So what is Walker Studio? The ethos behind our new imprint is to create a list of beautiful books with engaging design, high-quality illustration and superior production values. Although of course we always strive to make all of our books beautiful, over the years we have discovered that some titles really stand out with sophistication that appeals not only to children, but also to book lovers and design lovers of all ages. We decided to give these books their own list, and so Walker Studio was born!
Last night, to celebrate the launch, we had an exhibition of the artwork from the first four books on our list: The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan (with a foreword by Neil Gaiman), Animals by Ingela Arrhenius; A World Of Information by James Brown and Richard Pitt and An Artist’s Alphabet by Norman Messenger. The exhibition and launch party took place at the lovely Illustrationcupboard Gallery in St James, London, buzzing with book lovers, authors and illustrators. The artwork looked spectacular, and we even got to see the original sculptures from Shaun Tan’s The Singing Bones:
Here’s a bit about each of the books…
The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan
Shaun Tan fans get to see his extraordinary talent applied to sculpture in this award-winning, lavishly presented collection of art based on fairy tales told by the Brothers Grimm. Shaun captures the essence of these tales as he brings traitorous brothers, lonely princesses, cunning foxes, honourable peasants and ruthless witches to life in surprising – and illuminating – ways. Introduced by author Neil Gaiman and fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes, The Singing Bones is a feast for the eyes, a profound, powerful celebration of the world's most beloved stories.
Animals by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Know someone who loves creatures? Animal lovers will fixate on this giant book presenting thirty-two big, bold images of friendly beasts. From a star of children s design in Sweden comes an exquisite array of animals rendered with whimsy and stylish splendor. Every oversized page highlights a different specimen, from an adorable sheep to an elegant flamingo, from an endearing hippo to a silly-looking snake. Each animal s name appears in a different eye-catching type treatment, making for an attractive graphic keepsake sure to find a prominent place in nurseries and bookshelves everywhere.
A World of Information by Richard Platt, illustrated by James Brown
This visually stunning miscellany from the effortlessly stylish print-maker James Brown is a collection of incredible facts and figures. Do you know how many bones there are in the human body or how clouds form? Or about different types of knots or how Morse code works? Each illustration is both beautiful and enlightening, and is accompanied by an engaging fact-filled explanation by celebrated author Richard Platt. Covering more than 30 diverse and fascinating topics, there is a world of information at your fingertips in this book, which is perfect for all the family to enjoy.
An Artist's Alphabet by Norman Messenger
A surreal and gorgeous alphabet book from an exceptional artist. The ingenious Norman Messenger transforms the ordinary letters of the alphabet into extraordinary objects in this visionary collection of flora, fauna and more. A Walker Studio book that all ages will delight in and a beautiful gift for an art-lover.
Later in the evening, we had a special Skype screening with illustrator Shaun Tan all the way from Australia, and heard all about the inspiration for The Singing Bones.
He also recorded this video for us, so you can hear all about it too!
Pick up copies of the Walker Studio books from the Illustrationcupboard Gallery, including signed copies of Shaun Tan’s The Singing Bones. And if you’re in London, pop along to the gallery and see Shaun Tan’s artwork for yourself!