The History of the Illustrated Book: The Western Tradition Book

Pomp and circumstance, epic fantasy, travel, romance, meditation, history, satire, erotic intrigue: books throughout history, from papyrus to paperback, have used images to reinforce words. Manuscripts and printed books have been illustrated in every Western artistic style, and the artists represented in this classic survey range from ancient Egypt to modern Manhattan, from the Master of the Leaping Figures to Henri Matisse. Among the byways of this vast artistic field are the fiery manuscript Apocalypses of the early Middle Ages, fable books and songbooks, and the ornate records of baroque court life. Perhaps the artistic peak of printed book illustration was reached with the delicate engraving technique used in the eighteenth century. After 1800, as book production became more industrialized, many illustrators continued to produce superb work for a wide readership, but others turned back to craft processes to recreate the medieval tradition of the book as a precious object. Both the mass market and the minority of bibliophiles have survived into the twentieth century; and on many fronts, from botany to fiction, from poems to physiology, illustration is still a vital and developing art.Read More