6 July 2016

More Arabian Nights

Back after a long break. Almost two years after I first wrote about Helen Stratton, more of her illustrations from the same book. Her work is not in the same league as Edmund Dulac or Arthur Rackham, but sentimentality wins out every time for me. I look at these and I'm right back on the steps of the porch of my grandparents'  house, all cool tiles, deep shade and loitering lizards. More fabulous costumes and decor. More exotic names (Noureddin, Camaralzaman and Badouri, Beder and Giauhara, Princess Parizade). More rather bad printing. I would like to know how much of this (both stories and pictures) is based on original sources and how much is Victorian/Edwardian fantasy. Time to re-read the original book, perhaps, over the summer.