EXTRACTS: llustrators issue 7 © 2014 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

94 The Bookshelf Luke Pearson is an exciting talent, barely three years out of art college and he‘s already got three best selling children’s books to his credit and plaudits from The New Yorker (no less) describing him as “a rising star”. ‘Hilda and the Troll’ is an expanded re-edition of his debut children’s graphic novel, ‘Hildafolk’. The story is a superficially simple yet captivating read. Pearson has drawn on influences such as Tove Jansson’s ‘Moomintroll’ books, but in terms of storytelling and artwork, he is very much his own man and in the re-presentation of this tale, we get to savour much more of Hilda’s world than the previous paper bound, 24 page book afforded. This is where Pearson’s publisher should take a bow, as with the other publishers, whose books are reviewed here, Nobrow are small and driven, as opposed to huge and committee bound. Their ability to compliment the work of their artists is evident from the cloth binding on the spine, to the smell of the paper as you open the book, to the endpapers depicting Hilda’s locale, to the sympathetic and punchy design by Sam Arthur and Alex Spiro. Fearie Tales Stories of the Grim and Gruesome Edited by Stephen Jones Illustrated by Alan Lee Hard-bound 430 pages Jo Fletcher Books £20.00 l illustrators is also available in the USA from budplant.com This book provides a double dose of delight to fans of fear fraught fiction. Firstly, there is Alan Lee’s captivating and delightfullymordantartworkwhichadorns the covers, endpapers, and interiors, and then there are the stories themselves, which are compelling, intriguing, and unsettling in equal measure. Stephen Jones has done an excellent job in presenting these little chillers from the pens of such literary talents as Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Joanne Harris, Peter Crowther, John Ajvide Lindqvist and Tanith Lee. In all fifteen writers pool their talents to present stories that will have you in their thrall, until each in their turn presents its disconcerting denouement. Jones added touch of genius is to sandwich each of these newly crafted tales with one of the Grimm brothers collected folk tales. The old contrasting, and comparing with the new as, in each case, the literally Grimm and “unsanitised” folk tale acts as a precursor to its newly crafted successor. Added together with Jo Fletcher Books impeccable design and production values, and you have a book that you will treasure for years to come. La Belle Au Bois Dormant By Pierre Lambert Hard-bound & Slipcased 240 pages Les Editions de l’Ecole Georges Méliès French Text €150.00 Available in US from Stuart NG $195.00 For enthusiasts of Disney art, this book is the closest they will ever get to waking up in heaven. Pierre Lambert’s sumptuous presentation of the artwork that underpinned ‘Sleeping Beauty’, one of the most spectacular and stylish Disney animations ever seen, makes this book an essential addition to the library of any animation and art devotee. The price tag might seem steep, but to anyone who has acquired any of Lambert’s previous homages to Disney animation, they will regard this as a relatively modest price to pay for viewing animation art at its best. The pages are beautifully laid out, and the gargantuan landscape format perfectly suits the dimensions of the last Disney supervised feature to be shot in Cinemascope. The printing and binding of the book is exceptional. The work selected by Lambert is both inspirational and revelatory. Here you can view animation drawings and sketches, concept pastels by Kay Nielson, and the layouts and background paintings of Evind Earle, whose work dominates the book as much as it did the film. If I had to choose just one of Lambert’s Disney books to take to a desert island— this would be the one. Hilda and the Troll By Luke Pearson Hard-bound 40 pages Flying Eye Books (An imprint of Nobrow Press) £12.95/€14.50/$18.95