| Modern
Children's Illustrators
| My wife and I have been collecting
children's books for over ten years now. It is a love affair
that has developed unintentionally, purely due to our shared
love of the subject.
We collect on two levels: firstly just books that we fall
in love with - often illustrated by artists that we have
never heard of, secondly from a commercial point of view,
buying books that will appreciate in value.
So I will divide this article into two sections. First
I will take a very brief look at current collectable children's
illustrators that are rising in value, then a look at some
of the very talented, though not yet so collectable illustrators. |
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Michael
Foreman
Michael Forman is probably one of the best known illustrators
of modern children's books. Born in Pakefield, Suffolk in
1938, he studied in Lowestoft School of Art and at the Royal
College of Art. Believe it or not his career started back
in the sixties with his first book 'Poems For Children' (Routledge)
being published in 1962. He has won several awards for his
work, most notably the Kurt Maschler Award in 1982. First
editions of his early works from the 60's and 70's are now
quite sought after and increasing in value rapidly. They vary
from £30 up to £70-£80 in very nice condition.
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Although these are certainly worth
looking out for his recent work is absolutely beautiful and
is easily found in new book shops, publishers remainders and
secondhand shops. I recently picked up 'Saving Sinbad' (Andersen,
2001) for a few pounds in a publishers remainders shop. Foreman
has also just released an edition of 'Wind in the Willows'
(Pavilion, 2001) illustrated in his distinctive style it is
well worth looking out for as a first and should appreciate
in value over the next few years. The picture on the left
here is taken from that book. |
| Michael Hague is a much more modern
illustrator than Foreman, his first book, an edition of 'East
of the Sun West of the Moon' (Harcourt Brace) was published
in 1980 with his renowned edition of 'Wind in the Willows'
(Holt) following in the same year. Hague is an American illustrator,
born in Los Angeles in 1948. His early work is now worth anything
up to £80 and is very sought after. However, he is still
busy and his newer works are readily available and going up
in value rapidly. One of my favorites is 'The Rainbow Fairy
Book' (William Morrow, 1993) this is actually edited by Andrew
Lang and is a collection of wonderful fairy tales selected
and illustrated by Hague, already worth about £30. The
picture on the right here is taken from that book, specifically
from 'Hansel and Gretal'. |
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| Helen Oxenbury is another
illustrator who has very quickly built up an excellent reputation
as a very talented illustrator. I know little about her.
My first encounter with her illustrations was when my wife
and I wandered into a new bookshop and spotted an edition
of 'Alice in Wonderland' (Walker, 1999) illustrated by Oxenbury.
I was instantly struck by her edition of Alice - so different
from anything I had ever seen before and at the same time
with a delicate beauty vaguely reminiscent of Foreman. I
bought it on the spot and have been on the look out for
her work ever since. Front cover shown below left. |
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| Inga Moore is another illustrator
that I know little about yet is rapidly becoming collectable.
I am very fond of my copy of 'The Wind in the Willows' (Walker,
2000) illustrated by Moore. This is well worth looking out
for along with first editions of her other work. 'Wind in
the Willows' is also available in a signed, limited edition
in two volumes - these are likely to go up in value quickly
and is a beautiful book to possess. Front cover of the trade
edition shown above right.
Other modern children's illustrators that are collectable
and well worth keeping an eye open for include Quentin
Blake and Raymond Briggs.
There are probably quite a few more that should be in this
list but they have escaped my memory right now. |
| There are many modern illustrators
that I keep coming across that are showing much promise
and I hope go on to receive the recognition they deserve.
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| My favorite has to be Christian
Birmingham. He graduated from the Exeter College
of Art in 1991, his first book, 'The Magic Bicycle' was
short-listed for the Kurt Maschler Award. I have a number
of his books including 'Wombat Goes Walkabout' (Collins,
1999) and 'The Sea of Tranquility' (Collins, 1996). The
latter tells the story of a young boy who dreams of rocketing
to the moon. The illustrations are so 'moody' and capture
the feel of the story so well. He has also illustrated an
edition of 'Oliver Twist' (Collins) and 'The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe' (Collins). |
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Eric
Kincaid is an English illustrator, born in London
in 1931. The picture on the left is taken from 'Rainy Day
Fairies' (Brimax, 2000). His illustrations complement Julia
Rowe's story very well. My wife's favorite is Sally
Hunter, the author and illustrator of the 'Humphrey
the Elephant' books. Humphrey an endearing and charming
character, a creation inspired by her experiences as a mother
of three. You may have spotted the range of soft toys and
greeting cards that go along with the books. The two books
below are 'Humphrey's Christmas' (Viking, 2001) and 'Humphrey's
Bedtime' (Viking, 2000). Both are truly charming and hopefully
one day will be as highly collectable as they deserve to
be! |
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Well, I need more space really... Look out also for P.L.
Lynch, he is another illustrator who I feel will
soon become sought after.
Well enjoy collecting. Don't purchase purely with a view
to a resale value later; buy the books you like, the ones
that jump off the shelf and say 'buy me!'. At the same time,
those you do buy, try and get first editions as these will
appreciate in value much more than the reprints. Also be
aware of condition, check the spine and corners aren't bumped
or rubbed, and there are no nasty 'half-price' stickers
stuck to the dust-wrapper! Last, but not least, look after
your growing collection; keep it away from the fading effects
of bright sunshine and if possible the grubby paws of children!
(unless you buy them their own copy of course!)
Happy collecting
Contributed by Steve Goddard
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