The Wood Engravings of Joan Hassall

The Wood Engravings of Joan Hassall by McLean, Ruari. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780805206753.

Not all books need illustrations; but some do. Many an author, concentrating on character, gives short measure in visual descriptions, may even be deficient in visual imagination and not clearly pictured his scenes and characters to himself. The illustrator can round off and complete what may be lacking in the book, and may, for some readers, show to be real and possible what could not be fully apprehended or understood from the words. Joan Hassalls imagination makes her a true illustrator, and her craftsmanship and skill make her an outstanding one. In the field of story-illustration she is probably better at interpreting and conveying atmosphere than character, for there is much of the poet in her; and work that she has done shows her to have a special gift for capturing the mysterious, the romantic, and the sinister. With 41 leaves of plates and a list of works in which the artists work appears.