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Great Illustrations by N. C. Wyeth
Before Andrew and Jamie, there was N. C. Wyeth. The star student of Howard Pyle's Brandywine School, Newell Convers Wyeth (1882�1945) created more than 3,000 illustrations in the course of his career. This original full-color collection focuses on his most popular illustrations, featuring early works that date from 1910-30. More than 100 iconic images include scenes from The Last of the Mohicans, The Mysterious Stranger, Robin Hood, Robinson Crusoe, Rip Van Winkle, The Boy's King Arthur, and other books.
Wyeth's fame and greatest commercial success derived from his work for Scribners' Illustrated Classics. Starting with the 1911 edition of Treasure Island, the artist provided images for more than 25 volumes in the series. Many of those illustrations appear here, in a treasury of stirring, dramatic visions that captured the imaginations of the storybook readers of a century ago and continue to speak to modern audiences.
Wyeth's fame and greatest commercial success derived from his work for Scribners' Illustrated Classics. Starting with the 1911 edition of Treasure Island, the artist provided images for more than 25 volumes in the series. Many of those illustrations appear here, in a treasury of stirring, dramatic visions that captured the imaginations of the storybook readers of a century ago and continue to speak to modern audiences.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2011
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About the author
N.C. Wyeth
204Ìýbooks16ÌýfollowersNewell Convers Wyeth was an American artist and illustrator. He was a pupil of Howard Pyle during the Golden Age of Illustration.
During his lifetime, Wyeth created more than 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books, twenty-five of them for the Scribner Classics, for which he is best known. The first of these, Treasure Island, was one of his masterpieces and the proceeds paid for his studio. Wyeth was a realist painter at a time when the camera and photography began to compete with his craft. Sometimes seen as melodramatic, his illustrations were designed to be understood quickly. Wyeth, who was both a painter and an illustrator, understood the difference, and said in 1908, "Painting and illustration cannot be mixed—one cannot merge from one into the other."
He is the father of Andrew Wyeth and the grandfather of Jamie Wyeth, both well-known American painters.
During his lifetime, Wyeth created more than 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books, twenty-five of them for the Scribner Classics, for which he is best known. The first of these, Treasure Island, was one of his masterpieces and the proceeds paid for his studio. Wyeth was a realist painter at a time when the camera and photography began to compete with his craft. Sometimes seen as melodramatic, his illustrations were designed to be understood quickly. Wyeth, who was both a painter and an illustrator, understood the difference, and said in 1908, "Painting and illustration cannot be mixed—one cannot merge from one into the other."
He is the father of Andrew Wyeth and the grandfather of Jamie Wyeth, both well-known American painters.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 14, 2017
Gorgeous art collection, with all of Wyeth's best work. Worth to have it in hardcover as a coffee table book.
October 18, 2020
This is the third N.C. Wyeth book I am reviewing, and they all serve defined purposes. I would place this one right in the middle, as it provides a healthy selection of his work while also providing a decent bio for the interested reader. Wyeth Senior learned his craft at a time when traditional illustrations and story-telling art were still appreciated. His artwork always refelected this, which is perhaps the main reason he has remained timeless, as art fads come and go.
After becoming the star pupil at The Brandywine School, where Howard Pyle taught a select set of students in an effort to raise illustration to an art form, Wyeth struck out on his own and became established for his historical renditions of book classics.
Whether it was King Arthur,
or Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped,
or Treasure Island,
Wyeth influenced a generation of readers and set the standard for the look of future Hollywood portrayals, including the Robin Hood outfit. This Dover publication works for those who want more than a simple introduction but not quite the full load. This publication also includes Wyeth's 1919 article, "For Better Illustration", in which he laments the post-WWI tendency of art students to radicalize their work in hopes of being noticed.
It was Thoreau who believed that the action of doing a thing, and the writing about it should be so close that they amount to one and the same thing. And so with the picture-maker.
"Picture-maker" may be too simple a description of N.C. Wyeth, but there you have it. He will always be a warm brass day in a cold East Coast November.
Book Season = Autumn (thar she blows)
After becoming the star pupil at The Brandywine School, where Howard Pyle taught a select set of students in an effort to raise illustration to an art form, Wyeth struck out on his own and became established for his historical renditions of book classics.
Whether it was King Arthur,
or Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped,
or Treasure Island,
Wyeth influenced a generation of readers and set the standard for the look of future Hollywood portrayals, including the Robin Hood outfit. This Dover publication works for those who want more than a simple introduction but not quite the full load. This publication also includes Wyeth's 1919 article, "For Better Illustration", in which he laments the post-WWI tendency of art students to radicalize their work in hopes of being noticed.
It was Thoreau who believed that the action of doing a thing, and the writing about it should be so close that they amount to one and the same thing. And so with the picture-maker.
"Picture-maker" may be too simple a description of N.C. Wyeth, but there you have it. He will always be a warm brass day in a cold East Coast November.
Book Season = Autumn (thar she blows)
April 16, 2018
Love his art...
January 4, 2024
I LOVE this era of illustration, and especially illustrations of adventure. I told my dad about this book and he teased me by acting upset that I didn't check this book out from the library. Well, only a few sections at the beginning have text, so I read it on the spot. Like what the editor, shares, I find it sad that we had incredible illustrations in the early 20th century, but it's died and often the art world looks down on the "commerciality" of illustration (vs fine art). But I feel far more for these illustrations than most fine art--and isn't good art supposed to stir your emotions? Give you stories? I love collecting books that compile art from this era, so I will have to add this book to the buy list.
September 12, 2017
For one who likes his artistic style, they are indeed great illustrations. The book includes a short introduction by the editor and a short article by NC himself talking about artists, art schools and illustration. The rest is just the illustrations to be enjoyed.
December 10, 2023
Excellent color prints of the father of Andrew and Grandfather of Jamie . . . and illistrator of a dozen classic books published from 1907-1921.
November 15, 2013
Picture book, featuring large scale pictures of some of Wyeth's best work following a short essay on the problem that illustration faces when it is compared with elitist visions of painting. Wyeth's work reminds me of the pictures in contemporary illustrator Alex Ross' work. The tradition is hardly dead.
March 22, 2014
A varied collection of his works, from a variety of works. The main areas are the Wild West, early America, and medieval. The medieval is probably the least historical, but all, of course, being illustrations of romantic adventure, do not draw too near to history, even when about the American Civil War.
Lots of dramatic works here.
Lots of dramatic works here.
January 7, 2016
Beautiful book
I bought the Kindle version of this book so that I could zoom in on my iPad. The colors are faithful to the original, and Wyeth's paintings make you want to read the books they illustrated. But sadly, though I found this book during a search for a particular painting, to my great dismay that painting is not included.
I bought the Kindle version of this book so that I could zoom in on my iPad. The colors are faithful to the original, and Wyeth's paintings make you want to read the books they illustrated. But sadly, though I found this book during a search for a particular painting, to my great dismay that painting is not included.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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