We are delighted to welcome back John Smith for our first (January) meeting of 2023. He will give a presentation on Aubrey Beardsley the well known book illustrator. He last spoke to us on English Book Illustration in October ’21.
John Robert Smith has worked in second hand bookshops for thirteen years, buying and selling antiquarian books for his entire working life. He currently manages the recently opened Oxfam Bookshop in Chichester town centre, which he was instrumental in setting up. His specialist interest is book illustration from 1880-1920, and this has led him into a deep affection for artists such as Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen, Aubrey Beardsley and Jennie Harbour. For the past four years, John has also managed a blog writing short articles on the greatest of book illustrators, featuring samples of their work selected by him. This can be found at https://veryimportantbook.wordpress.com