An Alphabet

Magnificently idiosyncratic woodcuts in William Nicholson's unmistakably vigorous style. An Edwardian masterpiece, long out of print.

William Nicholson was still in his twenties when he started working on books for the publisher William Heinemann that combined a hugely powerful woodcut style with peerlessly precise observation and sly humor. An Alphabet brings together a collection of portraits, from A is an Artist to Z is a Zoologist whose liveliness is only increased by the calligraphic vigor of Nicholson's print style. A great classic of British book illustration, unavailable for decades. Published simultaneously with two other works The Square Book of Animals and The Book of Blokes.