50watts.com

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 8.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Quite possibly the richest source of book-related design and illustration in the universe

Naoyuki Katoh SF Illustrations

1 August 2023 @ 6:00 pm

Images found in two 1980s books, Naoyuki Katoh SF Illustrations I and II (there's also a volume III), which I occasionally have for sale at 50 Watts Books. Naoyuki Katoh, Voyage of the Space Beagle, c 1980s Naoyuki Katoh, c1980s Naoyuki Katoh, c1980s

Kozo Yokoi

9 September 2022 @ 6:08 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) Here's a real find (for me at least): an illustration from a 1925 issue of Kodomonotomo. I had never seen work by this person (I think I'd remember!): Kozo Yokoi (1889–1965), who went on to a career as a painter (dubbed "the Japanese Rousseau"). I scanned these from a 2017 book on Kodomonotomo. I'll see what else I can dig up.

A Tiger in the Land of Dreams

29 August 2022 @ 7:37 pm

A look inside the 50 Watts edition of Tiger Tateishi's incredible A Tiger in the Land of Dreams A Tiger in the Land of Dreams by Tiger Tateishi Translated by Yosuke Kitazawa ISBN 9781957625003 32 pages, 7.5 x 10.25 inches, full color, hardcover Publication date: Fall 2022 (now shipping!) A Tiger in the Land of Dreams is the first English-language edition of a legendary picture book from 1984. Tiger Tateishi, well-known in the worlds of art and comics, takes us on a journey through a surreal land with Torakichi, a constantly-morphing green tiger. The artist saw this strange tiger as a combination of an animal and a plant. Suitable for all ages, but this is the type of book you buy for the dreamy artwork.

50 Watts Books - Our First Publications

12 April 2022 @ 10:05 pm

While running the bookstore over the last year, I've been working on four books at the top of my list of dream projects. These books have fascinated (and confused) me for years -- longtime followers of the blog might recognize some -- and I'm excited to put them into the world. To follow their progress and be alerted when preorders begin, sign up for the 50 Watts Books email list. I'll also keep this page up-to-date. Booksellers, please get in touch! I will be selling some rare books by Tiger Tateishi and Kiyoshi Awazu to raise printing funds. Animal Land Where There Are No People by Sybil and Katharine Corbet A 50 Watts Production (which has been in the works for 10 years): we've given a colorful twist to a book originally published in Scotlan

Bookstore Image Dive 1

8 March 2022 @ 5:55 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) Nicole Claveloux, c1974, for a French edition of Alice in Wonderland found in Les images libres - Illustrations for Children, 1966-1986 A selection of images found in books on the shelves at 50 Watts Books. Books go in and out of print, and I look forward to revisiting a post in a few years to marvel at what was available. Nicole Claveloux, c1971 for Le Chat de Simulombula found in Les images libres - Illustrations for Children, 1966-1986

A Dream Within a Dream

7 March 2022 @ 9:52 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) Jan Konupek, from the cycle Dream Land, 1940, found in Edgar Allan Poe and Art in the Czech Land Some images from A Dream Within a Dream: Edgar Allan Poe and Art in the Czech Land, a recent publication now available at 50 Watts Books Frantisek Kobliha, The Black Cat, 1950, found in Edgar Allan Poe and Art in the Czech Land

Posters by Ghobad Shiva

5 January 2022 @ 9:33 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) silk-screen prints from 1975 Posters by Ghobad Shiva (born 1940) found in the book Music Posters from Pre-Revolution Iran, 1960s-70s. The section opens with some quotes by Shiva: "Posters offer a vast field to every graphic designer. While you present the information, you find an opportunity to add your individual artistic and intellectual view, what you seldom enjoy in other graphic media." "I spend more time on designing a poster than I do on other graphic works because you send a poster into the streets, where it generates thought, for which a graphic designer is highly responsible." "I believe you must turn the voices and melodies of music into a visual format. This is an Eastern view. Eastern artists almost

The Fake Kyoto Collection

18 October 2021 @ 6:16 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) Some blown-up details from Imiri Sakabashira's The Fake Kyoto Collection, a Japanese book from 2020. Born in 1964, Imiri Sakabashira is part of the Japanese underground generation centering around publications like Garo and AX. His work has been exhibited in the Trancepop Gallery in Kyoto and the Billiken Gallery in Tokyo.

Tomi Ungerer's Nonstop

13 October 2021 @ 6:42 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) How it begins From Tomi Ungerer's final picture book, Nonstop, published by Phaidon in 2020. Find it at 50 Watts Books or on Bookshop.org (I'm a regular affiliate there, not a bookstore affiliate). My summary: Vasco's shadow helps guide him through a crumbling world where "birds, butterflies, and rats were gone" and "flowers had turned into memories." Along the way he rescues Poco, the little green child of Nothing, and they eventually find a gigantic cake in the desert (a happy ending!). I love this book. How it ends

Marina Shirakawa's Yokai Picture Book

12 October 2021 @ 7:19 pm

(Find me at 50 Watts Books.) Details from a book collection of Marina Shirakawa's yokai drawings. Shirakawa (1944-2000) also features prominently in an anthology of mushroom-themed manga from the same Japanese publisher, ele-king books/P-Vine.