This is a bibliophile's book, something we see less and less of these days, whose physical presentation was designed to compiliment its content.
The cover of this book is stunning, and even from the spine a beautiful illustration of Gwendoline is visible when the volume is shelved. The paper stock is very thick (unlike the Taschen Bizarre collection) and acid-free. This is an oversized hardcover, cloth bound and with a cloth bookmark - the binding and cover are both very well made, obviously a labor of publishing love. Where Bizarre magazine left off this volume continues, and where Bizarre is a rememberance this volume is better described as a tribute.Īnd a more fitting tribute could not be produced. It is aesthectically beautiful, it is emotionally engaging, it is affectionate and ironic all at the same time. The overall effect is that of a fully conceived world, a complete universe of Willie's - and ours, as the readers - shared neurosis, of our fully realized but morally checked 'fun and nonsense' (Willie's words, not mine). Willie never used any 'dirty' words, and his characters are styled after 1930's and '40 serial digest types, even as his work moved into the 1960's. If you've never seen this work, imagine a Vargas or Elvgren print but with the pretty girl not smiling, but bound somehow or being costumed and you begin to get an idea of what John Willie was doing with his illustrative life.īUT - just imagining these images does them no justice. There is no sex here, and no full nudity. If it sounds quirky, it is, and it is that quirkiness married to Willie's technical prowess and self-restraint which makes this collection as intriguing - and engaging - as it is. John Willie was, without equivocation, the master of genteel fetish art, technically beautiful illustrations of gorgeous women simultaneously in formal attire and bondage. This book is almost all different material, a good portion of it previously unpublished, and the quality of the edition is high enough to make it a keepsake in anyone's library. If you have the Taschen reprints of the collected Bizarre magazines and are wondering about this book - as I was - don't worry.
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