and appreciative audience. This book is a god-send for Mondo fans as well as lovers of great art. For the first time ever, images from this incredible series of prints are reproduced with art by the likes of Tomer Hanuka, Tyler Stout, Laurent Durieux and a host of other talents, all available under one cover. DOPE MENACE The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks 1900-1975 By Stephen J. Gertz Soft-bound 220 pages. Feral House $24.95 Since their inception in the late 1980s, publishers Feral House have built a reputation for tackling projects which others consider too hot to handle: a brief flick through author Stephen J. Gertz’s ‘DopeMenace’ proves the point. Aprolific writer and collector and dealer in rare books, Gertz is as well positioned as any to comment on an area of illustration which brought, if not respectability, then at least a degree of acceptability, to the use of a taboo subject as a basis for some of the best examples in pulp paperback cover art. As in Feral House’s similar publication Sin-A-Rama, Gertz gets the ‘heavy’ stuff out of the way with early on, delving deeply into the dark world of narcotics fiction which had filled a gap in the market when censors cracked down on the media of film and radio as an outlet for the use of such subjects in the name of ‘entertainment’. It’s the book’s second half which really injects life into the subject. Covers by prolific artists like Herb Tauss and Rudy Nappi, prove that even mainstream illustrators weren’t afraid to tackle the highs of lowbrow fiction. The result is a collection of works which still retain their ability to shock. Cleaver Patterson They Drew What They Pleased-Vol.3 By Didier Ghez Hardbound 248 pages Chronicle Books £22.75 All books reviewed here are available from: bookpalace.com