The Illustrated Poems of John Betjeman - illustrated by David Gentleman.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,illustrated 1st edn. FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,wrap-around watercolour pictorial artwork by David Gentleman, illustrated dw/dj,with black lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation. Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered - rear lower corner with a minor dent/bump,publisher's original plain dark green cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white eps.UK,slim Qrto HB+dw/dj, illustrated 1st edn, 5-143pp [paginated] includes contents list/table,5 sections,profuse watercolour vignettes,illustrations by David Gentleman to accompany the poetry/verses/poems,plus [unpaginated] half-title page with watercolour vignette (portrait of John Betjeman) to its reverse and title page,t he 5 sections include poems on Love,Church,People,Places and Death.
The book is a companion volume to the edition of Betjeman's 'Summoned by Bells' illustrated by Hugh Casson.
John Betjeman is the best loved English poet of this century (then 1995).His 'Collected Poems' made publishing history and has now sold more than two million copies.In each generation a new following is captivated by his unmissable voice, whose compassion can swell into indignation and whose humour is underlaid with gentle satire and often self-doubt.His virtuosity is astonishing and his ability to catch the spirit of place is unrivalled.
This book presents a carefully chosen selection of Betjeman's poems. They deal with love of many sorts,with people of all kinds observed with comedy and pathos,with the places he made his own and with the Church whose foibles he pinpointed so exactly.In these pages you can revisit Uffington,Trebetherick,or Highgate.You can fall in love with Miss Joan Hunter Dunn,or watch Oscar Wilde reel from the Cadogan Hotel. You can phone for the fish knives,fall with the friendly bombs on Slough,or pity Diana,whose ponies have swallowed their bits.
David Gentleman,well known for his evocative paintings of Britain, Paris (see my book ID rja821618) and most recently India (see also my book ID rja1718) for his SIGNED,1st edns of these 2 titles - and where as it happens,in India - John Betjeman's father-in-law was Commander-in-Chief),has loved Betjeman's poems for years and has now illustrated them with great sensitivity and feeling. His paintings complement the poems in delightful and often surprising ways.Sometimes the setting or subject of the poem is shown,sometimes a detail.Sometimes characters are captured with uncanny accuracy.But every illustration has a parallel poetry of its own.
David Gentleman (b.1930.) Born in London.Studied at St Albans School of Art (1947-48) and the Royal College of Art, London (1950-53),where he later taught (1953-55).Since then,he has worked freelance from his studio in Camden Town, London,making drawings, watercolours and lithographs of landscapes and buildings,and designing murals,posters,bookjackets,postage stamps,and a wide variety of other design and illustration commissions.His book illustrations have included limited editions of a number of classic works as well as books by several contemporary writers,some of them for children.He has written and illustrated several children's books and one on design,as well as a book of watercolour drawings of contemporary Britain.Many of his illustrations have been engraved on wood and some lithographed; more often,however,he draws in pen and ink with watercolour.As an illustrator,he uses pen and ink,wood engraving,and watercolour.His work is always immaculately presented; convincingly and often humorously adopting the style and iconography of his subject's period.Elected RDI (1970); member AGI.
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