John Broadley’s Books
John Broadley’s Books / ISBN 9780224089579 / 256-page hardcover, 6.25 x 8.25 inches, published by Jonathan Cape (UK)
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The debut of a remarkable new graphic artist, based on an extraordinary series of little books that have become cult and collectors’ items.
Since 1996, John Broadley has been making, chiefly for his own pleasure, a series of remarkable little books. Each one has a tiny print run, sometimes as few as 10 copies, which means that apart from a very few cognoscenti, no one has seen his extraordinary work, until now. This collection reveals an artist of astonishing imagination, skill, and playfulness. This book contains a complete visual record of Broadley’s books—covers, end papers, sketches, notes, lines, captions, and errata. Comprising work in a multitude of mediums, this is a treasure trove of visual delights. Here are scenes from much-loved classics, mysteries, and obscure science-fiction adventures. We travel on a journey through the bookshelves of a remarkable artist, through Broadley’s “New Book of Mysterious and Melancholy Scenes in Black and Blue” to the celebrated “Wild for Adventure Stories”—vignettes and fables in miniature—including Old Bill President Temperance League, Macabros the Monster-Maker, and Frank and the Farmer, each image offering a peek at a world beyond. Eclectic, unique, fantastical, this is a most extraordinary book of books.
