The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline, 2nd Edition [Hardcover]

John Willie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999

This is the Second Edition (Revised & Enlarged) of a work that was originally published in 1974 (144 pages, cloth) and sold over 26,000 copies in the US alone. It was translated into French, German and Italian, and was also made into a movie, THE PERILS OF GWENDOLINE (1984, directed by Just Jaeckin).

This revised edition was published on December 9, 1999, the birthday of `John Willie`, as well as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of the first edition. It contains 368 pages, which includes a wealth of previously unpublished and uncollected work by the artist. Also included in this expanded edition are 36 black and white reproductions of drawings and paintings (circa 1935-50), most from original artwork and all but 2 have never been published before. Along with the black and white illustrations are an equal number of full-color pages many of which are previously unpublished. The biographical introduction has been expanded to include much new information about J.W. - including 4 previously unpublished photographs of the artist!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Belier Pr; 2 edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914646486
• ISBN-13: 978-0914646488
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, beautiful volume, March 20, 2002

By 

Michael Callaghan (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

If you have the Taschen reprints of the collected Bizarre magazines and are wondering about this book - as I was - don't worry. This book is almost all different material, a good portion of it previously unpublished, and the quality of the edition is high enough to make it a keepsake in anyone's library. John Willie was, without equivocation, the master of genteel fetish art, technically beautiful illustrations of gorgeous women simultaneously in formal attire and bondage. If it sounds quirky, it is, and it is that quirkiness married to Willie's technical prowess and self-restraint which makes this collection as intriguing - and engaging - as it is. There is no sex here, and no full nudity. If you've never seen this work, imagine a Vargas or Elvgren print but with the pretty girl not smiling, but bound somehow or being costumed and you begin to get an idea of what John Willie was doing with his illustrative life.

BUT - just imagining these images does them no justice. Willie never used any 'dirty' words, and his characters are styled after 1930's and '40 serial digest types, even as his work moved into the 1960's. The overall effect is that of a fully conceived world, a complete universe of Willie's - and ours, as the readers - shared neurosis, of our fully realized but morally checked 'fun and nonsense' (Willie's words, not mine).

I am enamoured of this work. It is aesthectically beautiful, it is emotionally engaging, it is affectionate and ironic all at the same time. Where Bizarre magazine left off this volume continues, and where Bizarre is a rememberance this volume is better described as a tribute.

And a more fitting tribute could not be produced. This is an oversized hardcover, cloth bound and with a cloth bookmark - the binding and cover are both very well made, obviously a labor of publishing love. The paper stock is very thick (unlike the Taschen Bizarre collection) and acid-free. The cover of this book is stunning, and even from the spine a beautiful illustration of Gwendoline is visible when the volume is shelved. This is a bibliophile's book, something we see less and less of these days, whose physical presentation was designed to compiliment its content.

Included are also some sketches and unfinished work, and it is always fun to see an artist we admire in their off-the-cuff moments, forming ideas or simply riffing without worrying about an audience. A brief - the best I've read - biography is included, as well as several photographs of the artist himself. There are several full color plates as well, watercolors of Willie taken from private collections.

A beautiful, absolutely beautiful volume. Of the many books I buy and sell and trade, this will stay in my library forever. I can offer no higher recommendation.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perils of Gwendoline, a none PC world., October 2, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully produced book, a new printing with additional information and working drawings never published before. In this is a weird world, where the normal rules do not apply, all the (invariably beautiful) women are both strong and submissive, a weird dichotomy that seems to make sense in John Willie's loopy world.

No situation domestic or public takes place without someone, usually the innocent abroad (Gwendoline), falling into the clutches of the nefarious villian, his mistress and the wicked maid.

There is also mysterious secret agent (U69) who rescues Gwendoline, only to torment the strangely receptive girl.

Do not give this to the innocent or the young, however anyone who can appreciate the charm and strange innocence of his art, and this is art, this is a must have. Mad, bad and wonderful to know.

Mark

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the New Photos!!!!, November 29, 2001

By 

Jaclyn Dianne Vanderhoef (Albany, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

I ordered this book as a Christmas gift for my husband. He has yet to see it, of course, but WOW! I love it! To see the many works that were previously unpublished, what can I say. John Willie really had a hand to match where his heart was! It's a great book for any one who loves erotic art or is familiar with the story of Gwen!