Brushes and Bayonets

Chosen as a "must-read" recommendation on Sgt. Santa's Reading List in Armchair General, January 2009It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but, during World War I, newspaper illustrations were worth even more, not only conveying the news to anxious families at home and soldiers in battle, but also entertaining and lifting the spirits of a nation at war. Featuring work by some of the most well-known illustrators of the period fromW. Heath Robinson to Bruce Bairnsfather, this thematic collection of 250 WorldWar I magazine illustrations is published in association with The Illustrated London News (the British Harper's).The illustrations included range from light-hearted strip cartoons and line drawings, to poignant sketches and dark and hard-hitting political satire. The images not only depict events as they happened, but reveal all the moods of a nation at war. Many are published here for the first time in 90 years, creating a unique, bittersweet portrayal of the Great War and a fascinating and very human, historical and artistic reference source. This collection of 250 illustrations from the archives of the Illustrated London News has been carefully selected as the best of the batch. Most of these illustrations have not had public viewing for over 90 years... The landscape format of the book as well as the superlative printing on thick, quality paper makes this a volume you will cherish for years to come. "Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (April 2008)" Over 200 illustrations taken from the archives of the Illustrated London News covers a range of newspaper and magazine images, from stop cartoons and line drawlings to sketches and paintings...it's also highly recommended for art libraries strong in milirary art history, and for any collection strong in World War II archives. "The Midwest Book Review (June 2008)""