New Mervyn Peake book!

[Michael Moorcock]

I've recommended Mervyn Peake: The Man and his Art elsewhere, but am recommending it again. It costs fifty quid in hardback, but 18.50 in pb and less via Amazon I think. It has some of the finest colour reproduction I've seen and is as thoroughly comprehensive book, loaded to the gunn'ls with wonderful pictures, I've ever seen. I suppose a gunn'l is a gun-hole.
I've often wondered. Must reread Capt. Blood etc. Or just look it up.
Anyway, it'll be money well spent if you can afford it. Contains appreciations of Peake by Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat), self, Langdon Jones and many others, including pictures from the TV series and, especially recommended, the David Glass stage production. Get your library to order it. Hold up the midnight book tram as it crosses the murkier parts of Clapham Heath. Do what it takes! You won't regret it!

[Marca]

Sounds like a great book. I don't have the money just at the moment, but it's one to be borne in mind for the future. Thanks for the heads-up Mike.

[Groakes]

... loaded to the gunn'ls with wonderful pictures, I've ever seen. I suppose a gunn'l is a gun-hole....

Actually it's gunwale (or gunwhale) referring to the upper edge of the side which was reinforced to provide strengthening for guns...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunwale

I know, I need a slap....

But the Peake book looks terrific. I always preferred the Penguin edition of the Gormenghast trilogy with original peake sketches on them - If my memory serves me correctly it was Fuschia on "Titus Groan", Barquentine and Steerpike on "Gormenghast", and Irma on "Titus Alone"....

[Michael Moorcock]

I knew I should have read more of those Master and Commander books...
I was partly responsible for those Modern Classics editions coming out with Peake covers and Peake interiors. I didn't have to work hard to persuade the editor, my friend Ollie Caldecott, to use them. I told him about them and he visited Maeve's to look at them and became very enthusiastic. He was a painter himself. What has always surprised me is that subsequent editors dropped the illustrations and used different artists for the covers. It was one of those strokes of good fortune which put Ollie in the Penguin editorial chair at that exact moment. He later left to form his own company. Wildwood House, and died prematurely. His wife Moyra writes excellent fantasy novels.

[Grey Mouser]

Cheers Mike. This sounds like a book to rival even Peake's Progress.

[Michael Moorcock]

I just received a letter from Peter Winnington, who wrote the outstanding biography of Peake, Vast Alchemies, and edits Peake Studies, both of which I would unreservedly recommend! It clears up what had struck me as a bit of a mystery!

DearMike,
just seen your Miscellany.
The Man and His Art is available in hard cover only,
at £35.
It's my own Voice of the Heart: the working of MP's imagination
that's £18.50 in paperback but all of £50 in hard covers- for libraries
really.
Hasn't The Man and His Art turned out to be a beautiful book!
Though I should add that The Voice of the Heart is not ugly --
and it's got 50 unfamiliar illustrations by Peake as well, which
makes it worth a visit for those who admire his art.
All the best
Peter

[Muroc]

Slightly obtuse angle (or is that a tangent) here but... thanks Mike for enlightening me on the talents of Mervyn Peake. It was through your references/quotes to his works in the Cornelius novels that I forced our local bookstore(s) to get Gormenghast, Titus Groan and Titus Alone (we were a bit limited back in 1985 to these pleasures, locally – well local bookstores didn’t see any money in them) I didn’t realise he was a talented in other areas as well.

Cheers

[GuyLawley]

My copy of the new book, Mervyn Peake, the Man and his Art, arrived in the post today.

Absolutely gorgeous to look at, and clearly full of erudite verbals to boot, though I have only dipped in and out so far.

I have a couple of friends for whom this is the ideal Xmas present, so
I hope neither of them has noticed its publication!

I shall be reading Langdon Jones's piece before bed.

Thanks for bringing the book to our / my attention, Mike.

[Michael Moorcock]

You're welcome, Guy. It's going to be a present for friends, this Christmas, without doubt.

[Ilium]

Peake is another writer that I need to pick up again sometime soon. I loved the Ghormanghast books, and it's getting onto 10 years since I read them. From the few bits I have read about him he seem to such an interesting man, so I hope to look up The Man and his Art also.

Also, out of interest, any other of Peake's books that anyone would recommend to read? Cheers

[Michael Moorcock]

You might look out for Mr Pye or 'Boy in Darkness' which was reprinted in The Inner Landscape anthology I did many years ago and has been reprinted a number of times.