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Idyl
This book is dedicated 一 "To all but Entropy - and especially to Mark Twain, Don Marquis and Lewis Carroll".
i dyl, i dyll, (i'd'l), n. [L. idyllium;Gr, eidyllion, dim. of eidos, a form, figure, image].
Webster's New World Dictionary of American Language.
Introduction by Eric Kimball.
Jeff Jones is an artist of immeasurably rich gifts, and in 'Idyl' he has given us something very special.
A creation that exists concurrently on many different levels, it is, most immediately, a series of glimpses into a lush pastoral world of beautiful and moodily evocative landscapes. Populating this world is a cast of such diverse and highly unlikely characters as reasoning fish, talkative butterflies, contemplative leopards, turtles, and birds.
Over it all presides the wistfully enigmatic central character of 'Idyl'. Poised, aloof, and maintaining a somewhat ambivalent relationship to her surroundings, she still somehow seems to possess some inner knowledge of its mysterious laws; and it is with and through her that the work - as well as the world - begins to unfold and transcend its immediately apparent bounds.
i dyl, i dyll, (i'd'l), n. [L. idyllium;Gr, eidyllion, dim. of eidos, a form, figure, image].
Webster's New World Dictionary of American Language.
Introduction by Eric Kimball.
Jeff Jones is an artist of immeasurably rich gifts, and in 'Idyl' he has given us something very special.
A creation that exists concurrently on many different levels, it is, most immediately, a series of glimpses into a lush pastoral world of beautiful and moodily evocative landscapes. Populating this world is a cast of such diverse and highly unlikely characters as reasoning fish, talkative butterflies, contemplative leopards, turtles, and birds.
Over it all presides the wistfully enigmatic central character of 'Idyl'. Poised, aloof, and maintaining a somewhat ambivalent relationship to her surroundings, she still somehow seems to possess some inner knowledge of its mysterious laws; and it is with and through her that the work - as well as the world - begins to unfold and transcend its immediately apparent bounds.
66 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 5, 2014
Superb black and white illustration in pen, brush and ink. Oblique, reflective stories. I never tire of this inspiring book.
January 13, 2024
And so the hunt for the Paper tiger print catalogue is coming to a close with only a few left (realistically) for me to get. Idyl is one of the last to track down and I have to say its been a blast.
This is one of the earlier books printed in the 70s (the edition I have is from 79 but the material was registered to Jeffrey Jones as early as 72) - and it really does look at feel like it. The paper is practically card (great for the feel although the binding is incredibly fragile) and it has that smell to it that is impossible to describe but it practically essence of nostalgia.
The book itself is filled with one page comic strips which are so beautifully drawn they are art in their own right - but they have some fascinating tales to tell from the ridiculous to the sublime - to me this is what the early Paper tiger (and Dragons Dreams) books were all about. The only problem now is that I want to dig the whole collection out and start all over again - now that's some challenge.
This is one of the earlier books printed in the 70s (the edition I have is from 79 but the material was registered to Jeffrey Jones as early as 72) - and it really does look at feel like it. The paper is practically card (great for the feel although the binding is incredibly fragile) and it has that smell to it that is impossible to describe but it practically essence of nostalgia.
The book itself is filled with one page comic strips which are so beautifully drawn they are art in their own right - but they have some fascinating tales to tell from the ridiculous to the sublime - to me this is what the early Paper tiger (and Dragons Dreams) books were all about. The only problem now is that I want to dig the whole collection out and start all over again - now that's some challenge.
August 27, 2020
One of my favourite books of all time. Like having a conversation with your best friend. I never get tired of re-reading it.
September 21, 2015
We actually got this book in by mistake at the shop. I decided to read it, because it has a quote from Neil Gaiman on the back. Holy shit was it amazing. I've never read anything like it in my life. The art was incredible. Each page is an individual story. Sometimes those stories are philosophical, sometimes they're funny, and sometimes they just are, if that makes any sense. So so good. If you can get your hands on this, do. Seriously.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews