Worth 1,000 words.
Artists have been illustrating the written word for ages, and in some instances, the illustrations have made such indelible impressions that they’ve become forever identified with the author’s work.
With that in mind, we asked newsletter subscribers and social media followers to consider the above illustrations.
The Challenge
Can you name any of the books in which the above illustrations appeared? Can you identify the authors? The illustrators? (Hint: One of the books is illustrated by the author.)
Alternately, folks were invited to recommend books with particularly iconic illustrations.
The Incentive
The first respondent to correctly identify one or more of the books pictured above will receive a copy of Minute-Men: Execute & Run upon its release on October 14.
The Winner
Minutes after we posted the challenge, newsletter subscriber Johnnyrotten grabbed the low-hanging fruit by identifying the illustration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Perhaps the best known of the challenge’s six illustrations, the hookah-smoking caterpillar by Sir John Tenniel is one of 42 surreal wood engravings that appeared in the first edition of the book.
The Others
Responding on Facebook, editor Charles Prepolec provided one of the most comprehensive responses we received by correctly identifying four of the six illustrations.
Charles writes:
First one is Milton’s Paradise Lost illustrated by Gustave Doré. Tenniel’s Alice in Wonderland is next to it. Below it is Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas illustrated by Ralph Steadman. Bottom right is Hugo’s Les Misérables with the famous image by Émile Bayard.
As for the two remaining illustrations, one was correctly identified by award-winning author Steve Duffy, who recognized the Pluto’s Gang jersey as being from Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions. In his comment, Steve pointed out that the jersey is “not the most contentious illustration you could have chosen.” He’s right. If you’re familiar with the novel, I’m sure you know which “contentious illustration” he means.
Finally, the illustration of the faceless man was correctly identified by novelist Barton Paul Levenson, who was the only respondent to recognize the work of Jules Feiffer, illustrator of Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth.
Recommendations
Steve Balshaw, programmer for the GrimmFest Film Festival, recommended the iconic art of Mervyn Peake, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Harry Clarke. They’re all excellent choices, and more proof that illustrations can become as well-known as the works they reimagine.
Incidentally, Steve Duffy also recommended the work of Mervyn Peake, “another writer who illustrated his own work in a wholly original and appropriate manner.”
I agree. Indeed, I think Peake’s three novels are long overdue for rediscovery. Each is a masterful blend of tone and atmosphere — wonderfully Gothic and surreal. If you love dark fantasy and you haven’t yet discovered the wonders of brooding Gormenghast Castle, you owe it to yourself to pay it a visit.
You can find an illustrated edition of the Gormenghast Trilogy here.
Additionally, a shoutout to artist David Pascal, who recommends Aubrey Beardsley’s remarkable illustrations for the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. You’ll find a sampling of Beardsley’s work here.
And finally, Steve Duffy recommends the work of Dino Buzzati-Traverso, an Italian artist, novelist, short story writer, and poet, best known for the novel The Tartar Steppe. Buzzati-Traverso’s surreal illustrations complement writing that has been compared to the work of Albert Camus, most notably The Myth of Sisyphus. More about him here.
Continuing the Tradition
The June 8 installment of the Minute-Men Newsletter featured the art of contemporary illustrator Jeffrey Harris, a talented cartoonist whose work effectively visualizes our Minute-Men characters.
Jeffrey has also worked on a potential Minute-Men spinoff titled Game On. Although that one is still in the early stages of development, you can see some of his preliminary art for that project in our newsletter’s current edition.
Why Not Subscribe?
If you aren’t yet a newsletter subscriber, consider entering your e-address in the box below. The newsletter is free. No strings. No hard sells. Just animated book trailers, concept art, novel excerpts, and behind-the-scenes peeks at where the Minute-Men project began and where it is going.
And, yes … you’ll also find some fun challenges like the one covered in this post.
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