The Life and Works of Alfred Bestall: Illustrator of Rupert Bear

by Caroline G. Bott

The result of many years' careful and painstaking research, the author has pieced together the life of her godfather Alfred ('Fred') Bestall, who illustrated Rupert Bear in the Daily Express for thirty years (the only day he missed was to make way for Churchill's war speech). The artwork and his diaries were bequeathed by Fred Bestall to the author with the words 'you will probably want to make a bonfire of this' - which would have been a tragedy. Caroline Bott has lovingly collected Bestall's work, ranging from incisive cartoons for Punch to romantic, dreamy watercolours, and of course his Rupert Bear illustrations, with his war-time diaries to paint a remarkable picture of a gentle, very generous man, who was loved by all who met him.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ivan Monckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on Alfred Bestall, who took over illustrating and writing Rupert Bear stories when Mary Tourtel retired and carried on for 30 years. Almost half of the book is a biography, which shows Bestall to be a remarkably nice man, practising his Christianity in every day life. He was also a proficient artist, making a living from his drawings long befor Rupert. The second half of the book are 3 holiday journals that he kept: 2 in North Wales in (which he loved, and indeed, retired to) in 1912 & 1913, and one in Egypt and the Middle East in 1924. These might have been tedious, but Bestall’s descriptive writing, even though it was only meant for his own eyes, is excellent and keeps this reader’s interest to the end.
Rupert Bear has brought joy to children for 100 years now, and most of that is down to Alfred Bestall

[Paul Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alfred Bestall appeared to be a truly good-natured gentle man, and thus was reflected in the beautiful illustrations he produced.

This biography confirms this. This is a wonderful biography full of heart and love and beautifully illustrated by Alfred's sumptuous nature and fantasy illustrations.

There is also a glorious piece of generation divide, when Paul & Linda McCartney visit him with their young family, but also when Hippie leaders travel to see him, based upon the world of Nutwood. These he describes as the "some of the most Gentle people" he ever met.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in 4 sections: the life of Bestall, and Bestall's holiday diarys for 2 years in North Wales and his trip with his mother to meet up with his father (leaving Burma) when he was 32 taking in Egypt, the Middle East and Europe.

Wherever possible Caroline Bott has let Bestall speak for himself. The reader can thus get a sense of the gentleman's character, nit merely what he did and when. There are a number of Bestall's black and white sketches throughout the book and sections of glossy papered paintings. For many this is the first time they will have had the opportunity to see non Rupert work and appreciate him as a very good artist.

For him, it was more important to be a positive force in children's lives than to earn lots of money. He was concerned about the number of Rupert franchises which weren't of good quality but allowed by the National Express newspaper (who owned the copyright for Rupert Bear). The book also touches on his Methodist upbringing.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in historical travel, a fondness for North Wales, and above all a passion for Rupert Bear.