William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) dreamed of a romantic life as an itinerant landscape painter. Instead, he remained in North London and became the greatest comic draughtsman of the century, and one of those rare individuals whose names have entered the language as adjectives. Although his name is now synonymous with any complicated, ramshackle mechanical apparatus for doing something relatively simple, the true Heath Robinson contraption was thought out with a child's solemn logic, executed with a craftsman's care, and accompanied by the ultimate in deadpan captions. In this first full account of William Heath Robinson's life and work, James Hamilton draws on the Robinson family archives to explore the personality of this convivial family man and deeply serious artist. He traces the influences on his art, the development of his uniquely individual humorous style, and the unexpected path that his career followed: the switch from landscapes to book illustration, and early success as illustrator of Poe, Rabelais and Hans Andersen; the creation of his engaging comic character Uncle Lubin, his cartoons for magazines, and the First World War anti-German satires which earned him an enth
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The British artist William Heath Robinson (18721944) dreamed in his youth of leading a romantic life as an itinerant landscape painter. Instead, he stayed home and became the greatest comic draftsman of the century. His name became synonymous with outrageously complicated devices for carrying out the most basic tasks, contraptions that he thought out with solemn logic, executed with precision, and explained with the ultimate in deadpan captions. Here, James Hamilton takes a fresh look at the life and work of this deeply serious artist. He traces his influences, the development of his uniquely humorous style, and the paths of his career, from landscapes to book illustration, with his early success as illustrator of Poe, Cervantes, and Andersen. In this comprehensive work, featuring 145 images, Hamilton reaffirms Heath Robinson’s place alongside the classic illustrators of his generation.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
WILLIAM HEATH ROBINSON'S name is said to have begun its passage into the English language in the House of Commons a few years before the First World War, when an MP described an Austrian air display as being performed by 'Heath Robinson contraptions'. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Heath Robinson, Private Collection, Uncle Lubin, The Joan Brinsmead Trust, Thomas Robinson, Grant Richards, First World War, The Bystander, Twelfth Night, Benwell Road, Arabian Nights, Arthur Rackham, Bill the Minder, British Library, Second World War, Aubrey Beardsley, Don Quixote, Robinson Papers, Shepherds Hill, University of Reading Library, Eliza Robinson, Langston Day, Connolly Brothers, Cranleigh Prep School, Daily Mail New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
WILLIAM HEATH ROBINSON'S name is said to have begun its passage into the English language in the House of Commons a few years before the First World War, when an MP described an Austrian air display as being performed by 'Heath Robinson contraptions'. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Heath Robinson, Private Collection, Uncle Lubin, The Joan Brinsmead Trust, Thomas Robinson, Grant Richards, First World War, The Bystander, Twelfth Night, Benwell Road, Arabian Nights, Arthur Rackham, Bill the Minder, British Library, Second World War, Aubrey Beardsley, Don Quixote, Robinson Papers, Shepherds Hill, University of Reading Library, Eliza Robinson, Langston Day, Connolly Brothers, Cranleigh Prep School, Daily Mail New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 81
books:
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3
books
cite this book:
- Bill the Minder by W. Heath Robinson on 5 pages
- Edgar A. Poe: A Study by John W. Robertson in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Heath Robinson (Biography and Memoirs) (Biography & Memoirs) by John Lewis in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen on page 27, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Collection) by Jan Dean on page 50, page 60, and Back Matter
See all 81 books this book cites
- The Cook's Companion (A Think Book) by Jo Swinnerton in Back Matter
- Deleuze and Language by Jean-Jacques Lecercle in Back Matter
- The Art of Genes: How Organisms Make Themselves by Enrico Coen in Back Matter
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