Peter Blake's ABC [Hardcover]

Peter Blake (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

British Pop artist Peter Blake has an eye for the quirky and the overlooked. Best known for designing the cover of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Blake has never stopped working. This charming ABC is composed from the extensive collection of objects and ephemera he has gathered in his studio during his long career. Designed in close collaboration with the artist, Peter Blake’s ABC displays the strong graphic sensibility and the love of popular culture for which he is renowned. This charming  book will delight young and old alike.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K Up—Pop-artist Blake has organized an alphabet book using items from his personal collection of antique toys and other objects, including letters. An author's note mentions that he aims to offer children a book that does not talk down to them. Words like "Gnome," "Knots," and "Xmas" are found along with more traditional choices such as "Apple" and "Cat." Each spread reveals a letter with a phrase underneath ("A is for Apple") and a color photograph opposite. British influence appears with "Queen" and a bust of Elizabeth II, and "Union Jack" and a detail of the British flag. Think of this book as an ABC for young artists and nostalgic adults.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Peter Blake was a pioneer of the Pop Art movement in the UK in the 1950s and

’60s. His interest in and appropriation of popular culture, as seen in his portraits of movie and pop stars and his re-creations of commercial packaging, predated Warhol. With his design for the album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and other works, he helped create a British Pop aesthetic that defined an era. He continues to work today, and generations of artists have cited him as an influence.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Tate Publishing (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1854378163
• ISBN-13: 978-1854378163
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for readers of every age, March 27, 2010

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peter Blake's ABC (Hardcover)

When noted British pop artist Peter Blake was asked to do an alphabet book he is quoted as saying he thought that all the pictures and objects could come from his private collection. How fortunate for us! Thus, we have PETER BLAKE'S ABC appealing to readers of every age.

The photography, credited to Marcus Leith and Andrew Dunkley, is stunning with each piece set against a neutral gray background causing objects to pop from the pages. The scope of Mr. Blake's interests is intriguing, whether one is studying "A is for apple," which is a large rosy and gold apple shape with what is obviously a removable top or "I is for ice," a taste tempting sherbet dish of colored ice topped by a cherry, a piece of orange and pineapple with a silver spoon at the ready.

Those familiar with this artist's work (remember the tattooed pig he painted for a 2008 public art exhibit in the English city of Bath or the album sleeve he designed for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?) know that Mr. Blake has a robust sense of humor, which is evident in his choices of objects to represent letters in the alphabet. "Y is for yacht," for instance, is a sail boat.

Youngsters will quickly learn their alphabet while adults will enjoy the eclectic pieces from the artist's private collection. Even the endpapers are a pleasure as they are details from Peter Blake's The Toy Shop (1962).

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke