Are You Sitting Comfortably? The Book Jackets of Edward Bawden

Are You Sitting Comfortably? The Book Jackets of Edward Bawden, by Peyton Skipwith with captions by James Russell / ISBN 9780957666542 / 176-page hardcover, 10 x 11 inches, published by The Mainstone Press

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Who else but Edward Bawden (1903–1989) could have illustrated East Coasting, a charming collection of travel essays published by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1930? Here, Bawden’s comic genius ran riot. The title page alone boasts such quirky seaside-themed illustrations as a tent flapping open in a gust of wind, revealing the bather changing within, and a giant lobster snatching an old lady from her bath chair while holding a top hat in its free claw. East Coasting is among more than 100 titles featured in this new volume on the book jackets and selected illustrations of Bawden, who worked with many of the leading publishers of the 20th century. Introductory essay by Peyton Skipwith and captions by James Russell.