Peter Blake's ABC

by Peter Blake

British Pop artist Peter Blake has an eye for the quirky and the overlooked. Best known for designing the cover of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band , Blake has never stopped working. This charming ABC is composed from the extensive collection of objects and ephemera he has gathered in his studio during his long career. Designed in close collaboration with the artist, Peter Blake’s ABC displays the strong graphic sensibility and the love of popular culture for which he is renowned. This charming book will delight young and old alike.

Genres: Picture Books

64 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gail Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

When noted British pop artist Peter Blake was asked to do an alphabet book he is quoted as saying he thought that all the pictures and objects could come from his private collection. How fortunate for us! Thus, we have PETER BLAKE'S ABC appealing to readers of every age.

The photography, credited to Marcus Leith and Andrew Dunkley, is stunning with each piece set against a neutral gray background causing objects to pop from the pages. The scope of Mr. Blake's interests is intriguing, whether one is studying "A is for apple," which is a large rosy and gold apple shape with what is obviously a removable top or "I is for ice," a taste tempting sherbet dish of colored ice topped by a cherry, a piece of orange and pineapple with a silver spoon at the ready.

Those familiar with this artist's work (remember the tattooed pig he painted for a 2008 public art exhibit in the English city of Bath or the album sleeve he designed for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?) know that Mr. Blake has a robust sense of humor, which is evident in his choices of objects to represent letters in the alphabet. "Y is for yacht," for instance, is a sail boat.

Youngsters will quickly learn their alphabet while adults will enjoy the eclectic pieces from the artist's private collection. Even the endpapers are a pleasure as they are details from Peter Blake's The Toy Shop (1962).

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book, but g is for gnome and s is for shoe may cause some head scratching for kids.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the clean pages of this book. Some of the choices are interesting, but I think it would be a great conversation starter between grandparents and kids.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost me at X.