Travel Sketchbook World, Part 2

•   Paris Sketchbook, Fabrice Moireau, illus, Mary A. Kelley, text. St. Martin's Press, 2001. Gorgeous pencil work with luminous watercolor washes. Superb book. My favorite illustrator.

  Other titles in this excellent series:
• Loire Valley Sketchbook, Fabrice Moireau, illus,  Jean-Paul Pigeat, text. St. Martin’s Press, 2003.
• New York Sketchbook, Fabrice Moireau, illus, Jerome Charyn, text. St. Martin’s Press,  2005.
• Venice Sketchbook, Fabrice Moireau, illus, Tudy Sammartini, text. St. Martin's Press 2004.
• Bali Sketchbook, Graham Byfield, illus, Diana Darling, text, Editions Didier Millet, 1998. Byfield is a celebrated English illustrator.  He’s published other sketchbooks, including one on Paris and one on London.--- the Bali one is the only one I own.  Highly recommended.
• My Italian Sketchbook, Florine Asch, Flammarion,  no copyright date given.
• My Egyptian Sketchbook, Florine Asch, Flammarion, 2003. Perky, staccato penwork and soft watercolor washes. Asch is one of my favorite illustrators. I’d buy any travel sketchbook she published.
• My Paris Sketchbook, Alain Bouldouyre, illus, Christophe Auduraud, text, Flammarion, 2003.  Another in the Flammarion sketchbook series.  Lovely pencil and watercolor work.
• My Venetian Sketchbook, Isabelle de Borchgrave, Flammarion, 2004. Stunning gouache sketches, occasional collage elements, interesting text.
• My Chinese Sketchbook,  Fu Ji Tsang, Flammarion, 2005. Vivid watercolor sketches with spectacular, loose, wet-on-wet brushwork. Ample text elucidates the cultural, geographical, historical framework underpinning the Chinese landscape.
• Paris Sketchbook, Ronald Searle and Kaye Webb,  Perpetua Books,  1957. A classic in the travel/Paris sketchbook genre. Soulful, vibrant pen and ink and pencil sketches by the famous English illustrator Ronald Searle.
• Simenon’s Paris,  Frederick Franck drawings, Georges Simenon, text, Dial Press, 1970. More pen and ink sketches of Paris, done in Franck’s signature feathery, broken line. Fun to compare these sketches with Searle’s, done ten years earlier.
• Seeing Venice: an Eye in Love, Frederick Franck, Codhill Press, 2002. Pen and wash drawings accompany, in the author's words,  'an inner travelogue.'
• African Sketchbook, Frederick Franck, with preface by Graham Greene, Peter Davies, 1962.

Comments

[Con Dao]

I ordered three books last week, looking all over the place for your recommendations (couldn't find them and couldn't remember where you posted them!) and finally ordered Venice.

[Felicity]

Thanks again Laura for your links. I have the Bali Sketchbook now and the subjects he paints are quite different to his London Sketchbook but both of course are gorgeous. I think I prefer his London one as his touch with the paints is lighter, the colours more transparent and subdued and also it's more architectural and precise. I would say if you like Moirea, you would prefer the Bali book to the London one.

[Felicity]

Laura, I ordered three books last week, looking all over the place for your recommendations (couldn't find them and couldn't remember where you posted them!) and finally ordered Venice Sketchbook and London Sketchbook. The latter arrived today and it's one of the most beautiful books I've ever owned! I Googled his name and found your list! I'm glad I remembered you recommending Venice Sketchbook and hopefully it will come tomorrow - I can't wait! I'm printing off your list so I don't forget the others again - you have great taste!!

[enrique]

there´s an excellent bibliography at diariografico.com

[Laura]

I haven't even listed a bunch of French ones I've bought over the years ---they're not of the same quality of the ones I HAVE mentioned, but I bought them so I could feel good about my own work ;D.

[ParisBreakfasts]

Well, I'm embarassed to say I have almost ALL of these and more..but really interesting to see :O
I'm not the only mad collector of these things. It's very hard to choose favorites too.