Giles The Collection 2017

by Carl Giles

Fans of Giles will be thrilled to receive the latest annual treat from the archives of the celebrated cartoonist, whose work won him huge popular admiration and accolades including being voted the best cartoonist of the 20th century. In this collection, Giles takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the views and antics of Grandma, with 150 cartoons taken from the Express and the ­­Sunday Express archives. Brilliantly witty and full of irreverent fun, this compilation is the ideal addition to your Giles collection.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2016

About the author

See: Giles.

Ronald "Carl" Giles OBE, invariably known only as Giles, was a cartoonist best known for his work for the British newspaper the Daily Express.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Carl Giles has been dead for some time they still keep on hashing out his work every year - so why do I bother and why do I enjoy them so much.

Well thats not as easy as it sounds to answer. You see there is something nostalgic about his work - in this book the editor has chosen key cartoons which epitomise Grandma that force of nature you never want to get in front of. Many of the cartoons are taken from key political and social point in British history - my father is currently working his way through this book and has already commented about remembering some of the stories that Giles shortly after satirised (in the case of some stories literally days later)

And this leads me on to the next point about the fact that Giles poked fun at what was going on in the UK at that time, now he was never mean or cutting and never intentionally victimised anyone but still it captured the general feel of the population and still made us smile. It was like his imaginary family appealed to us in that we could all related to at least one member of the extended family.

Then there was the attention to detail - each image was loaded with little in jokes and comments that meant that the longer you looked the more you found and the more of Giles's humour came to light. HE wanted you to take your time and spend a little longer looking at his work.

And finally there is the personal connection - I am not sure if I have said this story before but I when I was younger I would help my neighbour look after her elderly father - he just needed company in case he fell or needed anything heavy carrying. And in return for keeping him company I could to read through his nearly complete Giles annual collection. they were amazing times I still look back fondly over - cold winter nights with frost and snow with a roaring log fire in an ancient old coach house with a stack of Giles books and an elderly gentlemen telling me tales/

So yes I can see why some would not give this book a second look but for me it connects to something greater and reading the introductions to these books is always insightful - after al Carl Giles may have an imaginary family he could call upon to comment about the state of the UK but he also drew from his own life and experiences so even though you didnt realise it there was still something very personal in these cartoons. So yes I will be looking to see what they bring out next year!

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like Giles as a kid, but there are errors in the text of this collection that detract from the cartoons.

[Mylesgorton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Giles cartoons featuring Grandma. As would be expected in his provides a set of well executed cartoons some with interesting details not apparent at initial scan. The accompanying explanatory paragraphs add an interesting insight into British social and political history. I found reference to a snow storm in 1982 which matches with memories of a very snowy period in my childhood, giving me the context of how and when it happened.

[Julian Onions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes me back a few years - still funny and beautifully drawn!