The story of Treasure Island told in pictures

[anteros_lmc]

Something silly I've been meaning to post for katriona_s for ages....

These are illustrations from a 1959 edition of The story of Treasure Island told in pictures. This book belonged to partner when he was a boy and he has now passed it on to daughter who was so obsessed with it for a while that it was the only book she would let us read for about two months! I confess I hid it eventually :}

If the illustrations look vaguely familiar to folk in the UK it's because they were drawn by Dudley Dexter Watkins for publishers DC Thomson, which explains why some of the characters bear more than a passing resemblance to Desperate Dan XD Watkins may not be Wyeth but I love these pictures. Watkins captures the bustle of the docks brilliantly, his ships are fabulous and his pirates properly scary!

Bristol Docks	First sight of the Hispaniola
Jim meets Long John Silver	Hispaniola becalmed
Israel Hands climbs the shrounds	Death of Israel Hands

Comments

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

I like the way that Jim is portrayed as a capable strong boy.Some artists make him look too young.

Those first beloved books live with us forever don't they. Sweet that she got it passed down.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Those are marvellous!

[venusinfurs90.livejournal.com]

beautiful illustrations! And aww, your daughter is precious. XD

[katriona-s.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you very much for posting these! They are great... very interesting to see! ...except the fact that Long John Silver is not taller enough than Jim :P

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Very Desperate Dan (happy sighs).

[elin-gregory.livejournal.com]

Fabulous drawings. I remember when really good quality drawings came as standard in kids books.

Oh look at Jim loading the pistol!! Squeee. Unreasonably excited here.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Jim definitely looks like the kind of lad who can look after himself!

Those first beloved books live with us forever don't they
Oh yes. Definitely. I've also passed on a couple of my own childhood favourites :)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Aren't they? I love them :)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I love black and white line drawings, they're very evocative somehow! You can still pick up copies of this book form time to time but it doesn't come cheap these days. Partners's copy has been well read and is falling to bits!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

The whole book it fabulous!

your daughter is precious.
That's certainly one way to describe her XD

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Glad you liked these! We have a copy of The story of Kidnapped by the same illustrator :)

DC Thomson were one of the biggest publishers of magazines, papers and children's comics for decades and this style of illustration would have been instantly recognisable to any child growing up in the UK between about the 1950's and 1980s.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Watkins also drew The Broons and Oor Wullie :) I bet Ma Broon could take on the whole bunch of pirates single handed!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

My goodness! I had no idea these pictures would cause such excitement! Maybe I should post some more :)

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see the Kidnapped ones. That was the RLS that I read ragged. I think it was the first book that I ever bought a second copy because I wore the first one out!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Oh all right, I'll post some pics of Kidnapped sometime too :)

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I get the feeling that that book seems dorky to you. There are probably all kinds of things in it that are not quite right, but I loved it anyway, knowing no better.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Nothing gets by you does it? :}

Tbh I don't think I've ever actually read all of Kidnapped, but both Stevenson and Scott had a bit of a tendency to both romanticise and infantalise gaels and Highlanders in a way that comes across as deeply patronising. All those doomed chieftains and noble savages.... it didn't do us any good at all. I actually did a year of Scottish Literature at university and I have to confess I read Stevenson and Scott with gritted teeth. While I recognise that they are uniquely talented writers, as a Highlander and a gael, I do find some of their works quite hard to read. I found Scott's Waverley particularly tough going :/


and vyer much of their time I still get rather incensed reading them sometimes.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

That makes sense to me. Looking back, I can see it, too. Stick with Treasure Island then. It is, after all AOS which the other is really not.

I have never heard of 'Waverly' which sounds just as well.

We are having Labor Day, here today. Federal holiday, so everyone is home.

But tonight may be quiet-- I hope to write.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I have never heard of 'Waverly' which sounds just as well.
Don't let me put you off! Waverley was probably Scott's most successful novel and it's a cracking tale by any standards. As a gael, I just cringed when I was reading it though.

We are having Labor Day, here today. Federal holiday, so everyone is home.
Ah I see, that explains why my flist has been so quiet! Hope your having a lovely holiday and you'll get some writing time tonight :)