W. Heath Robinson – författare

Edited and with an Introduction by an expert on Golden Age illustrators, this anthology is the first full-scale treatment of Robinson’s early output. More than 100 Art Nouveau–inspired illustrations feature images from fairy tales, children’s literature, and the works of Shakespeare, Kipling, and Poe, many in full glorious color.

W. Heath Robinson is best known for his hilarious drawings of zany contraptions, though his work ranged across a wide variety of topics covering many aspects of British life in the decades following the First World War. Starting out as a watercolour artist, he quickly turned to the more lucrative field of book illustration and developed his forte in satirical drawings and cartoons. He was regularly commissioned by the editors of Tatler and The Sketch and in great demand from advertising companies. Collections of his drawings were subsequently published in many different editions and became so successful as to transform Heath Robinson into a household name, celebrated for his eccentric brand of British humour. Presenting such innovations as the ‘Zip-Opening Bonnet’, the ‘Duo-car for the Incompatible’ and the handy ‘New Rear Wheel Gear for Turning the Car in One Movement’, this volume of Heath Robinson illustrations with commentary by K.R.G. Browne will appeal to ‘everybody who is ever likely to drive, be driven in, or get run over by a mechanically propelled vehicle’.

Soldiers disguised as a herd of cows, cork bath mats for troops crossing streams and a tank with a piano attachment for camp concerts are just some of the absurd inventions to be found in this book of cartoons designed to keep spirits up during the Second World War. These intricate comic drawings poke gentle fun at both the instruments of war and the indignity of the air-raid shelter in Heath Robinson’s inimitable style.

How does one play bridge in a gas mask? Or enjoy motoring without consuming petrol? Or deal with a nationwide shortage of pea-sticks? For this compact little book Heath Robinson joined forces with writer Cecil Hunt to show civilians ‘how to make the best of things’ during the air raids, rationing, allotment tending and blackouts of the Second World War. The result is a warm celebration of the British population’s ability to ‘make do and mend’.

Ever wondered how to make a garden attractive in December? Or what to do with that corner by the dustbin? Answers to these questions can be found in this compact and charming book of tips for the green-fingered, accompanied by Heath Robinson’s highly inventive and humorous cartoons. First published in 1938, the book gives an insight into gardening trends on the eve of the Second World War while also addressing common concerns faced by gardeners. It features many typically elaborate contraptions such as the Combined Telescopic Spaderake for digging and raking at the same time, the Inebriate Roller for making wobbly garden paths and the Osoeezi Slugsticker. While some are patently ridiculous – a lawn is de-thistled and resown with the help of a barrel of grass seed strapped onto a small donkey – others are before their time, such as a special pump that can divert your bathwater into your garden hose, a contraption that is not wildly dissimilar to gadgets on the market today. Finally, the growing of vegetables inspires some sage advice: ‘with the right kind of upbringing, a marrow will attain astonishing dimensions, and can be used for boasting purposes.’ Poking gentle fun at a British obsession with a detailed illustration on almost every page, this book will delight both aspiring and experienced gardeners alike.

What makes a perfect husband? In this tongue-in-cheek guide, illustrated by Heath Robinson’s inimitable cartoons and contraptions, there are many charmingly old-fashioned tips for how to succeed in almost all aspects of married life. First published in 1937, this delightful book gives an insight into how the roles of both wife and husband were viewed at the time and pokes gentle fun at them both. The perfect husband presses his own trousers; he can tend the lawn and entertain the baby simultaneously by means of two simple attachments to the garden roller; he can peel onions behind his back, with the help of a mirror, and thus avoid tears; he can make a vacuum cleaner and he even has a device to help him climb the stairs silently after a late night out with the boys. When offered the choice of a glass of milk or a Manhattan, he will choose the former. With chapters on courtship and proposal, the wedding, early married life, bringing up children, sports and hobbies, domestic difficulties and middle age, this book makes a highly amusing gift for those who are considering tying the knot or wish to celebrate wedded bliss.

From the Eastern folk tales that make up the vast collection known as THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS certain stories - of Aladdin, Sindbad and Ali Baba - have become everlasting favourites with children and a magical ingredient of Christmas pantomine. First introduced to Europe in the early eighteenth century by the French orientalist, Antione Galland, who translated and bowdlerized the stories to suit contemporary taste, this edition presents the fourteen best-known tales selected from an English text of 1821. The illustrations are reproduced from a larger collection in 1899. William Heath Robinson then at the start of his career, was commissioned with four others and his drawings (much the best) reveal a gentle, romantic charm that has been forgotten in the success of his later, purely comic work.

This playful and richly imaginative tale recounts the exploits of the ingenious Uncle Lubin as he invents everything from an air-ship to a submersible seaboat to rescue his nephew from the clutches of a loathsome bag-bird. Every page of the enchanting 1902 adventure features remarkable pen-and-ink drawings by W. Heath Robinson. Reprint of the Grant Richards, London, 1902 edition.

First published in England in 1902, and full of whimsical charm, The Adventures of Uncle Lubin, presents one of literature’s most guileless and sincere characters. With his comically floppy hat and striped baggy stockings, gentle, serious Uncle Lubin is left in charge of his beloved nephew Peter. One fateful day, a great Bagbird swoops down while Uncle Lubin is innocently napping, whisks away the screaming child in his beak, and flies to the moon.Deeply horrified by the unexpected turn of affairs, Uncle Lubin nonetheless recognizes his duty as Peter’s guardian and sets out on a series of adventures to deliver the child from the wretched bag-bird, searching high and low (literally) for the kidnapped child. His ingenuity proves boundless: he builds an air-ship to follow the bird to the moon (using his hat as a parachute to descend); he invents a submersible sea-boat to search for Peter among the mer-men and mer-children of the deep; he kills a sea-serpent by putting salt on its tail (which we all know is the only way to kill a sea-serpent). He even melts an iceberg with a candle to reach the wicked bag-bird perched mockingly on top. These fantastic adventures are enhanced by Robinson’s detailed pen-and-ink drawings depicting, among other things, Uncle Lubin’s remarkable inventions and contraptions. Robinson had a profound affection for the ridiculous, and was a genius at sensitively and inventively depicting the absurd.

W. Heath Robinson is best known for his hilarious drawings of zany contraptions, though his work ranged across a wide variety of topics covering many aspects of British life in the decades following the First World War. Starting out as a watercolour artist, he quickly turned to the more lucrative field of book illustration and developed his forte in satirical drawings and cartoons. He was regularly commissioned by the editors of Tatler and The Sketch and in great demand from advertising companies. Collections of his drawings were subsequently published in many different editions and became so successful as to transform Heath Robinson into a household name, celebrated for his eccentric brand of British humour. Heath Robinson drew many cartoons lampooning the excesses of the First World War and poking fun at the German army, bringing welcome comic relief to British soldiers and civilians. This book presents his complete First World War satire, from ridiculous weapons such as ‘Button Magnets’ to aeronautical antics and a demonstration of how to have a ‘Quiet Cup of Tea at the Front.’

A collection of full-page cartoons on the hapless antics of the portly golfer and his long-suffering caddie, including ‘How Noah Managed to Keep his Hand in during the Flood’, the ‘Origin of Plus Fours’, the multiple meanings of ‘an Awkward Lie’ and the highly amusing invention of ‘Pogo Golf’: a gem for the golf enthusiast.