Customer Reviews

Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life

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4 star:		(3)
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I am a fan and collector of Charley Harper's, and, that being said, this book is truly a beautiful and wonderful representation of his work. Also, I want to say as an owner of the large $200 dollar edition of this book, I have to admit that I like this one better. The big one is really tough to physically handle due to its size and weight. Plus the pages in the big book are matte and really don't do Charley's work justice. This smaller version has glossy pages which allows all the images to really pop off the page. Please note that this version of the book has every single image and page that is in the larger version -- EVERY PAGE. So, buy this for yourself and buy one for a gift...everyone will love this book.

Length:: 0:30 Mins

Charley Harper is an artist with a very unique style he calls "minimal realism". He's able to capture the essence of his subjects with minimal visual elements.

The painting of birds caught my attention with the clean smooth lines which resembles vector work. His colour choices are from observation in life and the resulting image is always bold and striking. Many of his pieces are on nature.

The author Todd Oldham only discovered Charley Harper's work in 2001. Since then, he has been collecting all the work he has ever published. The result is this impressive 424-page book that collects work that span the entire career of Charley Harper. It includes the commissions he done for Ford Motors, schools, advertising agencies, etc.

There are two editions for this art book. The first is a 5.5kg book published in 2007, the year Charley Harper passed away. The newer edition, which I have, is the shrunken down version which is lighter, more handy and affordable. The construction of the book is great and all the illustrations are brilliantly reproduced.

The contents are as follows:

* Conversation with Charley Harper
* Betty Crocker's Dinner For Two Cook Book
* The Giant Golden Book of Biology
* The Animal Kingdom
* Ford Times Magazine
* Birds & Words
* Advertising & Promotions
* Mosaic Murals
* Paintings
* Posters

There's a nice long interview written by Todd Oldham which is also translated in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Charley Harper has published a few books before so there might be some duplication here. If you're just intent on getting one book, make this the one. It's a beautiful, timeless art book.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

This book is awesome. It is a beautiful sample of Charley Harper's wonderful work. I am a fan but not a big enough fan to shell out the 200 bucks for the bigger version, so this book is perfect. The reproduction is great.
There is a really fun and interesting interview with Charley at the beginning of the book that helps set the mood for the beautiful artwork throughout the book.

This book is a beautiful collection of Charley Harper's works spanning over his whole career. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Charley Harper.

Todd Oldham has done a great job of paying tribute to an overlooked legend in the business. Many grew up with his illustrations as a child, and there is something simple/childlike about his illustration and complex at the same time.

This is a huge hardback book with no dust cover. The boards are thicker than normal, probably due to the dimensions of the book. The book is 425 pages and the artwork is lavishly reproduced with no printing issues that I notice. Some images are full bleed and it's just a joy to look through.

The book is divided into the following chapters:

Foreword
Conversation with Charley Harper
Betty Crocker's Dinner for Two Cook Book
The Giant Golden Book of Biology
The Animal Kingdom
Ford Times Magazine
Birds & Words
Advertising & Promotions
Mosaic Murals
Paintings
Posters

It's great this was published in his lifetime and this is a wonderful tribute. Highly recommended.

As a graphic designer, I was thrilled and inspired to take in Mr. Harper's wonderful art for the 1st time in this large book.

I love this book, it's very inspiring just by flipping through the pages. a great reference book for illustrations as well.

I have vague memories of my science book back in the 1970s and I think Harper illustrated it. I know he did the "Golden Book of Biology." I LOVE Harper's art. It is so whimsical. This is a great book for kids and adults.

I just love this book and many of Charley Harper's colorful and humorous illustrations. It is good to see the transitions of his work across his lifetime. For me these brilliant pictures are inspirations for quilt designs

I first saw this book at Anthropologie for a considerably higher price but instantly fell in love with it. If you or any of your friends are into midcentury art/design, this coffee table book is definitely for you or from you.