Product Description
A miniature pig splashing in a bowl of soup; a duck leading a wheelbarrow down a country lane; a woman stroking her daughter's face with a rabbit: take a trip into Michael Sowa's brilliant and darkly comic imagination, where a menagerie of creatures adopt strange personae and pop up in the most unexpected places. In the same realm as Chris Van Allsburg and Maurice Sendak, Sowa's paintings take on the other-worldly look of a whacked-out fairy tale. 50+ color illustrations.Amazon.com Review
Rarely have I been so at a loss to describe a book. Let mestart by saying it is wondrous. That this book of 50 paintings by theGerman painter Michael Sowahas an otherworldly quality that is prosaic yet profound, hilarious yet numinous, and incongruous yet congruent with deep andmysterious truths. That I will never think of ducks, Christmas, rabbits, or German shepherds in the same way since seeingthis book. That I return to it over and over again, and feel compelled to show it tofriends and family. And that they -- children and adults alike -- love it too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Magical Tour of Wonderful Absurdity!
After having sought this book for quite some time, I am far from let down by the wonderful creations of Michael Sowa! An avid fan, with three of his paintings in my possesion, I was thrilled to see this compilation of many of Sowa's pondering works within the pages of just one book.When will you create another?Reproductions are clear, and capture the elusive nature of Michael Sowa's art well, with both full and detailed portions of his paintings shown throughout.I am left still wondering the meaning of many, but enjoy being left to my own imagination at the very same time. Shepherds afloat while pigs perch, basking ducks beside the fire, the demise of the Christmas Angel so shocking! Michael Sowa, you are a master of the brush and the mind!A must for any who appreciate the work of Sowa, keep searching until a copy sits upon your shelf. And enjoy.

A fabulous artist!
What can one say about Michael Sowa? His painting is superb nad his sense of humor and fun is also "to die for." He is a master, and I just love him......If you ever see his greeting cards for sale, you'll know what I mean. But to have the paintings in a book is even better.

Wildly amusing imagery
Michael Sowa's book was introduced to me as a must to read after someone saw my own work, and I would say the same to you if you are thinking of buying this book.

If you like funny, amuzing and often surreal imagery then you'll love Sowas work. Some of the pictures are quite profound and make you think beyond what you see. They have a dream like quality in many cases. Some pleasant and others ... well... it's hard to describe...... best discover for yourself...

Funny and Charming
I saw one of Michael Sowa's postcards in a small stationery store in Boston, and I have been in love since. His posters are difficult to find in the United States, so I asked for this book for Christmas. It is perfect for people who love personified animals, as in the Far Side. It is absolutely hysterical.

Pure pleasure...
Like some kind of low brow Mark Tansey, Sowa creates images that truly stop you in your cerebral tracks with their weight and mystery. And he does this while being damn funny. The tragic and sometimes amusing conflictsbetween the human world and the natural world have never been so wellshown. A coffee table art book I actually pick up and look at, it's farmore relevant than it seems at first glance. Buy it now and give it tosomeone you would like to see with a smile on their face. ... Read more

Product Description
This elegant address book contains evocative artwork from Nick Bantock’s The Gryphon, the long-awaited fourth volume in the best-selling Griffin & Sabine series. ... Read more

Product Description
Inspired by the artful and enigmatic correspondence of Griffin and Sabine in Nick Bantock’s The Gryphon, this collection of mix-and-match stationery will move you to create your own captivating correspondence. ... Read more

Product Description
A spectacular new pop-up from the creator of Griffin & Sabine. Readers of all ages have been intrigued and delighted by Nick Bantock's gift books. Now Bantock's legendary artwork attains new lyrical expression as he translates Coleridge's classic, opium-inspired poem into exquisite and phantasmagoric pop-up constructions. 6 pop-ups. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book!
I am a teacher, and I used this book as a model for my students who created a pop-up book. It was a great learning tool.

Beautiful!
This little piece of art is beautifully illustrated with incredible paper engineering for the pop-ups. I was lucky enough to find it years ago in a used book store, still in almost-new condition, and I'm still enjoying it today. I have other pop-ups by Nick Bantock - the jabberwocky and the old lady who swallowed a fly - and they are all amazingly done, but this one is my favorite.

What fun!
I was lucky enough to find a 'new' copy of this book.It is wonderfully and appropriately illustrated, though not necessarily for children.I recommend this to fans of Coleridge, and to fans of eclectic books ingeneral.

Pop-up book for grown-ups.
All right, you may not be terribly fond of Coleridge. Or you may think he was a poet-god. In either case, I recommend this pop-up version of the "drugged-out classic" (as a prof. of mine once called it) to everyone over the age of, say, 17. Bantock's imaginative use of the familiar pop-up genre, as well as his distinctive art style, accentuate the poetry perfectly. I'm still kicking myself for not buying that beaten-up copy I found in New York.This is definitely worth the search. ... Read more

Product Description
The Griffin & Sabine saga has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, led to 12 international editions, and spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Both longtime fans and new readers will be thrilled to see the series in an exquisite boxed edition. The entire six-volume Griffin & Sabine series is being presented together in a limited collector's edition: A wooden box decorated with original artwork holds a treasure trove of all six of the illustrated novels People magazine calls "surreal picture books for grown-ups." This magical collection also includes an exclusive print of Griffin & Sabine's iconic parrot image, initialed by Nick Bantock himself and ready for framing. A fantastic gift for lovers of art, mystery, and romance, here are two essential purchases for both new and tried-and-true Nick Bantock fans everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Written by a Nick Fan
I'm going to make this short. A: I'm a big fan of Nick Bantock... I love the artwork - it's captivating. These are books I can look at again and again.

This being said, I loved the first three books with all my heart. I liked the fourth and fifth... I was sorely disappointed with the end - I feel Nick didn't wrap up the characters very neatly, and kind of threw away a very compelling tale.

Are the books worth reading? Yes. Are they beautiful? Yes. Will I recommend all six to my friends? Seriously - I'll probably give them the first three... If they demand it, I'll give the second three with the stipulation that they prepare for a letdown in book six... ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Nick Bantock, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2304 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (2)

Reader From Calgary Wrong About Capolan Calendar
Nick Bantock's 1998 Capolan calendar, which I purchased in Vancouver, B.C., shows American and Canadian holidays.Perhaps the reader from Calgary, who protested seeing only American holidays, saw an American edition.The art--a series of collages composed of stamps, passports, and maps, printed on high-grade paper--is exquisite and unlike anything I have seen.I recommend it not only as a calendar but also as a decoration.

Canadian author and artist uses American Calendar
I must say that I was disappointed that Nick Bantock, Canadian resident artist and author, uses a US calendar with all the US holidays listed, all the Canadian holidays absent. An international calendar listing North American and other continents holidays would have been a better choice. Or how about an exclusively Canadian calander. The art is lovely, but, would have been better if it was more "multimedia" like the Griffen & Sabine series of books. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on Nick Bantock's wildly successful "Griffin and Sabine" trilogy, this title includes all 58 postcards and 12 letters from the original trilogy, brought to life through interactive art, animation, film and photomontage. A collaboration between Nick Bantock and Peter Gabriel's Real World MultiMedia team, this multimedia package features two hours of original soundtrack and over an hour's worth of film sequences as users immerse themselves in a mysterious interactive love story, told through the intense correspondence between Griffin, a young artist from London and Sabine, his enigmatic South Sea Island muse. A Windows95/Macintosh CD-ROM. Available now. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

One step beyond incredible
This is not a game at all, it is a book come to glorious life.To interact with this CD you must have patience, for sure, but the payoff is more than worth it.Casting is perfect, music is just amazing (the opening of this CD is like watching the opening credits of a MOVIE!).

A fan of the series of "Griffin & Sabine" books or the author's would be remiss in overlooking this addition to the mythology. Great job, Mr. Bantock and Real World.

Ceremony of Innocence
I find the CD ROM frustrating.Some of the cards and letters take too long to open.I have to click all over the letter, and still it won't turn over.If I had known this I would not have spent .As a matter of fact no price is worth the distress it causes.I feel that it is unfairthat a pace was chosen for me, the player/buyer.It is far from relaxingto get in and out of the CD ROM.It moves at a snails pace. I have triedto pull up the CD ROM's company maker~ which I think isRealworld , but Icannot.I would like an address were I could mail in an offical complaint.Nick Bantock~ shame on you!I didn't expect this from you.I thought yourmind was steps ahead of everyone else's.

ceremony of innocence
I am a little aggravated because I can't seem to open the eighth card from book two.It seems I cannot find the web site for realworld.on.net either.The CD ROM moves along too slow for enjoyment.So where do I get myquestions answered?

No words can justify the fusing of multimedia and the book.
Aside from the thought-provoking mysteries of the Griffin and Sabine Trilogy, it is Nick Bantock's art to transport a reader right into the middle of a story. With the collaboration of Nick Bantock and Real WorldMultiMedia, the trilogy hasn't been so alive before. Simply no words candescribe it.

a beautiful magical journey...
Wow!!!what else is there to say?? I am a huge Nick Bantock fan, and this "adventure" did not disappoint..the images are all beautifully rendered, and the animation and interactivity just add to the mystery andintrigue of an already magical story.what can I say, except I love it!!! (a strange thing happens to me when I see a Bantock book...I feelcompelled to buy it.. even though I already own all of the books.. It ishard to resist his work..) ... Read more

Product Description
The Missing Nose Flute and Other Mysteries of Life is a postcard book with a difference. Antique postcards, with their soft hand-tinting and naive world view, are given a new twist by the bizarre--even mordant--captions that accompany them. This unconventional collection makes the perfect off-beat gift. 22 full-color postcards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
An epistolary novel in which Griffin Moss, a postcard artist in London, and Sabine Strohem, a postage stamp illustrator in the South Seas, fall in love via the mail, never having seen or spoken to each other. The book is illustrated in varying styles, from detailed line drawings to collages.
... Read more