The Fantastic Gustave Doré

If you were a consumer of literature in the nineteenth century, chances are the volumes in your library featured the illustrations of Gustave Doré. From the Bible to Shakespeare, Balzac to Milton, Cervantes to Poe, Dorés intricate, romantic, and exuberant drawings brought great works to life, and were as treasured as the stories and poetry they depicted. Furthermore, as this magnificent book reveals, he was also a skilled sculptor, painter, and cartoonist. This book spans Dorés entire career, with chapters dedicated to specific works such as The Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, Tennysons Idylls of the King, and medieval fairy taleseach featuring exquisite full-page reproductions that allow Dorés genius for line, shading, and texture to shine through. The authors also provide a background on the techniques that Doré employed to achieve his exquisite works. Fans of Doré will appreciate this volumes spectacular production, which features quarter binding, gold foil stamping, embossing on the cover and spine, a belly band, and silkscreen printing on three edges. Filled with incisive analysis and expert historical perspectives, this book is the consummate collectors itema volume as expansive and sensational as the artist himself. See more