Oak Knoll

First edition. When people think of Bewick, they are generally thinking of Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) and his superlative wood engravings of animals and birds. Thomas skill and reputation largely obscured the artistic recognition of his younger brother, John Bewick, as an accomplished wood engraver illustrating mostly children's books.
Yet John Bewick was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, designer-engravers in England to make his living exclusively by illustrating books. His popularity resulted in producing illustrations and engravings for 60 books - mostly children's books - during a tragically short working life.
This is the first book entirely devoted to this remarkable wood engraver. It consists of two parts. The first is a biography of the artist, drawing upon largely unpublished but highly detailed and entertaining correspondence, which has surfaced in the last few years. The second part provides a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of John Bewick's illustrations. This has been made possible by Nigel Tattersfield's discovery of John Bewick's own ledger of commissions dating back to 1791. Name in ink on free endpaper.