Award-winning publisher Beehive Books has opened preorders for a new take on the much-loved A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the latest title in their Illuminated Editions range, featuring art by Das Pastoras.
The title takes its inspiration from A Wonder Book, published in 1851 and its sequel, Tanglewood Tales, published in 1853, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Those books, both re-writing well-known Greek myths were illustrated by nearly all the great Golden Age artists such as Water Crane, Edmund Dulac, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, Arthur Rackham, and Virginia Sterrett.
The last illustrated edition appeared over a century ago and now artist Das Pastoras is added to that illustrious roster, with a superb-looking new edition from Beehive Books, which will be the focus of a Kickstarter soon.
Offered in three distinct editions, Beehive Books new A Wonder Book is a collaboration millennia in the making: the paintings of master artist Das Pastoras merge with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s heroic adaptation of Greek myths, in a new edition of the book that reimagined these epic tales for young readers.
The publishers hope this exquisite edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s bestselling book of myths, illuminated with magnificent art by Das Pastoras, will transport readers into these beloved timeless tales.
Featuring original essays by Guillermo Del Toro, José Villarubia and and Kate Bernheimer – as well as the uniquely Victorian flourish of tipped-in illustration plates allowing Beehive to use a different paper stock ideal for reproducing the lush and gorgeous colors of Das Pastoras paintings – this handsome volume joins Beehive’s ongoing Illuminated Editions series of oversized slipcase art book reinventions of classic literary works.
“For lovers of Golden Age illustration, Das Pastoras has created a dream come true,” says José Villarubia of the new book. “He uses the same techniques and materials favoured by masters like Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and Kay Nielsen, working in watercolour and pen and ink to evoke the spirit of that era.
“This may well be the crowning achievement of his long and illustrious career. Four years ago, he illustrated The Labours of Hercules (as Hércules 1417) for Spain’s Editorial Nuevo Nueve, a work that earned him a national award for Best Designed Book. With A Wonder Book, he continues his magnificent exploration of Greek mythology through visionary art.”
Sign up to be notified of the Kickstarter launch here
Check the new edition of A Wonder Book out at beehivebooks.com/wonderbook
Born in 1956, Julio Martínez Pérez is a Spanish comic artist who works under the pen name Das Pastoras. He published his first professional work in a special 1983 issue of El Víbora and co-founded the fanzine Zero, which published other renowned artists of his generation. In 2007, he was hired to draw Castaka, a new cycle of Alexandro Jodorowsky’s Metabarons saga. In addition to the French market, Das Pastoras has been working for US comic books since the late 2000s.
In 2021, Hércules 1417 by Pedro Villora and Das Pastoras, edited and art-directed by José Villarubia, won an important National Award in Spain as one of the Best Edited Books of 2021.
Beehive Books is an award-winning publisher specializing in art editions of distinctive literary and pictorial works. With a focus on illustration, comics, and graphic arts, they strive to produce books and ephemera infused with singular design sensibilities and the highest production values.
Their other Illuminated Editions include The Island of Doctor Moreau by Jules Verne, illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra: Assassin, Big Numbers), and Pinocchio by Carlo Collidi, illustrated by Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy), annotated by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
• Sign up to be notified of the Kickstarter launch here
• You can check the new edition of A Wonder Book out at beehivebooks.com/wonderbook | ISBN 978-1948886512
With thanks to José Villarubia
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
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