Thursday, April 1, 2010

A STELLAR ABC BOOK FOR ALL AGES - PETER BLAKE'S ABC

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.

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