Customer Reviews

The Arthur Rackham Treasury: 86 Full-Color Illustrations (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was introduced to Arthur Rackham's magical illustrations as a child via the old St. Nicholas children's magazines, and his pictures have lost none of their magic in the ensuing years. Rackham's pen-and-ink drawings are complemented by a muted palette of colors that transform the glossy pages into insubstantial doors that open into an enchanted world populated by slender butterfly-winged fairies, multitudes of elves and gnomes, and twisted anthropomorphic trees that capture a child's imagination, without being threatening. At the same time, the sharp angular faces of the children in his drawings suggest a subtle mischievous humor that prevents Rackham's illustrations from ever sinking into sentimentality.

Rackham's pen covered a wide range of subjects, from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Tempest" by way of Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows", Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," and classical fairy tales, to Wagner's "Ring of the Niebelungen."

We are so lucky to have these beautifully reproduced Dover illustrations in a single book. They should be introduced to one's grandchildren so that their own imaginations may also take flight with the enchanting creatures of Arthur Rackham's world.

I love this book! I found that the introduction was helpful in placing each piece of art in context. The works themselves are gorgeous and enchanting. The book really shows the breadth of talent and subject matter Rackham mastered, as well as his superb use of composition and imagination. An excellent book for any collection, for children and adults alike.

Length:: 0:53 Mins

I wasn't all that familiar with Arthur Rackham's works to be honest before I purchased this book. I have seen plenty of his art around in older children's books and different fantasy art compilations. I have quite an extensive collection of fairy (faery) and fantasy art books and I think that Arthur Rackham's Treasury was clearly missing from my collection. I was instantly in love with his old fashioned fairy tale illustrations and the muted color tones. I really like how Rachkham's art is somewhat creepy in some aspects, but also magical taking you inside the story behind each piece. It has the depth of each character portrayed in fairy tales in a very complex way. As someone else mentioned, the Alice in Wonderland illustration on the cover was what definitely sold me this book. As far as the quality of paper it was printed on goes, it is so- so. It is rather thin, reminding me of the paper that school textbooks are printed on. However, I was happy to read that I saved several trees with my purchase as it is all recycled paper.

I would recommend this book to any and all ages who love fantasy with a twist of the unexpected. I am providing a video to show what is to be expected inside of the book. I know a lot of people are scared to buy something they have never seen before.

The quality of this edition cannot be stressed enough. The reproductions of Rackham's illustrations are printed in rich, deep color, making each page an artwork in itself. Every page has a white margin around the illustration, and a quote at the bottom to let you know to what text the illustration refers. The book is well-bound and the printing is excellent. I plan to order another copy for myself, as I got the first to give away and wanted to keep it!

As a child I was thrilled with Arthur Rackham's illustrations and I haven't lost my love for his work. They're timeless. He combines the real world with magical kingdoms, the almost-grotesque creatures with the unusually beautiful, the fairy creatures with the mortals, humor with terror. Rackham paints beautiful landscapes and beautiful people, yet we know to beware of the creatures who may lurk under the gnarly tree roots. His colors are subdued, but rich; and his detail is gracefully executed.

His illustrations have been and still are an inspiration to artists who wish to delve into an imaginative realm. And for those who wish to delve in themselves, I highly recommend this excellent book. Thanks to Arthur Rackham, the fairy world is alive and well, and shall remain so.

Denise Hillman Moynahan
The Great Cavern of the Winds: Tales from Backbone Mountain

I heartily concur with all the other reviews as far as the necessity of exposing children to Rackham's illustrations as soon as possible. Hopefully this would happen in part through his books, like his Aesop's Fables, Favorite Tales From Grimm, Alice and Wonderland, etc. So my purpose is more practical: to say that the two Dover collections of his pictures, this and Rackham's Fairy Tale Illustrations are very true to Rackham's original color illustrations. I have seen reproductions of some of his illustrations that make his colors seem muddy. He uses a lot of dark colors in his work, but he also used many subtle light colors which have been captured well here. A great value for the money, along with the Fairy Tale book. All the pictures are suitable for framing.

I bought this while browsing through the illustration section of Amazon.com. The illustration on the cover captured my attention: the soft desaturated tones, the girl's pose and attitude, the flowing of the cards: everything was screaming excellence at me. So I instantly clicked on the buy button. When I recieved it, I was happy. It's not a hardback, but the print quality is excellent. The prints are full of gorgeous illustrations of all periods of Mr. Rackhams career. Some images aren't big enough for my tastes (i prefer the poster book variety), but they are still big enough to appreciate the fine detail that he put in the work. As an illustrator myself, I find the quality of the reproductions and the works worth studying. Highly recommended.

As advertised. This is a Dover book, so it includes no scholarly apparatus to speak of. Still, the printing is good, and it includes a nice collection of prints that I hadn't seen. Shipping was timely.

I bought this book because many reviewers said the illustration quality is excellent. I beg to differ. When the book arrived, I was disappointed. Many were just shades of brown, almost to the point of looking muddy. I compared several illustrations to some recent photos on eBay in advertisements for Rackham illustrated books, and found that the color was actually much better in these eBay photos for a particular illustration than in this "treasury."

For the price, it is a great collection of Rackham illustrations. Just be aware that the color reproduction may not meet your expectations.

daughter loved this book when she saw it online--she attends the Museum of Fine arts School -Boston--and has enjoyed it since she got it.