Customer Reviews

Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My family is artsy, and when I was little, my dad or my uncle (I was too young to notice) gave this book to Grandpa for Christmas. It was the BIG GIFT that year. We all ooohed and aaahed over it. Grandpa and Grandma handled it so reverently. Whenever I would visit Grandpa and Grandma, I loved to sit down and look at every picture. (I had to wash my hands first.) This is a big book, like a coffee table book, with many, many pictures in full color, and big enough to see all the details. I could see how he painted each picture, how he handled the light, the expressions on the faces, how he made each person seem like someone you knew (or yourself), and how he make each story in the paintings reveal itself. The pictures are not shrunken down, black-and-white half-tones. They are reproduced like fresh Post Covers. I would sit there for a long time absorbing every page. I don't know if it has EVERY post cover, but it seems to, as well as other things like calendar pictures. When I grew up, I wanted that book so badly, so I went to a used book store (before the Internet) and bought it for $80, which was a lot for a young adult, but worth it. If you can get it for less, more power to you. This has more Norman Rockwell pictures than another Norman Rockwell book that I have ever seen. So if you only get one Norman Rockwell book, this is the one to get(except for his autobiography, which is hilarious.)

Thomas Buechner, a past director of the Brooklyn Museum (1960-71) has written the definitive Rockwell story in this beautiful book. In the first fifty-six pages he reveals all you really need to know about the artist including a fascinating few pages about Norman's painting technique and nicely it shows some close-up examples of this. The rest of the book looks at each decade up to the Sixties with relevant illustrations.

This is an absolutely stunning book but you should know that the one currently offered by Amazon is not the same as mine. There seems to have been various editions of the title since the first one in 1970 and you should attempt to find this one because:
*The size is 17 inches by 12.5 and weighs 11 pounds (compare these with the Amazon Product Details) all editions seem to have 328 pages.
* The 1970 edition has 11 gate-folds printed on thick stock, two of which are 45 inches wide.
* There are twenty tipped-in paintings (when was the last time you saw these in a book?) approximately 10 inches by 11, including the one on the cover. With a bit of care you could remove your favorites, frame them and have your own Rockwell gallery.
* There are 614 illustrations with 111 in color, because different papers have been used the screen various between 150 and 175. The decades are separated by thick brown stock with gold lettering.

I haven't seen the latest edition and maybe it does have fold-outs and tipped-in pictures though I doubt it looking at the price. I'm sure the text and paintings are the same in all editions but the huge 1970 version, because of way it is produced, is the one to go for. It really is a Rockwell treasury.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

I have an Early 1970's copy. I bought it used and in the inner sleeve was written Merry Christmas 1972 Mom and Dad, From Bob and Carrol. I found this book is as old as I am and has lived another life altogether.

Anyway here's my review. This is the biggest Norman Rockwell book I have ever seen and I own 90% of the popular ones. This being said, i must comment on the greatness of the printing. Some paintings like The Land of Enchantment, A problem We all Live With, Strictly a sharp shooter, Yankee doodle and quite a few others are available in a gigantic fold out version in startlingly great color. Thats not all....The book is also full of small Prints glued into the pages. WOW!!! and to add to all that theres a Ton of color pictures printed directly in the book. Alternate sketches, Pictures he used as reference for the paintings such as shuffletons barbershop. I paid Under 5 bucks for this used and Its a crime. But its now one of my treasures and hopefully you'll get one too.

If you must buy only 2 Rockwell books get this one (Norman Rockwell Artist and Illusttrator) and The Saturday evening Post (The Complete Cover collection 1916 to 1971)

I was certain this was a 100 dollar book. It's a work of art. You will never get a book of this quality for so little money ever again.

This book is enormous. There are some beautiful images, and a number of fold-out pages that make it an impressive book. But I'm disappointed to see that so many of the images are photos of the actual Saturday Evening Post covers, and not photos of the paintings that were made for the covers. It's an important distinction. This is a copy of a copy. Photos of the paintings themselves would have had much better detail, and wouldn't have had the SE Post logo printed across the top. A couple of the covers they used were creased. There are enough good images here to make it worthwhile, and big ones at that, some of which are pictures of the actual paintings. The book is a nice part of my collection. But it's a bit over-rated.

I have an Early 1970's copy. I bought it used and in the inner sleeve was written Merry Christmas 1972 Mom and Dad, From Bob and Carrol. I found this book is as old as I am and has lived another life altogether.

Anyway here's my review. This is the biggest Norman Rockwell book I have ever seen and I own 90% of the popular ones. This being said, i must comment on the greatness of the printing. Some paintings like The Land of Enchantment, A problem We all Live With, Strictly a sharp shooter, Yankee doodle and quite a few others are available in a gigantic fold out version in startlingly great color. Thats not all....The book is also full of small Prints glued into the pages. WOW!!! and to add to all that theres a Ton of color pictures printed directly in the book. Alternate sketches, Pictures he used as reference for the paintings such as shuffletons barbershop. I paid Under 5 bucks for this used and Its a crime. But its now one of my treasures and hopefully you'll get one too.

If you must buy only 2 Rockwell books get this one (Norman Rockwell Artist and Illusttrator) and The Saturday evening Post (The Complete Cover collection 1916 to 1971)

Huge book with good editoral care. A couple fold in oversized reproductions. Crumblesome to handle.
Many, many BW pictures and those glued reproductions on some pages, as was common on old art books. Fainted colours, etc...a heavy book on various aspects.
A bit pompous as a matter of fact.
Im sure it was a remarkable book on the 70s or even the 80s but for todays reproductions technologies and standarts, it falls short.
Pretty good book, but not for the only Rockwell book on the shelf.

I have an Early 1970's copy. I bought it used and in the inner sleeve was written Merry Christmas 1972 Mom and Dad, From Bob and Carrol. I found this book is as old as I am and has lived another life altogether.

Anyway here's my review. This is the biggest Norman Rockwell book I have ever seen and I own 90% of the popular ones. This being said, i must comment on the greatness of the printing. Some paintings like The Land of Enchantment, A problem We all Live With, Strictly a sharp shooter, Yankee doodle and quite a few others are available in a gigantic fold out version in startlingly great color. Thats not all....The book is also full of small Prints glued into the pages. WOW!!! and to add to all that theres a Ton of color pictures printed directly in the book. Alternate sketches, Pictures he used as reference for the paintings such as shuffletons barbershop. I paid Under 5 bucks for this used and Its a crime. But its now one of my treasures and hopefully you'll get one too.

If you must buy only 2 Rockwell books get this one (Norman Rockwell Artist and Illusttrator) and The Saturday evening Post (The Complete Cover collection 1916 to 1971)

I have an Early 1970's copy. I bought it used and in the inner sleeve was written Merry Christmas 1972 Mom and Dad, From Bob and Carrol. I found this book is as old as I am and has lived another life altogether.

Anyway here's my review. This is the biggest Norman Rockwell book I have ever seen and I own 90% of the popular ones. This being said, i must comment on the greatness of the printing. Some paintings like The Land of Enchantment, A problem We all Live With, Strictly a sharp shooter, Yankee doodle and quite a few others are available in a gigantic fold out version in startlingly great color. Thats not all....The book is also full of small Prints glued into the pages. WOW!!! and to add to all that theres a Ton of color pictures printed directly in the book. Alternate sketches, Pictures he used as reference for the paintings such as shuffletons barbershop. I paid Under 5 bucks for this used and Its a crime. But its now one of my treasures and hopefully you'll get one too.

If you must buy only 2 Rockwell books get this one (Norman Rockwell Artist and Illusttrator) and The Saturday evening Post (The Complete Cover collection 1916 to 1971)

My mother bought this book in 1970 and it is a precious family treasurer. Our library board which is in the process of fund-raising for a new library is considering this book as a drawing card for donations for a give-away. It is one which board members said they would love to own. Mother's large heavy book has several large prints that can be framed. It's a heartwarming book which emphasizes the truth that a picture can say a thousand words.