Illustration Books

Tolkienýs ýThe Lord of the Ringsý is the first fantasy ý science fiction book I have ever read. It is hands down the best. No one writes with such prose and detail as Tolkien does. Granted, it does not have as much magical pyrotechnics as other fantasy books out there, but it makes up for that in a well-structured plot and the resourcefulness of the characters involved. The magic that does happen in the book is spectacular and well worth the wait. Tolkienýs battle scenes are excellent. He unfolds the story as it happens. There are no chapters that begin with ýTen years laterýý rather the story progresses in real-time. No wonder many people think that this work is the greatest of the 20th century.

This collection features six works of Alan Lee who, along with John Howe, was one of the principle conceptual artists for Peter Jackson's films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".

The six works featured in this collection are:

1. The Stone Trolls
2. The West Gate of Moria
3. The Battle of the Hornburg
4. The Black Gate
5. Gorbag and Shagrat
6. Mount Doom

The six works are large, stand alone posters on heavy stock contained within an attractive folder featuring The West Gate of Moria on the front cover. The prints--the originals were done in watercolor--have a black border with the name of the work and the artist at the bottom in small print.

These prints are an excellent addition to any Tolkien fan's collection.

In the world of Tolkien artwork, two artists sit at the top of the heap: Alan Lee and John Howe. These two artists have devoted a lot of ink to sketching scenes from J.R.R. Tolkien's masterworks, and in the "Lord of the Rings Poster Collection," we get to see some of Lee's best work.

"The Stone Trolls" shows the three trolls that Gandalf turned to stone in "The Hobbit." Now they're mossy and immobile, as the hobbits and Strider walk by. "The West Gate of Moria" is an exquisite play of light and shadow, showing the Fellowship looking up at the glowing doorway. And the best poster of all is "Battle of the Hornberg," a grimly detailed picture of the orcs flooding through the smashed fortress wall.

On the Mordor front, we get three different posters. "The Black Gate" is a panoramic look at the hobbits and Gollum lurking on a stone outcropping, and watching as troops pass through the spiky Black Gate. "Gorbag and Shagrat" shows a pair of creepy orcs in full armor, waiting against a stained stone wall, apparently in conversation. And "Mount Doom" is a bleak slope of barren rocks, but with a light shining somewhere behind the mountain.

Perhaps the only flaw of this collection is that three of the pictures are from "Return of the King," and only from Mordor. Don't expect any coronations or Grey Ships in this. A little more variation would have been nice, but the posters themselves are lovely -- high quality paper, clear reproduction. As for the pictures themselves....

Alan Lee does "still work" the best -- even when his subjects are in motion, they look very quiet and almost dreamlike. There's a lot of detail poured into these, since even small twigs, cracks and stains make their way into his artwork. They also tend to have muted, faded colours, lots of soft greys, browns and greens. Some of them look like sepia photographs.

Looking at these beautiful posters, it's easy to see why Lee was one of the designers for the "Lord of the Rings" movies' exquisite sets. A wonderful collection of fantasy artwork.

Having never owned any of Alan Lee's LOTR artwork before, I bought this collection on the advice I had found in many places online. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
It is true what is said about Lee's visual mastery of Tolkien's words. The images are often much like what I pictured from the books . . . even Gollum.

My only issue was with the scenes chosen to be depicted in the collection. Three of the six are from Mordor (Gates of Mordor, Gorbag & Shagrat, and from the foot of Mount Doom), the artwork of which is not at all bad, but it is repetitive, when there is so much more. I'm most anticipatory to find Lee's depiction of the Ents somewhere. ^_^

The paper quality is good & thick, and the posters come in a glossy protective folder with information on the artist, text bits that were the basis for the paintings, etc.

As a collector of Tolkien artwork, I must say that Lee's paintings of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are some of the best in circulation (or out). This poster set is one more addition to a venerable stack of Lee artwork. If you're a Tolkien fan, this is a must!

I've always loved Royo's work. My only complaint, is that everything in this is pg-13, when I know he is capable of very beautiful and tasteful R rated material. The same thing has happened for the past few years now, this time I scoured the internet trying to find a review of this 08 calendar to tell me if it was R rated or PG-13, but noone seemed to mention it, so I took the chance and was once again burned by censorship. This is endorsed by Heavy Metal Magazine, and everyone knows what type of material can be found in their pages, why couldn't they at least warn me on their website? Does anyone know what the deal is with the Royo calendars recently, I know they used to be fully uncensored R rated. This would have gotten 5 stars if they had at least been honest about the content within. Otherwise it's still good art, just not up to it's full potential.

I've had a Royo calendar for the last couple of years and this one is the best yet. It's like having a great Royo poster that changes once a month. "Oh, what do we have next month? Another gorgeous girl created by the master Royo!" If you're fan of Royo's work you should have this calendar.

This is a wonderful calendar. If you like fantasy art or are a Royo fan then this is the calendar for you! The service was great as was the communication. I would recommend it to friends.

If you like Royo's work you'll love his calendars. Tried to get the wife to dress like some of Royo's models, but she won't go for it, so at least I have the calendar to look at.

Sometimes people balk at buying Royo ahead of time not sure what the content will be. This is classic Royo, well done, beautiful models, clear pictures. There is no nudity or any of that, though. No worries displaying it on the wall! I just thought I'd throw that out there because sometimes people are wondering and the reviews don't say.

Escher's work is so engaging and interesting. Everyone has seen Escher's work, even if they don't know the name. I've used his work to teach math, graphics, and problem solving. My college students love analyzing his work.

I bought this book as a gift, and it was an excellent choice. There are many example works in the book, plus interesting explanations.

In The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher, Bruno Ernst, an acquaintance of Escher's until Escher's death in 1972, presents a thorough summary of the life and work of Escher. Ernst devotes a chapter to the life of Escher, and uses the rest of the book to describe his amazing work. He includes the different themes and styles that Escher used, and devotes a good amount of space to each work discussed. The book is extremely thorough and includes large clear illustrations of the works themselves and also of earlier drafts of the works and mathematical descriptions to assist the reader. This is the most concise book of Escher and his work I have ever seen, and Ernst has done a fabulous job on it.

The work of Escher has captured the imagination of many people and in this book Bruno Ernst (a personal friend of Escher) expands our understanding of the artist. After a brief but concise biography, the author throughly analyses the most important facets of Escher's artistic output: the illusion in drawing, the use of perspective, the creation of impossible realities, simultaneous and contrasting realities, crystals, and the infinite. Escher was an artist who was unique in in his work, he stands by himself, and this book is a helping tool in understanding and appreciating the unparalleled magic of his work.

I just picked this book up thinking that there has been a "NEW" book published on M.C.Escher's work.When I got it home ,I checked it against other Escher books and was disappointed to find it is the same book published several times before and by different publishers.
As you can see the ,publication date of this edition is shown as April 6,2007.Therefore, the reviewers here must have been looking at a previous publication,possibly the one also listed here as a paperback in 1987.The copy I had was even earlier,published by Ballantine in 1976.
The quality of this Taschen Edition is very good, in fact, superior to the paperback editions I have seen; and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes M.C. Esher's work ;but the material included has not changed.
I believe this is an excellent book ,and agree with the reviews already written on other editions.
I guess what we have here is A 25 Year Celebration of its first publication.
This is an excellent chance to obtain this book and will be enjoyed,particularly by people new to Escher's work.The fact that this edition has now come out speaks volumes about what a great book this was,and it's great to see it available again.

The greatness of this book on the work of M.C. Escher is that it shows how he worked up his ideas for various pieces. It also gives a thorough explanation of his thought and design process. It is truely a shame that this book has gone out of print. I sincerely hope that the publisher brings it back.

I will keep it simple and just say i really enjoyed this book. The art style is diffrent and sweet. I love the girls big cute shoes and the beautiful backround settings. I really don't think a manga/anime fan could be dissapointed with this book. vibrant pages of cute anime girls with their own names and bios make this book a pleasure to add to my collection.

I have NEVER regretted Buying This! The art style is so unique and cute. There are alot of Loli-pictures but its good for refrence material!
There is one naked girl pic in a Artclass Setting. Its not drawn in a offensize way. Theirs also quite a few girls wearing dress shirts and (...). Its still a very good Artist and Worthy of Buying~ !
Please Buy this and get Kao Yun's book too! (

I love this one of the whole entire series. I love the way the artist make characters about it and how they draw the characters. Now only if they could make a show based on this..........

i find this to be the best edition of this series so far. Not only does it have far less fan service, the art style is ver original. I love the beatiful art in this book and could look at it all day. Do your self a favor and pick up a copy.

This is by far the BEST of the New Generation of Manga Artists series. It beats them all in terms of originality and charm.

The best quality I consider in this book is Renga-san's use of backgrounds. He uses up most of his canvas in a majority of his pieces with city scenes (something I'll always have trouble with ^^;;) or images relating to the character's personality (like my favorite, a cute girl with stereo equipment).

As for the characters, most of them are girls (one or two boys are thrown into the mix). The design is very unique and appealing, especially with the big eyes; the lines up close are pretty rough, so if you're sensitive about line quality, you might not be satisfied...however, I'd say they are far from unprofessional. As I mentioned with backgrounds, Renga-san does a lot with bringing out his characters' personalities; there's bonus profiles of some of them in the back of the book.

Unlike most of this series, there's no exaggerating body parts in this edition. There is quite a bit of unnecessary underwear scenes, some so random you wonder why they're even there.>__o;; Only about three of them are near provocative. All in all much tamer then the previous artist books.

I still love this book after 2 years...still use it for reference. It says in the back comments that Renga-san might consider doing another book in the future, and I would be happy if he did. He already has a nice portfolio site (http://rengaworks.hekatoncheir.net/). Anyway, highly recommended book for any budding artist!=D

Simply better than the first... and it's on my bookshelf now.

I got this book from a local bookstore. Only one was available and the cover was not in a very good condition. But I find the content stunning... the combination of photographs and no faults with the manipulations/modifications done could have easily fooled many in earlier days. Today we know such mastery is possible powerful computer software.

This book eye candy to me.

Paintbox No.1 shows the power of image manipulation. With a simple digital pen these artists blend together images that will amaze your eyes. Pages upon pages of eyecandy!

This book is chocked of photographic pictures that are skillfully modififed to blend seamlessly. Some of these may be done by using plug-ins, but others require more effort, skill and thought. For example, you cannot just mask an object and paste it on another photo; need to consider shadow, lighting, etc. and I think the pictures here involved such considerations. Great work. When I look at the pictures, I think, "That's great..." and a great challenge to me to produce similar results.

I am also intending to get "Paintbox No. 2" !!

Sometimes we come across advertisements (eg. posters) that catch our attention and make us wonder---"How REAL!!" and amaze us. This book is filled with wonderful pictures, carefully designed, composited, etc. with consideration of details such as shadows to make things realistic. Everything in the pictures blends well with other elements in the pictures. With the power of today's photo editing software, some of these may not be difficult to produce but for the rest, they seem like wonders to me. Imagination and skills are essential.

If you are in advertising and designing, it would be a great challenge to yourself to try to produce similar effects in the book. Or if you are just looking for a book that shows you great pictures in advertising, you will find this book to be an eye-candy. However, this book does not teach you how to produce the effects; which, I think is not the aim of the book.

I am happy to have a copy of this book.

good illustrations, intertaining book

While this book contains chapters of material e.g. introduction, calendar, Gospel Lessons, Hours of the Virgin, Pentitential Psalms etc., the core of the book is the descriptions of the illustrations themselves. These description provide a variety of information - bits of biography of the artist, history of the manuscript (confirmed and confirmed), information regarding the style, the imagery etc. The "chapter" material provides samples of the texts, the development of the specific portion of the Book of Hours, etc. This provides the overall context for the materials.

The indices provide access by manuscript, artist, early owners; an appendex provides the outline of the major offices by incipit (first phrase) to place individual illustrations in the overall context of the prayer hour.

Don't be intimidated - the text is easily followed but one unfamilar with the prayer book content or with illuminated manuscripts. But you can also enjoy the book simply going through the pictures - like a stroll through a museum without a docent or tape.

This is a beautiful book. It has full color images througout and contains examples of several pieces that I have not seen in other books. I have a coleection of lllumination books and am thrilled with this addition.

This well-organized survey of the Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance art takes the reader through the various parts of the book of hours illustrating both the historical and artistic development from the earliest manuscript examples to incunabula. Lavishly illustrated with examples taken only from the Pierpont Morgan Library, where Wieck is a curator, the book is also a mini catalog of that collection. While the "reader" could fully enjoy this book by simply looking at the pictures, Wieck's text is full of illuminating tidbits. The book also contains some detailed descriptions of medieval liturgy and religious practices that may be of interest to some readers.

The Pierpont Morgan Library's collection of manuscripts and printed works contains some truly beautiful works of art. I was privileged to see some of them at an exhibit in the Kimbell Art Museum. This book was offered as a catalog of the exhibit and I immediately bought it as a reminder of what I had seen. The illustrations in this book, though not quite as visually stunning, are nevertheless representative of the originals. Bibliographic information is rather sparse but the further reading section is nice.

Painted Prayers gives both the structure of the book itself and the reason behind its popularity during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was the laity in general, and more specifically the female laity, that owned these works as a kind of, "direct, democratic, and potentially uninterrupted access to God, the Virgin Mary, and the saints." (p.14). It is fascinating to see the incorporation of Christian, and sometimes pagan, symbols and iconography, and even humor, in the miniatures and marginalia of the Books of Hours. The miniatures often depicted biblical, or historical, scenes in modern settings and dress. Patrons would often have their portraits, coats of arms, monograms, or intials incoprorated into the Books of Hours that they had commissioned. With the advent of printing in the 15th century Books of Hours, with their pictures, became even more successful as they could now reach out to a wider audience.

If you ever have the opportunity to see an exhibit featuring Books of Hours I recommend you see it. Failing that, Painted Prayers is a good stand in.

I love this book. It explain how to make pasta from scatch and how to make many differt flavor of pasta. I got a pasta machine for Christmas and these recipes work great for my pasta machine

This is an absolutely essential book for anyone who loves pasta. It is packed with wonderful color photos. The recipes are delicious. Some are quite involved and require exotic ingredients.

Being so much more than a cookbook, it starts out with a brief history of pasta. It then discusses grain in detail. Pictures of each flour type & an illustration of a wheat grain are included here. There are also pictures all the of pasta tools.

Next, dry pasta is covered. There are great photos of over 125 different pastas, including Asian noodles. It also demonstrates step by step how to make, & shape fresh pasta doughs from scratch.

I loved the inclusion of colored, flavored pastas. The sweet pastas including chocolate noodles are divine. Other great recipes focused on pasta sauces, soups, dumplings, gnocchi, baked pastas and stuffed dishes.

History, recipie, and skills all shown and done beautifully. THis is a great book.

Great illustrations, clear instructions, & lots of recipes. What more could anyone ask for?

The beginning to the experienced pasta maker will benefit from this book. Large, clearly printed, well outlined and containing lots of photos of the recipes, this book also has the "cooking school" format that has step by step photos. A entire chapter is devoted to dried pasta with photos of the different shapes. Never wonder what casereccie, banane, or grimigna are again! With this book, you will know! Imaginative use of fresh herbs pressed in sheets of pasta, cuisines from Italian to the Orient (and points in between), baked, stuffed, desserts, this book has enough ideas and recipes to get you started and keep you busy.

I saw this book in the library and figured it would be good as my little girl is in love with Pegasus.

I should have read it first because it's the fable of Bellerophon (which I had forgotten) and the Chimera. The fighting and talk of killing did taker her (and me) by surprise.

A couple quick simple explanations seemed to make things better but I must point out that she did not want it read again. I am sure she will like these when she is older but it was my mistake for not reading it first.

The artwork is fabulous. Even though the story bothered her; she still had to look at the pictures and she was intrigued rather then scared of the Chimera.

A good book that is meant for older children.....

I am happy with this purchase. The story is well-written with Craft's beautiful artwork. The story is about a king's son, Bellerophon, who was set up by a jealous foe to be killed. But the kindy king Bellerophon was sent to could not kill a good man by his own hand, so the kindly king sent Bellerophon on a challenge to kill the bloodthirsy Chimera monster... to certain death. But Bellerophon sought help from a wise man who told him to find Pegasus, that attacking Chimera from the air would put him at an advantage over other men that died trying. But Pegasus is hard to find and also wild. This is the story of how Bellerophon found Pegasus, how they became 'brothers in trust', and how together they were able to finally destroy Chimera. But will the kindly king that was told to kill Bellerophon be able to follow through once Bellerophon proves himself such a hero on top of being the good-hearted man that impressed him? And what about the kindly king's daughter who Bellerophon quickly fell in love with?

This picture book fits nicely into a collection of other story books of this genre, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, both written by Mayer (Beauty was illustrated by another great artist named Mercer Mayer, Craft illustrated Pegasus and 12 Dancing Princesses). The nice thing about this book is that the focus is not on romance, so it is quite a different story and one that my son may get more into when older (although I myself have a weakness towards the romances!). There is the slaying of Chimera, so it is more violent than the above mentioned fairy tales, but as I said, the 'dragon slaying' quality may appeal to boys.

Stories like this and most books in this genre don't spell out every action or emotion, but that's the nature of fairy tales. I think it's nice to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps and details; these stories are thought provoking.

My only complaint about Craft's artwork is that the characters in her various books look so similar. For example, the princess in Pegasus looks just like the main princess in 12 Dancing Princesses. And with her Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty books, I can't tell a difference between the two different woman. A lot of the princes look the same, and, in my opinion, they all have the face and headsize of a ten year old boy painted atop a man's body. Her artwork is beautiful, and I know that's the style, but it does kind of disappoint me, along with how the people look alike from story to story. But nonetheless, the art is great and beautifully detailed, and the stories are classic.

Children have always and will always be intrigued by fairy tales (and mythology), so that's what makes these beautiful books so great to own. They will be read and reread, with the artwork studied. My daughter is only 3 1/2 and already adores anything fairytale she is allowed to see: books, begs to watch my Faerie Tale Theatre collection (great shows from the 80s!), the Barbie fairytale stuff, you name it. That's why I consider books like these a good investment, and with care, they can be passed down.

My 12 year old daughter discovered this book in the library and thought she was in heaven. We had no idea that books like this even existed. Not many parents in our area are even aware of them and they are not often signed out of the library. I feel so appreciative that there is a writer like Marianna Mayer and an illustrator the caliber of Kinuko Craft out out there creating such beautiful "works of art" for children. Pegasus can be appreciated by older children (and adults) because the language is elegant and sophisticated. The sumptuous illustrations are beneficial to children who are visual learners. Amazon is offering this book, with dust jacket, at an amazingly low price. Although Mayer/Craft are at the top of her list, she has also discovered other illustrators such as Ruth Sanderson and Gennady Spirin who Amazon brought to her attention after we ordered books by Mayer/Craft.

It was in reading this version of the "Pegasus" myth that I realised something that had never occurred to me before: K. Y. Craft's exquisite books aren't really for children. They are definitely targeted toward a children's reading-market, and some children would certainly enjoy reading them, but ultimately I believe that Craft's books are designed for an adult audience: they are so beautiful, so detailed, and written with such dense and sophisticated language (either by Marianne Mayer, as in this case, or by her other frequent collaborator Charlotte Craft), that most adults will find themselves placing her books on their own bookshelves rather than their children's.

"Pegasus" is one such example; melding Craft's extraordinary illustrations with a retelling of the myth in all its heroic glory. The handsome youth Bellerophon is charged with the task of destroying the three-headed Chimera, and to aid him in his quest he seeks out the winged horse Pegasus to act as his steed in defeating the monster. It's a simple enough story, and so Mayer adds further detail: Bellerophon's prolonged search for Pegasus, his love for the Princess Philonoe, his discovery of Pegasus at the fountain of Pirene (a mother who wept so long for her son that she eventually turned to stone), and the epic battle that rages between the two heroes and the monster.

Mayer does stop short of relating Bellerophon's ultimate fate: of being flung from Pegasus's back to his death after he attempts to fly to the gods' home; instead choosing to give the young hero a happy ending with his young wife...I suppose some liberties are taken for a young audience!

To match such an epic story are illustrations that seem to burst from the page. The Chimera tearing through the countryside, Pegasus appearing in the Eden-like garden, the fierce battle over the ocean, and the splendour of the winged Pegasus - K. Y. Craft's paintings are utterly glorious, and really have to be seen to be believed. Some are even given the space to fill two-page spreads, demanding that the reader simply stop and *look*.

Perhaps I should have said that Craft's books are able to be as enjoyed as much by adults as they are by children; for it is a very foolish adult that no longer believes they need to read legends and fairytales. All of Craft's books are a delight to the eyes, and (to date) she has illustrated two other Greek myths that also come highly recommended: "King Midas and the Golden Touch" and "Cupid and Psyche".

If Disney's version of "Hercules" made you groan with its complete rehash of Greek legend, then K. Y. Craft's version of "Pegasus" will set you (and your kids) straight again.

Kinuko Y. Craft's stunning illustrations bring to life this classic story of the mythical horse Pegasus. No children's book collection should be without this beautifully designed effort.

I'm totally blown away by this book, after seeing these drawings at the Walker I had to own it. Check out his website to see all the drawings on line.

If you live anywhere near Minneapolis get yourself over to the Walker Art Center, where every single one of Zak Smith's drawings/paintings/sculptures (yes, some are three dimensional) for this project are displayed on one wall. (All are in the permanent collection of the Walker.) How do I know it's all 750+ artworks? Because I counted. 45 columns by 17 rows. You could spend hours staring at them and not exhaust this monumental project. I'm not sure how long they'll remain on display so don't put it off.

Zak Smith a genious, and this book the best.
if you like concept ilustration, you'll love it...

and the prize it's great!

I just saw the Zak Smith exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minn. where I had gone to see the "Picasso in America". But this Gravity's Rainbow page-by-page is, by far, the reason to go to the Walker right now. Mindboggling. Buy the book and picture each page lined up like a grid covering an entire wall. The Pynchon book is quite challenging to read so try to imagine Zak Smith capturing the concept of each and every page with a drawing or picture. Number 404 looks like an inch thick melted white plastic mess--does anyone know what happened in the book on this page? I noticed that one of the "tags" for this product is "genius." Believe it.

I am at a loss for words.

It's one of the most beautiful things i've seen in years.

To answer the extremely perseptive reviewer, who seemed to have gotten so much more from this book than any body else besides myself...yes, Eugene Field had a son who died. He wrote a poem about it too, and it is called "Little Boy Blue". My mother used to torture herself reading this poem..and it got so bad she just couldn't any more. This book of poetry is just wonderful. The illustrations by the renown artist Maxfield Parish are a pure delight, a treasure unto themselves.
By Eugene Field
Little Boy Blue

The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue---
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place---
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.

This was a book from my childhood and which I have searched for many years. So happy to find it at Amazon's. Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator , with his imagination was the right choice for this book of poetry. Eugene Field's love of children and the sadness which was part of his life makes the poetry memorable.

I received this book as a gift when I was about 8 or 10, and it was one of my favorite all time books. The poems are dear and the illustrations are simply magical. This volume had poems I had heard before, like "Winken, Blinken, and Nod", and many that were new to me. Over the years, when I had to memorize a poem for school, it was always one of these I chose -- "Jest 'Fore Christmas", "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat", and "the Dickey bird is singing in the Amphalula tree."

One of my very favorite books of my childhood. The copy I have was given to my mother in her childhood, and she read the poems to me. This book introduced me to not only some wonderful poetry, but also to the amazing artwork of Maxfield Parrish. I'm delighted that Scribner's has reissued the book in the original design.

Some of these poems are for children. Some are merely about children. Some are for grown ups who love children. Some are for children who have no idea how dear they are to the grown ups in their lives.

Despite having had my copy of ýPoems of Childhoodý for ten years, I know absolutely nothing about Eugene Field save what I can infer from the poems in this collection. From their recurring themes, and the order in which they appear, I can guess that Field lost a child who was very precious to him . . . was slowly healed of his grief by the love and presence of other children . . . and was given a second chance with the birth of a new baby.

There are about 15 poems that hint of that lost child and a handful that juxtapose sleep and death, making me wonder if the baby died in its sleep. Other sad poems are merely wistful about beloved children who have grown up. Thankfully, there are just as many happy poems as sad ones: cheery verses about toys, imaginary creatures, and playground games. Field also wrote several ýlullabiesý that are perfect for rocking children to sleep, whether or not they are put to music.

I donýt know any other poet who has brought such dignity to "babytalk." Toddlers in his poems are called names like Pittypat, Tippytoe, Googly-Goo and Luddy-Dud. His imaginary fairies include Amberglee, Daisybright and Pilfercurds. Moreover, Iým sure that no other collection of childrenýs poems has this many terms for "dreamland"--Blinkiwink garden, Shut-Eye town, and Hushaby street, to name a few.

Though Field could be accused of writing the same poems over and over again, most of his verses have such distinctive _personalities_ that this is not entirely true. What they _all_ have in common is his delicate touch--yes, even the ones in which his voice turns rustic and homey--that has endeared him to children and grown ups alike.